Medical facilities constantly face difficult staff scheduling problems. Every hospital and medical group will welcome a functional, computerized solution that actively optimizes scheduling. The DOCS algorithm - combining an accounting framework, constraints, and a Monte-Carlo stimulation - serves as a new methodology for optimal staff scheduling on a hospital-wide (enterprise) basis. Phase II will develop DOCS/Enterprise, a software application for solving large-scale staff scheduling problems in a hospital environment. DOCS/Enterprise will undergo Alpha testing at two medical institutions to verify the design and functionality and three additional institutions will participate in usability (Beta) testing. Phase I proved that the DOCS algorithm is well-suited for large size medical staff scheduling problems. Since no other commercial software products nor any published algorithms compare to the performance of DOCS, there is a significant commercial opportunity for the development of DOCS/Enterprise. Every hospital will benefit from this staff scheduling system. Savings are $200,000 per year for a typical hospital.
