HWL Insights

The healthcare industry has become an increasingly complex balancing act. Between regulatory changes, staffing shortages, and patient volume fluctuations, running a healthcare organization today feels like performing surgery while the operating room transforms around you. The question isn't whether unexpected challenges will hit your facility—it's when, and how ready you'll be to handle them. 

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.

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".

HWL executives, Jeff Niles, Executive Vice President, and Tommy Binner, Vice President, hosted the Becker’s Healthcare Webinar, How Hospitals Can Get an Upper Hand on Contract Staffing, that discusses the distinctions between vendor-neutral Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and master agency MSPs, highlighting the advantages of partnering with a non-agency staffing provider. The HWL leaders were joined by Maxine Briggs, CFO, Samaritan Health, and Meghan Fay-McCaffrey, Network Director Physician Services, UVMHN Medical Group, as they explained how the vendor-neutral MSP model has impacted their organizations for the better.

Managed service providers (MSP) have quickly become a mainstay in the U.S. healthcare space, with around 71% of all healthcare organizations utilizing them in some capacity. The benefits that an MSP provides have proven numerous, ranging from streamlining talent acquisition to decreasing procurement costs and beyond.

​​Approximately 70% of healthcare organizations contract with an MSP or VMS provider for the procurement and management of contract labor. Most of these programs are managed by staffing agencies eager to box out their competition, control pricing and maximize profits in each client account. 

Managed service providers (MSPs) assume the responsibility of managing multiple healthcare staffing vendors and their contracts; however, not all MSPs offer the same degree of quality, oversight, and attention to detail. Whether your healthcare organization’s staffing challenges are the result of the pandemic crisis or have a need for optimizing the utilization and cost associated with agency labor, Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) programs are designed to deliver high-quality healthcare professionals at competitive market rates.

Front line managers at SwedishAmerican Hospital reported that their antiquated systems and inconsistent process for securing temporary staff was “a nightmare.”  Since partnering with HWL, leadership reports that “the change in process is like night and day.” 

Healthcare Workforce logistics (HWL) has been engaged to manage a Locums Managed Service Program (MSP) for Healthcare Council of the National Capital Area (HCNCA) and National Capital Area Shared Services (NCASS) including HWL proprietary Locums VMS.

Healthcare Workforce logistics (HWL) has been engaged to manage a Locums Managed Service Program (MSP) for Maine Hospital Solutions (MHS) including HWL proprietary Locums VMS.

Healthcare Workforce logistics (HWL) has been engaged to manage a Locums Managed Service Program (MSP) for the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) including HWL proprietary Locums VMS.

Healthcare Workforce logistics (HWL) has been engaged to manage a Locums Managed Service Program (MSP) for the Arizona Healthcare and Hospital Association (AzHHA) including HWL proprietary Locums VMS.

When my colleagues and I formed HWL, there were a lot of spirited discussions around what constitutes a great VMS/MSP program. And yes, there were lots of different perspectives and opinions regarding the existing models in the marketplace, and about the functionality gaps that existed in available VMS systems. However, there was one area where there was universal agreement. Treat agencies with respect, listen, and be hyper-focused on what is important to them. This may sound simple and obvious but having been in this business for over 20 years I constantly hear from agencies that are frustrated with this or that MSP provider or VMS system because they feel like concerns aren’t heard and they are treated as second class citizens. Having spent the first part of my career on the agency side, I personally experienced this and remember that feeling. Not great.

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