HWL Insights

One of the top concerns for healthcare companies of all sizes year over year is striking a balance between patient needs, remaining compliant, and staying in the green financially. This last point has certainly become quite a challenge due to ever-growing complexities in staff management and healthcare administration. 

In a compelling industry panel discussion hosted by Health Connect South, four healthcare leaders came together to share their perspectives on an industry at a crossroads. The panel discussion, The State of Healthcare: Industry Leaders Perspectives, which brought together voices from different corners of healthcare, revealed both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in transforming healthcare. 

As a nurse, you're always looking for ways to grow your skills and advance your career. Flex pool nursing, often seen primarily as a way to enjoy scheduling flexibility, actually offers a wealth of professional development opportunities. Let's explore how being part of a nursing flex pool can boost your career and expand your skillset. 

While nurses were more widely recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic, the allied health sector—comprising a wide range of professionals from imaging specialists to rehabilitation therapists—has also undergone significant changes. As healthcare leaders face ongoing staffing challenges, the demand for allied health professionals continues to rise, underscoring their critical role in comprehensive patient care.

As healthcare organizations navigate the constantly evolving landscape, the need for scalable, efficient, and cost-effective solutions has never been more critical. The challenges of managing a growing workforce, fluctuating patient volumes, and increasing regulatory demands require innovative approaches. This is where Vendor Management Systems (VMS) and Managed Service Providers (MSP) come into play, offering the flexibility and scalability that healthcare organizations need to thrive.

In a healthcare industry where innovation and compassion intersect, true progress is rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH), serving the northern suburbs of Boston, has redefined what it means to champion these values. With the support of HWL, BILH’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program is not just a checkbox; it’s an impactful initiative that integrates diverse suppliers into the very fabric of its operations, driving forward a new era of inclusivity in healthcare.

The cornerstone of exceptional patient care in modern healthcare systems lies in the effective management of a skilled and adaptable workforce. For large health systems, this challenge is magnified when it comes to coordinating temporary physician coverage, known as locum tenens. The University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group (UVMHN) recently faced this challenge head-on, embarking on a transformative journey to revolutionize its locum tenens management. It is the story of how a fragmented system evolved into a streamlined, unified program that not only improved operations but also enhanced patient care.

As a nurse who thrives in the dynamic and ever-changing environment of float pool assignments, you are part of a unique group within the healthcare community. Adaptable, resilient, and continually optimistic, you embrace the challenges and rewards that come with floating between various units within a healthcare institution.  

Over the past few years, since the turbulence of the pandemic, healthcare organizations' main focus has been having enough staff to fill vacancies due to increased demand and surges in patient volume. This led to unprecedented rates of burnout, permanently changing the course of staffing history as organizations became dependent on contingent labor. 

The demand and costs for locum tenens providers is continually on the rise. With the increasing demand for healthcare and diminishing supply of providers across the healthcare community, the need for flexible staffing solutions has organizations across the US turning to Vendor Management Systems (VMS) and Managed Service Providers (MSP) to streamline their operations and ensure quality coverage. Once only for the travelling nurse community, a well-chosen VMS/MSP can efficiently manage locums staffing needs, reducing the stress and cost of using locums.

Striking a balance between cost management and high-quality employees is critical for long-term success and ensuring the integrity of patient care. However, with so many healthcare systems' over reliance on contingent labor, which often comes at a premium price, this is often easier said than done. Innovative solutions are imperative for today's healthcare leaders. 

We are thrilled to announce the addition of Robert Middlebrooks to our HWL team as the Senior Vice President of our Project Management Office. Robert brings a wealth of experience in project management, healthcare quality, and regulatory compliance, making him a valuable asset to our organization.

Of all the issues facing healthcare companies as of late, staffing is at the top of the list. From ensuring staff are being properly utilized and reducing turnover to reducing reliance on contingent staff and more, you'd be hard pressed to find a facility that hasn't experienced staffing woes of some type. 

In healthcare staffing, promoting diversity and inclusivity is not only ethically imperative but also strategically beneficial. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) programs play a central role in achieving these goals. DBEs are businesses owned and operated by individuals confronting social and economic challenges, encompassing minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and disabled-owned enterprises, among others. These programs are designed to provide equitable access for DBEs to participate in federally funded contracts, particularly in healthcare staffing, thereby fostering supplier diversity and advancing equity in the healthcare sector.

At HWL, we believe that culture isn't just a buzzword—it's the engine that drives our success. In the healthcare field, where the stakes are high and the work is both demanding and rewarding, a positive workplace culture has a profound impact. Cultivating this culture is essential for our success and can transform our work environment in significant ways. 

In the dynamic and unpredictable business of modern healthcare, the importance of an adaptable and resilient workforce cannot be overstated. After we experience the annual year end mad dash of elective procedures patients schedule strategically to beat resetting deductibles and the long winter months of seasonal illness that require us to “staff up” for volumes, late Spring & Summer can be deceptive seasons for healthcare leaders as patient volumes decrease and staffing appears to “stabilize.” Inevitably, the reprieve is always short lived, so it is imperative we spend those calmer times planning, implementing and/or optimizing our workforce strategies for the next evolution. Even healthcare systems currently experiencing low turnover rates and minimal reliance on external contingent labor should consider investing in and optimizing an internal resource pool, or Local Insourced Flex Team (LIFT). This strategic move is crucial in addressing seasonal fluctuations in patient volume, unexpected staff absences, and the prolonged time required to fill vacancies. Additionally, it provides a local solution to the ongoing nursing shortage and serves as a retention mechanism by offering flexible work options, alternatives to travel nursing & competitive compensation that benefit both the organization and its employees.

HWL's suite of workforce solutions has helped hundreds of healthcare organizations cut staffing costs, maintain quality of care, and improve recruiting strategies to foster future success. We're always putting out the word that services such as Managed Service Programs (MSP), Vendor Management Systems (VMS), internal agencies, and more are all essential to implement in the face of industry-wide staffing challenges. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has emerged as a critical area of concern within the healthcare sector. As healthcare organizations grapple with the economic impact of mental health costs and workforce shortages, the need for reliable staffing solutions has never been more pressing. According to recent data, the annual economic burden of mental and medical healthcare costs combined with lost productivity exceeds a staggering $220 billion in the United States alone. This figure underscores the urgency to address staffing challenges effectively to mitigate further financial strain and ensure quality patient care.

The effectiveness of how you manage your contingent workforce is as important a job as there is in healthcare leadership today.  With the rise of the gig economy and the increasing reliance on temporary workforce solutions, businesses are turning to Vendor Management Systems (VMS) and Managed Service Providers (MSP) to streamline their contingent workforce processes. However, amidst the myriad of options available, decision-makers must prioritize three key factors: Consistency, Centralization, and Configurability, often referred to as "The 3 C's".

In the world of healthcare, where the lines between day and night often blur, the concept of work-life balance can seem like a distant dream. But as a mental health expert and a leader in healthcare workforce solutions, I understand the impact that a lack of balance can have on both healthcare professionals and the patients they serve. Addressing this issue is imperative and it starts with an awareness of the impact mental health has on our workforce.