BC Health Authorities OnCall Web Application

We built the OnCall web application to automate the paper-based methods health authorities in B.C. use for tracking and scheduling on-call physicians. Unlike the cumbersome and often inaccurate paper schedules, the OnCall system is efficient, reliable, and easy-to-use. The OnCall web application began as a pilot project in the Vancouver Island Health Authority in 2003, underwent significant redesign and improvements in 2007, and has since been adopted by Fraser Health Authority, Vancouver Coastal Health, Northern Health, and Providence Health Care as part of the Health Authority Partnership Initiative (HAPI) Suite.

Health authorities in B.C. handle all on-call scheduling and tracking functions for physicians, including those in specialty groups and family practices, located across most of the province. Before we built OnCall, these functions were carried out using hundreds of paper forms and paper-filled binders and thousands of faxes per year.

To find the best way to create an automated on-call scheduling system for the pilot project, Number 41 Media analyzed the information structures and workflow of existing business processes for entering and updating physician information, creating and updating schedules, and disseminating on-call information throughout health authorities.

We met with on-call schedulers and operators to walk through their daily tasks. We determined that the new system would need to be secure but widely accessible; that its users would need an interface that made complex scheduling processes clear and easy; and that, because it handled vitally critical information, the on-call scheduling system must be very safe and reliable.

The health authority partners and Number 41 Media agreed that a web-enabled application built in non-proprietary code would offer the accessibility required now, as well as the flexibility to modify and expand the system in the future.

To ensure maximum integration with existing health authority applications, we built OnCall in ASP.NET using an MS SQL database. The data used by the system is captured directly from the provincial Provider Registry System (PRS).

Collaboration between the health authorities and our project managers produced preliminary specifications for the system. Using these specifications, our programmers and interface designers produced prototypes at each critical stage of development and used feedback from project stakeholders to refine and polish subsequent iterations of the system. This process was critical for adapting an application to users' needs while the application was still in development. It is especially useful when developing applications that need to be seamlessly integrated into existing business processes and technology environments.

The OnCall scheduling system is available via health authority intranets. It allows authorized users to quickly create, fill, and edit on-call schedules and view up-to-date on-call coverage information any time, without ever printing, faxing, or consulting a binder. Because the new system was designed to directly address the needs of the users, health authority personnel have taken quickly to the new system.

Features

• Custom software development
• Physician on-call scheduling and invoicing web application
• Component of the HAPI Suite

Services We Provided

Technology