Staffing by Weighted Lookup

The Staffing by Weighted Lookup option allows you to create staffing matrices for the staffing configuration record based on weighted census values. A separate matrix is created for each acuity level to indicate the number of staff needed in a coverage period for each profile and census range.

Note: The profiles available must first be added on the Profiles screen of the Staffing Configuration record.

This type of census category is different than the other types in that it uses two sets of acuity levels to calculate needs.

• Census values are downloaded or entered on the Recalculate Staffing Needs screen and placed into the appropriate acuity level, called a Care Level.
  • The number of Care Levels are determined on the Staffing Configuration screen > Number of Acuity Levels field.
  • These levels are only visible on the Recalculate Staffing Needs screen and can be manually entered there or come from a census download.
  • Each Care Level's number is also the multiplier used when calculating the weighted census.
• On the Staffing Distribution record, there are three acuity levels.
  • Low, Medium, and High
  • These names are hard-coded and cannot be altered.
  • These levels are only visible on the Staffing Configuration screen.

Staffing Configuration

When you select the Staffing by Weighted Lookup census category, two other fields become available on the Staffing Configurations screen. These fields define the medium acuity level range and, subsequently, the low and high acuity level ranges.

• Medium Care Range Level Start
• Medium Care Range Level End

  Example: You set the start value as 2.25 and the end value as 3.50. The low range is then 0 to 2.24 and the high range is 3.51 and greater.

Staffing Distribution

On the Staffing Distributions screen, you set the range levels for the Low, Medium, and High acuity levels. This defines the matrix used for Staffing by Weighted Lookup processing.

For each acuity level of Low, Medium, and High, you set the staffing need for all combinations of coverage period, profile, and census value.

How does Staffing by Weighted Lookup Work?

There are six basic steps that the system goes through to determine the Need when using Staffing by Weighted Lookup.

1. Previously, you entered a value in the Number of Acuity Levels field. This value established the number of Care Levels used when downloading census or entering census on the Recalculate Staffing Needs screen.
   • Each level is named, Census - Care Level X (where X is a number up to the value you entered). These names are hard-coded and cannot be altered.

     Example: You entered 4, and four Care Levels were established.

   

2. Census is downloaded or manually entered on the Recalculate Staffing Needs screen. Each census value is placed into the appropriate Care Level.

   Example:

   4 patients in Care Level 1

   7 patients in Care Level 2

   3 patients in Care Level 3

   6 patients in Care Level 4

3. The Weighted Census is calculated. This is done by taking the Care Level number and multiplying it by the actual census value for that level.

   Example:

   Care Level 1 (1) * census (4) = 1 * 4 = 4

   Care Level 2 (2) * census (7) = 2 * 7 = 14

   Care Level 3 (3) * census (3) = 3 * 3 = 9

   Care Level 4 (4) * census (6) = 4 * 6 = 24

   These values are added together and the total equals the Weighted Census. 4 + 14 + 9 + 24 = 51. The Weighted Census is 51.

4. The Calculated Care Level is calculated. This is done by dividing the Weighted Census by the Total Census.

   Example: Weighted Census (51) / Total Census (20) = 51 / 20 = 2.55. The Calculated Care Level is 2.55.

   The Calculated Care Level is rounded to two decimal places.

5. The system determines which acuity level that the Calculated Care Level falls into.

   Previously, you entered values into the Medium Care Range Level Start and Medium Care Range Level End fields, which established the Low, Medium, and High acuity levels.

   

   Example: You set the medium start value as 2.25 and the end value as 3.50. The low range is then 0 to 2.24 and the high range is 3.51 and greater. Since the Calculated Care Level is 2.55, it falls into the Medium acuity level.

6. Using the acuity level determined in step 5, the system now knows which matrix to use to calculate staffing needs (on the Staffing Distributions screen). The need is determined by where the Total Census value falls within the ranges.

   Previously, you entered staffing needs for all combinations of coverage period, profile, and census range values.

   

   Example: The Medium acuity level is being used, as determined in step 5. The Total Census for the Day coverage period is 20. The employee Need for the CALL profile is 4.00.

   Medium acuity level

   Day coverage period

   Top range level (actual Total Census of 20 is higher than the highest level value of 10)

   Profile of CALL

   Employee Need is 4.00

Creating a Staffing by Weighted Lookup Matrix

To create a Staffing by Weighted Lookup matrix, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Staffing Configuration record for the required organization unit using the search features.
2. On the General tab, in the Census Category field, select Staffing by Weighted Lookups.
3. Enter a value in the Number of Acuity Levels field.

   This value determines how many Care Levels are available on the Recalculate Staffing Needs screen or are needed in the census download.

4. Enter values in the Medium Care Range Level Start and End fields to define the medium, and by extension, the low and high acuity levels.
5. Click Staffing Distributions.

   The Staffing Distributions record appears with the Low, Medium, and High acuity levels.

6. Click the card arrow on a record to open it.

   

7. Enter a Description to identify this acuity level record.

   The label describing the distribution record. This label is displayed when running the Recalculate Staffing Needs wizard, to indicate which record to enter the patient census.

   The Coverage Period Distribution tabs indicate the coverage period being configured. The coverage periods displayed are determined by the Coverage Set Code assigned on the General tab.

   The coverage set used by this Organization Unit, which defines the coverage periods in the staffing grid.

8. For the first coverage period, enter the Needs (number of staff required) for a patient census of zero for each of the profiles listed in the grid.

   The number of staff that are needed to fill the staffing requirements, based on the indicated patient census.

   Note: This is the number of staff, not the number of FTE's. If there is a 4-hour coverage period and 6 RN's are needed during that time, enter 6 and not 3.

9. Click Add Row to add another staffing level to the matrix.
10. In the Range Low Value field, enter the lowest value for the current range of the matrix.

    In the Range Low Value field, enter the lowest value for the current range of the matrix. Note: The upper value of the range is determined by the Range Low Value of the next range. For example, if the third range level has a Range Low Value of 5, the upper range of the second acuity level includes values under 5. Note: All downloaded/entered census values that are higher than the Range Low Value of the final range will be assigned profile staff requirements from that final range.

    Note: The upper value of the range is determined by the Range Low Value of the next range. For example, if the third range level has a Range Low Value of 16, the upper range of the second acuity level includes values under 16. Note: All downloaded/entered census values that are higher than the Range Low Value of the final range will be assigned profile staff requirements from that final range.

11. For each profile, enter the number of staff required for that range of patient census. Note: If a profile's staffing level is not adjusted for patient census and acuity, it does not need to be configured. For example, if an organization unit always has one Unit Clerk or one Charge Nurse regardless of patient census and acuity, those profiles do not need to be configured on the matrix. Remove these profiles from the Profiles section screen, accessible from the left pane.
12. Be sure to configure the tabs for all coverage periods for each range.
13. Click on the Save button to save the records.
14. To configure the rest of the acuity level matrix records, open the next record and complete steps 5-13 above.

    Note: Values can be copied (replicated) from one coverage period to another and/or one acuity record to another. For more information, see Replicating Staffing Distribution Coverage Period Values and Replicating Staffing Distribution Acuity Values.

Medium Care Range Level Start

This field determines the lowest number (to 2 decimal places) that defines the Medium acuity level. Any number lower is in the Low acuity level.

Medium Care Range Level End

This field determines the highest number (to 2 decimal places) that defines the Medium acuity level. Any number higher is in the High acuity level.