HWL Insights

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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.  

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.

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.