Amber Retzloff, a critical care nurse in Florida, reports that the Palantir-powered scheduling tool, Timpani, has significantly disrupted her work-life balance. Since HCA Healthcare rolled out Timpani in 2023, the software has often assigned her to different shifts, leaving her mentally drained. Nurses across HCA locations echo these complaints, alleging that Timpani routinely schedules too few nurses, particularly on Sundays, and ignores their preferences, forcing them to trade shifts more frequently.

Nurses cite numerous issues, from understaffed care teams to increased burnout. Retzloff recalls instances where she had to delay care for the sickest patients to guide junior nurses through milder cases. The tool’s lack of oversight has led to concerns about patient safety and increased workloads for experienced nurses.

HCA’s spokesperson, Harlow Sumerford, maintains that nursing leaders make final scheduling decisions and that Timpani is designed to optimise patient care. However, nurses argue that the tool is overruling human judgment and causing significant disruption. Complaints have prompted minor software updates, but persistent issues remain, with some nurses going as far as missing doctor’s appointments due to schedule conflicts.

The introduction of Timpani was initially heralded as a cost-saving measure, yet its implementation has been fraught with problems. A former HCA data science manager, Angelique Russell, sued the company for firing her in retaliation for raising concerns about the tool, claiming that HCA routinely deletes necessary data, thereby hindering transparent oversight.

Despite these challenges, HCA continues to improve Timpani, emphasizing efficiency gains and increased retention rates. However, the toll on nursing staff raises serious questions about the trade-offs between automation and human care.