Let’s take the emergency department (ED) as an example. Do you know where call schedules are located in the ED? Chances are, you can find them in more than one place. Most likely, they all reflect different information. The result? Care delays and miscommunication—which are tied to 80% of all medical errors. For example: A patient arrives in the ED in need of emergent care from a specialist. A nurse, provider, or other care team member walks to the nurse’s station, looks at the schedule, and contacts a provider who says, “I’m not on call. I swapped shifts with Dr. Green last week!” Or—even worse—the care team member can’t get in touch with any provider and is left trying to decipher who is on call while the patient is left waiting.

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