Finding a Better CRNA Scheduling Solution

For John Krall, Chief CRNA at Midwest Physician Anesthesia Services, scheduling used to be his biggest headache. He spent at least an hour each week managing time-off requests and piecing shifts together by hand. Since the MDs built their daily schedules around his weekly plan, John felt a lot of pressure to get it right.

Still, providers weren’t always happy.

With most of his team covering 3 hospitals and 5 surgery centers, the schedule was already complex. Add the inevitable last-minute changes and necessary blocks for travel time, and it felt less like scheduling and more like untangling a knot.

John built schedules manually in Excel before exporting the PDF into a basic web-based tool that didn’t offer much help. It didn’t support real-time updates—meaning changes weren’t immediately visible to others—and schedules could only be built one week at a time. Before one week even wrapped up, he was already starting the next.

Benefits of Better Healthcare
Scheduling Software

Transitioning to anesthesia scheduling software was a smooth process thanks to Paje Bishop, one of Lightning Bolt’s many dedicated technical consultants. With her help, John was able to create custom rules, which act like a blueprint as the algorithm pieces the best schedule together. This meant he could ditch the painful Excel process.

Before, all time-off requests had to be submitted on a one-off basis, and they weren’t managed inside the scheduling interface. That meant John had to keep track of all requests to make sure they were reflected in the appropriate schedule. When scheduling isn’t even your primary job, little annoyances like this can add up fast.

Now, John can manage vacation time in Lightning Bolt with a much simpler and more reliable workflow. Almost all users submit their time-off requests in the platform, and John can approve them in just a few clicks. Once requests are “on the books,” schedules are automatically built around them.

Lightning Bolt has both desktop and mobile apps, so John can manage the schedule anywhere, anytime—even from his phone. The real-time schedule is also available via a public link, which gives providers—and anyone else who needs to know the group’s schedule—easy access from any device.

Because Lightning Bolt uses an intelligent healthcare scheduling algorithm, John can build schedules 6 months in advance instead of sprinting through the old weekly scramble. This saves him time and gives providers a longer view of their schedules, which allows them to more easily plan their lives inside and outside of work. It also gives patients the chance to schedule appointments further in advance.

As Midwest Physician Anesthesia Services continues to grow, Lightning Bolt easily integrates new CRNAs and MDs into the scheduling process. New team members can be added without disrupting previously published schedules—even those completed months in advance.

A CRNA Scheduling Solution That Saves Time and Reduces Stress

Switching to a scheduling platform built specifically for the complex needs of a group like Midwest Physician Anesthesia Services has transformed scheduling for John Krall and his team. Time-off requests are easier to manage, schedules can be planned months in advance, and what once required hours of manual work now takes minutes.

Providers across all locations now work from a single scheduling platform, creating better visibility across the group and allowing schedules to be built months in advance. That long-range view helps promote balance and predictability for providers, while Lightning Bolt ensures scheduling remains accurate and effortless as the organization continues to grow—freeing John and his team to focus on what matters most: patient care.