From Nurse to Innovator: Sara Well’s Journey in Revolutionizing Healthcare Staffing

Sara Well's passion is quality healthcare. For twelve years she was a critical care nurse at prominent hospital systems in Los Angeles. As she advanced and became Shift Manager, she observed that the scheduling process was manual, archaic and unsustainable.

Sara remarks: "I felt dangerously pulled away from the clinical environment where my team needed my help, into a clerical role of trying to get staff to come in to work to help us out." While she was surrounded by innovative medical technology, no technology was being used to improve the process of staffing. As a self-confessed tech nerd she decided to tackle the problem head-on and Dropstat was born.

 

Dropstat automates the repetitive and tedious manual processes of filling shifts and ensuring safe staffing. The nursing shortage is real and worsening, and a solid infrastructure for staffing is desperately needed. AI and machine learning are applied to reduce friction in the process, and free nurses to provide the quality patient care that they are dedicated to. Because of Sara's intimate knowledge of hospital operations, she quickly led her team to find ways to use staff more efficiently and to reduce overtime and contingent labor costs.

 

In addition, in 2022 Sara became the Chapter Director for the HealthTech Industry at Startup Grind, an organization dedicated to bringing startups and investors together. She counsels and mentors emerging women in the field to create a more supportive business community.

 

Dropstat has been selected to participate in the 2023 AWS Healthcare Accelerator Global Cohort for Workforce Development. Supporting and protecting the healthcare workforce is an essential investment in the continuity of health services, and central to Dropstat’s mission. The focus on training, retaining, and deploying healthcare workers is consistent with Sara Well’s vision of a better future for healthcare.

 

In this episode of "The Revenue Maze," our host Val is joined by the accomplished and visionary guest, Sara Well, RNs. With over 12 years of experience as a critical care nurse in prominent hospital systems in Los Angeles, Sara has witnessed firsthand the challenges and inefficiencies in the healthcare staffing process. Her deep understanding of the industry, coupled with her passion for healthcare, led her to create a groundbreaking solution that transforms the way staffing is managed.

 

Key Takeaways

 

~ Sara Well's experience as a critical care nurse led her to identify the inefficiencies in healthcare staffing processes and inspired her to create Dropstat, a technology platform that automates and optimizes the process of scheduling and filling shifts.

 

~ Dropstat's technology has significantly increased the reach and speed of communication within healthcare organizations, allowing for more efficient scheduling and filling of shifts, resulting in a 10 to 20% increase in filled shifts and a 40% reduction in costs compared to existing systems.

~ By reducing agency and overtime labor costs by about 50% over a 12-month period, Dropstat has proven its ability to address the supply-demand issue and improve resource utilization in the healthcare industry.

 

~The podcast episode highlighted the shortage of healthcare workers and the need to attract and retain more people in the industry. This shortage puts a strain on the healthcare system, resulting in longer wait times for primary care appointments and a potential increase in healthcare deserts.

 

~Sara emphasized the importance of engagement and retention in staffing, as high churn rates and burnout among nurses and physicians can hinder effective staffing and impact patient care.

 

~Sara's personal experiences in the healthcare system, including her loved one's extended hospital stay, underscored the need for improved efficiency, communication, and patient care in healthcare. The success of Dropstat demonstrates the potential of technology to address these challenges and improve the healthcare system as a whole.

 

Quote of the show –

 

"Nurses and physicians are burning out right now because of the pressure of being saddled with unsafe labor loads and getting essentially the same salary with minimal pay rate increases and being responsible for so much more."

 

Time Stamps –

 

[00:00:36] Running a company: easier than negotiating with teenagers.

[00:04:44] Lucky life, helping healthcare with valuable tools.

[00:07:51] Healthcare system challenges, personal experience, technology efficiency.

[00:13:10] Addressing supply demand inequity with scalable technology.

[00:14:41] Improved staffing technology reduces costs by 50%.

[00:19:13] Impact on healthcare systems and communities is worrisome. Utilizing internal resources, addressing burnout crucial. Hi