Where data meets heart: Ideas to increase your team’s productivity
By Patricia Billinger, Director of Communications, Intermountain Health
Productivity is like a 3D jigsaw puzzle…where the pieces change in real time as you build it. Managers must piece together the people and skills on their teams to meet patient volumes and needs that evolve day-to-day.
At Saint Joseph Hospital, the imaging team has nearly perfected their approach to productivity, with multiple modalities regularly hitting the 100% productivity mark. Their success shows that great results don’t come from data alone, but from the powerful combination of data + process + culture.
Meet the team: Robyn Morgan, imaging manager; Erin Murphy, imaging coordinator; Deanna Turski, X-ray lead; Meghan Arana, CT lead; Mike Lang, ultrasound lead; Lisa McGee, NM/PET lead; Danielle Kramer, MRI lead
Building blocks for success
The team’s productivity success starts with increased visibility. Every day, the leaders of imaging’s six modalities review productivity using a shared spreadsheet. They populate the spreadsheet with real-time volume data from Epic and hours-worked data from UKG. To promote transparency, leads and admins can openly share the information with any caregiver on their team.
In the past, imaging reviewed productivity monthly. But they realized that cadence only gave them a snapshot of the past when it was too late to adjust. The daily approach allows the team to stay nimble. If volumes change, staffing can shift in real time. Team members may flex on or off shifts as needed, keeping staffing aligned with patient demand without sacrificing care.
Looking ahead is just as important as the daily review. The team regularly previews operating room schedules and outpatient appointments up to two months out. This forward planning makes it possible to move staff between days when volumes vary, rather than reacting after the fact.
The team also looks backwards at historical trends. For example, over time, certain days or shifts showed clear trends of lower or higher volumes. They adjusted their staffing plans accordingly.
Finally, data also helps the team tell a more complete story. Leaders note in the spreadsheet when productivity is affected by factors such as no-shows, longer procedures, patient needs that require extra time, or orientation. This context ensures their productivity snapshot is fair and accurate.
People are the foundation
Numbers alone don’t explain the imaging team’s success.
Culture is the other half of the equation, and it shows up in how the team works together every day. Productivity management is a shared responsibility, not a top-down push. Every caregiver understands why flexibility matters and how everyone benefits — caregivers as well as patients — when each team member contributes.
Flexing shifts is done on a volunteer basis whenever possible, with fairness built into the process so no one carries more burden than others. Team members support one another to overcome scheduling challenges together, whether to maintain productivity or work-life balance.
“When people want quality time off for a legitimate reason, we work hard to prioritize that. Another team member will swap a shift to cover them because they know that favor will be returned,” said Mike Lang, ultrasound lead. “So it helps everybody work together more when it's not the fun stuff.”
They also invest in their people. Cross training has allowed staff to grow their skills while giving the department more scheduling flexibility.
Finally, leaders are open, accessible, and visible. Imaging manager Robyn Morgan and imaging coordinator Erin Murphy foster an “open door” culture and round frequently, listening to concerns and explaining decisions clearly.
“Their transparency and communication are key. We always know where we're at and what we need to work towards,” said Deanna Turski, X-ray lead. “It's not punitive either. It's just: We have to be on top of it.”
The results speak for themselves. The imaging department has reduced reliance on travelers and maintained one of the lowest turnover rates in the region while improving productivity.
This team proves that when data is guided by heart, everyone wins — patients, staff, and the organization as a whole. Thanks and gratitude to them for this achievement!