An Innovative Workforce Solution to Change the Way Healthcare Organizations Staff Their Hospitals
Kaiser Health News (KHN) shared the news in December that a new workforce solution has attracted the eyes of leadership at many large healthcare organizations across the nation. An increasing number of health systems and medical facilities are creating internal agencies to staff their centers that are struggling with tremendous gaps in their clinical staff and a heavy reliance on travel nurses to fill those gaps. The reliance on travel nurses has created contingent staff costs that have skyrocketed through using the traditional staffing model that healthcare staffing companies offer. Without any cap on what staffing agencies can charge for nurse coverage, hospitals have paid what was asked to avoid any interruption in the care at their facilities. The agency markups are becoming detrimental to the organizations that desperately look to them for nurses.
2023 Strategic Workforce Challenges
The 2020s have been a decade of challenges and adversity for society as a whole. Healthcare has borne the brunt of these challenges as it was on the frontlines of many of these trials. Healthcare workers have pushed through many of the obstacles that were put in front of them over the last three years, beginning at the start of the Pandemic. Staff shortages, long hours with no breaks, delays in receiving necessary supplies, and overall low morale have brought forth new core challenges that we must continue to address nationwide as we enter 2023.
INTERNAL RESOURCE POOLS (IRP): LEVERAGING TECH FOR OPTIMAL IRP STAFFING
Recent years have seen the healthcare industry battling increasing obstacles, but according to multiple surveys and polls, from ACHE and MGMA respectively, staffing shortages remain the top concern of healthcare leaders. While staffing shortages have long plagued the industry, the rapidly rising agency rates for contract nurses and other staff are no longer sustainable for many organizations.
HWL Provides Rapid Response Staffing Solutions for Pediatric Organizations
It's no secret that healthcare organizations have had the need for quick, efficient staffing solutions, even before the pandemic started. While coronavirus certainly put extra strain on these systems as well — between the "Great Resignation", unprecedented rates of burnout, and more — healthcare organizations have been struggling to attract and retain the talent that they need to provide quality patient care and improve patient outcomes, including in pediatrics. In fact, nationally, around 80% of pediatric hospital beds were occupied as of late October 2022.
HWL Contains Staffing Costs For Healthcare Organizations
In February, 2020, healthcare facilities and providers across the nation were hit with an unexpected, desperate need for staff. Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) was called on by state organizations and hit the ground running to connect healthcare professionals with communities and organizations who need help as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) Awarded Technology and Workforce Management Services Agreement with Conductiv
HWL’s agile solution, design, and delivery capabilities help clients navigate both turnkey and end-to-end enterprise solutions tailored to each of the client's unique requirements.
How HWL and Iroquois Healthcare Association Partnered to Ease the Staffing Challenges of Healthcare Systems Across the Upstate NY Region
The Situation
Upstate New York healthcare systems were no exception to the staffing crisis felt by virtually every hospital in the country amidst the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The recent 2022 NSI National Healthcare Retention & RN Staffing Report revealed that the average hospital turnover rate was 25.9% in 2021 – a 6.4% increase over the prior year. Pre-Pandemic, many hospitals relied on traditional staffing agencies to fill their vacancies. By the summer of 2020, reliance had turned into dependence, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Particularly in the more rural areas, hospital executives were faced with the most difficult decisions they could possibly imagine- would they be able to meet the financial demand for contingent labor, with hourly bill rate increases of 100 to 200% or would they inevitably be forced to close their doors on the communities that needed them now more than ever?
How One Health System Developed an Internal Agency to Lower Contingent Staffing Costs by 30%
ABOUT AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER
Located along Georgia’s border with South Carolina, Augusta University Health Medical Center (AUH) is a 520-bed tertiary hospital and ACS-verified Level I trauma center serving patients from over 13 counties across the State of Georgia. As the region’s only academic hospital, AUH conducts leading-edge clinical research and gives patients access to treatments not available elsewhere in the region.
Case Study: ESTABLISHING A LOCUMS STAFFING PROCESS FOR TIME SAVINGS AND REDUCED STRESS
THE SITUATION
As the Director of Physician Recruitment at one of the largest health systems in Greater Baltimore, Devyn Kern has a lot on her plate. The ongoing physician shortage makes her job at LifeBridge Health increasingly difficult, and the steady flow of physician job requisitions on her desk takes every ounce of her attention. When temporary needs arise, this too falls to Devyn and her department of two, but with no bandwidth to address the needs and no process to follow, the task is often delegated to hiring managers, who contact any number of locum staffing agencies for assistance.
How HWL Assisted Quick and Efficient COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
Since the beginning of the pandemic, HWL has helped organizations across the country stay on top of cost-effective staffing needs in order to manage surges in necessary care. One particular place we managed to see great success is in Georgia.
Case Study: How HWL Helped AMI Health Grow Exponentially During Disaster Response
When the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) approached AMI Health for disaster response assistance, its staffing department, which consisted of two people, knew they needed help. That's where HWL came into play.
Case Study: How HWL Helped Houston Healthcare Reduce Staff Spend By Almost One-Third
When Houston Healthcare, an organization located in Warner Robins, GA that consists of seven different entities serving 300,000 patients annually, approached Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) with a problem, we sprang into action.
3 Healthcare Issues Confronting Hospitals in 2022
It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic created unforeseen challenges and has forced every industry to innovate and adapt in order to survive; and the healthcare industry is certainly not an exception. Medical facilities have altered procedures and created new policies in order to accommodate massive influxes of patients and improve patient outcomes — but it certainly hasn't been easy, and there are still some common pain points that many organizations still deal with.
Craig Hershovitz Joins HWL as Vice President of Implementations and Capture Management
Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) is ecstatic to announce that Craig Hershovitz, MBA has joined the team as Vice President of Implementations and Capture Management!
Introducing Nancy Bourg to the HWL Team
Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) is ecstatic to welcome Nancy Bourg, RN, BSHCA, MBA to the team! For over 25 years, she's been a pioneer and expert in hospital staffing solutions and has extensive experience both in established and startup organizations.
Tony Gregoire Joins Healthcare Workforce Logistics
We're excited to announce that Tony Gregoire recently joined the HWL team as a Data Analyst! His extensive experience in both the healthcare and staffing industries will undoubtedly prove to be an essential asset to our growing organization.
On Our Way to AAPPR 2022 in Chicago
As the conference season ramps up, AAPPR 2022 is just around the corner. This year, it's being hosted in Chicago, IL and HWL will be present from April 24-26.
ASHHRA 2022 is Just Around the Corner
Next up on HWL's list of conferences is ASHHRA 2022 in Phoenix, AZ from April 25-27.
Gearing Up For the AONL 2022 Conference
It's that time of year again — conference season. That means we're very excited to be at the upcoming AONL 2022 conference from April 11-14 in San Antonio, TX.