OPTACARE deploys IBM technology to help healthcare providers shape schedules that boost productivity and employee well-being
France’s healthcare system is facing a deep operational crisis. 99% of public hospitals and senior care facilities report an inability to meet their staffing needs. At the same time, only 15% of healthcare workers feel they have a healthy work-life balance.
Under this mounting strain, effective scheduling has become critical for employee well-being and system stability. Well-designed rosters allow healthcare facilities to manage patient volumes effectively and support timely access to care, while reducing stress for caregivers.
However, the architects of these schedules face a tough task. They must distribute shifts as equitably as possible, while respecting individual preferences and meeting operational demands. They must also respect strict European regulations governing working hours, rest periods between shifts, and limits on night work.
With many hospitals relying on manual, spreadsheet-based planning, it takes considerable time and effort to create balanced schedules. Any scheduling gaps must be filled with expensive overtime hours, straining already limited budgets and contributing to caregiver burnout.
This complex web was precisely what OPTACARE aimed to untangle. Founded to help care facilities solve their toughest efficiency challenges, the health tech startup was determined to transform the burden of planning into a source of efficiency and stability.
To power its vision for a smarter, fairer scheduling system, OPTACARE chose IBM watsonx™ technology including IBM® ILOG® CPLEX® Optimization Studio. CPLEX Optimization Studio uses data science and decision optimization technology to solve complex combinatorial problems. OPTACARE HR Planner harnesses these capabilities to generate optimized staff rosters based on a complex matrix of constraints—regulatory, structural, and personal—while ensuring fairness and well-being.
Gaëlle Coudert, Chief Marketing Officer at OPTACARE, says: “Our scheduling solution can be applied across all healthcare settings, from hospitals to elder care facilities. At the same time, HR Planner can be easily adapted to each organization’s unique needs, for maximum flexibility.”
Choosing a cloud delivery model on IBM Cloud® allows OPTACARE to offer HR Planner as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. Customers can use a single subscription to manage multiple locations and costs are based on consumption, which simplifies licensing both for OPTACARE and its customers. It also allows for real-time scalability to manage activity peaks and growth.
IBM Platinum Business Partner Pedab France played a critical role in bringing the solution to market.
“Pedab France has been a trusted partner on this project, bringing valuable support and expertise throughout,” says Yasmine Alaouchiche, Product Owner and R&D Manager of AI/OR-Driven Solutions for Healthcare at OPTACARE. “Pedab France offered excellent commercial guidance, helping us navigate licensing agreements and communication with IBM.”
Using an intuitive interface, business users can adapt the HR Planner algorithms without the need for specialist technical support. This supports operational flexibility: for example, a hospital might maintain one configuration for standard operations and another for emergency scenarios, with less stringent rules around skills or shift timing.
HR Planner generates optimized schedules in seconds; OPTACARE estimates that its platform can save multiple person-hours per day. It removes a significant mental load from planning teams and frees them from tedious manual work, giving them more time to focus on higher-value tasks. The platform also codifies and formalizes institutional knowledge and best practices around scheduling, which supports continuity of operations if a primary scheduler is absent or leaves the organization.
Equally importantly, HR Planner brings demonstrable fairness to the planning process. The system can mathematically prove why a generated schedule is fair and optimal. This explainability removes the perception of bias in shift allocation, helping to boost morale and trust among staff.
Fair scheduling that respects individual preferences and constraints also makes for a healthier working environment. Caregivers can count on more predictable schedules with fewer last-minute changes and difficult overtime, contributing to a better work-life balance. When caregivers are more rested and less stressed, they can work more effectively and safely, which directly improves the quality of patient care.
By allocating internal resources more efficiently, healthcare providers also reduce costly reliance on overtime pay.
Yasmine Alaouchiche concludes: “We are helping organizations address the root causes of the healthcare staffing crisis. Reliable, equitable schedules protect caregiver well-being and improve the quality of patient care. Our technology supports better-informed decisions, simplifies complex tasks, and reclaims precious time for what matters most: caring for people.”
OPTACARE is committed to advancing healthcare management through technology. Established in 2013 and based in Troyes, France, OPTACARE develops software solutions that help hospitals and care facilities to accurately forecast patient flow, improve staff and resource planning, and elevate organizational efficiency.
A dedicated IBM value-add distributor and tech-broker, Pedab partners with leading technology providers to deliver solutions and services to an ecosystem of partners and customers. A family-owned company founded more than 30 years ago in Sweden, Pedab currently employs 130 people in eight countries across Europe.
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Examples presented as illustrative only. Actual results will vary based on client configurations and conditions and, therefore, generally expected results cannot be provided.