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Reconciliation is the process of checking schedule data to make sure Assignment Manager is displaying an accurate list of available caregivers. Assignment Manager triggers the reconciliation process whenever a user opens Assignment Manager or generates a Patient Assign report. These triggering actions are called reconciliation events. Note that the reconciliation process does not reconcile every schedule change, just those taking place within the shifts selected on the Assignment Manager pages or reports.
If a scheduler shortens or removes a caregiver’s scheduled task, Assignment Manager reconciles that schedule change the next time a reconciliation event occurs. Assignment Manager shortens or removes the caregiver’s assignments to align with the schedule. In some cases, retroactive changes to scheduling data can remove previous assignment data during the reconciliation process.
With the Assignment Reconciliation Threshold Minutes setting, however, you can get greater control over how Assignment Manager handles schedule changes. You can define a threshold relative to the end of the assignment partition. Once that threshold is past, the solution does not reconcile any schedule changes into Assignment Manager for that assignment partition.
This setting is disabled by default and cannot be changed from within Assignment Manager. To enable this feature, contact Cerner Clairvia Support for assistance.
Note: Assignment reconciliation can shorten or remove assignments but never extend them. If a caregiver’s scheduled task is extended and their assignments continue into that extended period, you must lengthen the assignments manually.
Caregivers can only work assignments if they are available within the Assignment Partition. Therefore, schedule changes can truncate or remove a caregiver's patient, relief, duty, or department assignments.
Note: Assignment partitions are specially defined shift category partitions used in Assignment Manager.
Assignment Manager uses the AssignmentManagerSchedulingThresholdMinutes setting to determine if it should reconcile assignments against any schedule changes. For brevity, this topic refers to the setting as Threshold Minutes.
The Threshold Minutes setting is a whole number (that is, it cannot be a fraction). This number can be positive, negative, or zero. Threshold Minutes combine with the Assignment Partition end time to set a defined threshold.
When a user triggers a reconciliation event for a specific Assignment Partition, Assignment Manager evaluates whether it should allow assignment reconciliation to occur. If the time of the reconciliation event is within the defined threshold, Assignment Manager reconciles schedule changes with assignments and caregiver availability. If the time of the event is after the defined threshold, Assignment Manager does not reconcile schedule changes with assignments and caregiver availability.
Note that the Threshold Minutes only sets defined thresholds with the Assignment Partition end time. The Assignment Partition start time is never involved in the reconciliation process.
The following flowchart shows when Assignment Manager makes reconciliations.
Utilization: The Threshold Minutes setting can make your utilization data in Assignment Manager less accurate. Assignment Manager calculates the utilization for an Assignment Partition by comparing the target direct care hours to the available direct care hours. If your defined threshold prevents Assignment Manager from reconciling caregivers' availability to match their scheduled hours, your utilization values may be different from the values on your productivity reports. This is because productivity reports calculate direct care hours based on the schedule, not availability.
Retroactive Scheduling: If you use the Threshold Minutes setting, you cannot retroactively add someone to the schedule and have them display in the available caregiver list in Assignment Manager for that shift. For example, if it is common practice for Central Staffing to make schedule changes for the previous night shift when they arrive in the morning, or after the shift if the shift gets busy, you may want to set your defined threshold several hours after the Assignment Partition end time to allow schedulers to make these changes and have Assignment Manager reconcile them before the threshold ends.
Time and Attendance Systems: The intent of the Threshold Minutes setting is to prevent schedule changes caused by importing clocked-time from Time and Attendance from changing or removing assignments in Assignment Manager. Imports from Time and Attendance normally occurs 24 hours or greater in arrears, so organizations should set the defined threshold so that it is long enough to allow for belated manual schedule changes to reconcile but short enough so that it ends before the Time and Attendance import runs.
Note that the Threshold Minutes setting applies to the entire enterprise. Major stakeholders should agree upon the setting values at the organization level.
The following examples review how various schedule changes and defined thresholds affect Assignment Manager. In reviewing the tables, remember that the Defined Threshold equals the Assignment Partition End Time plus Threshold Minutes.
Each row in the tables represents a single example. The rows are not chronological events that build on each other.
RN Jill Baker is scheduled for the 0700-1500 shift. The Assignment Partition end time is 1500. Baker is assigned to patient Mary Jones for the entire shift.
At 1323, scheduler Tanya Cook changes Baker's start time from 0700 to 0800 in Schedule Editor.
| Threshold Minutes |
Defined Threshold |
Reconciliation Event Time | Reconciliation Action |
| 0 | 1500 | 1100 | None, as the schedule change has not been made yet. |
| 0 | 1500 | 1400 | Assignment is truncated to match new start time. |
| 0 | 1500 | 1501 | Assignment is not updated because the reconciliation event time is after the defined threshold. |
| -60 | 1400 | 1100 | None, as the schedule change has not been made yet. |
| -60 | 1400 | 1400 | Assignment is not updated because the reconciliation event time exactly matches defined threshold. |
| -60 | 1400 | 1501 | Assignment is not updated because the reconciliation event time is after the defined threshold. |
| 30 | 1530 | 1100 | None, as the schedule change has not been made yet. |
| 30 | 1530 | 1400 | Assignment is truncated to match new start time. |
| 30 | 1530 | 1500 | Assignment is truncated to match new start time. |
RN Jill Baker is scheduled for the 0700-1500 shift. The Assignment Partition end time is 1500. Baker is assigned to patient Mary Jones for the entire shift.
At 1220, Scheduler Tanya Cook removes Baker from the schedule.
| Threshold Minutes |
Defined Threshold |
Reconciliation Event Time | Reconciliation Action |
| 0 | 1500 | 1100 | None, as the schedule change has not been made yet. |
| 0 | 1500 | 1400 | Patient assignment is removed. |
| 0 | 1500 | 1501 | Patient assignment is not updated because the reconciliation event time is after the defined threshold. |
| -60 | 1400 | 1100 | None, as the schedule change has not been made yet. |
| -60 | 1400 | 1400 | Patient assignment is not updated because the reconciliation event time exactly matches defined threshold. |
| -60 | 1400 | 1501 | Patient assignment is not updated because the reconciliation event time is after the defined threshold. |
| 30 | 1530 | 1100 | None, as the schedule change has not been made yet. |
| 30 | 1530 | 1400 | Patient Assignment is removed. |
| 30 | 1530 | 1500 | Patient Assignment is removed. |
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