Staffing agencies have been in the crosshairs of the health care industry in the past year with new legislation to cap the amount they charge facilities proposed across the country. However, they continue to offer one of the things the workforce values most right now: flexibility.
That’s why ShiftKey, one of the largest platforms for connecting independent licensed health care professionals with open shifts across the United States, recently completed a strategic investment in OnShift, a leading provider in workforce management technology for long-term care facilities.
While the two companies will continue to operate independently, the new integrated platform built between the two will feature open shifts for facilities that users can request and flow into the schedule with OnShift.
Facilities that utilize the OnShift platform will be able to get a holistic view of their entire schedule, which will show both their own workforce and available independent workers to hire in one place.
“What we found is that this is the more efficient way for our clients to manage both their own workers and contingent workers. That was the value proposition that we saw,” OnShift CEO Mark Woodka told Skilled Nursing News.
The hope is that the platform will paint a clearer picture for operators on what their final costs are, while also giving them more flexibility in how they staff their business. Recent research from global management consultant Oliver Wyman shows that some providers may be underestimating turnover costs. Finding a full-time nurse can cost a facility up to 33% more on an hourly basis than an equivalent contingent worker, according to the data.
As such, despite some of the concerns that have been raised over staffing agency use and the costs and quality associated, Woodka thinks the model continues to be a necessity for operators right now.
“My concern is that providers think things are going to get better and [that they] aren’t going to have to rely on third-party contingent labor but I don’t see that happening any time soon,” Woodka said. “Our thinking was, how can we optimize the use of those workers in partnership with people like ShiftKey to make it better for the clients from an overall experience.”
He said that both ShiftKey and OnShift want to “do right” by their clients and give them the best experience with an accurate profile of the overall costs and care provided.
One concern Woodka often hears from providers is that there’s little “visibility” into who is coming into the building, whether they showed up or not or even if they are being billed properly.
“I think bringing greater visibility to that process is really important for providers,” he said.
Woodka also thinks that a lack of flexibility in how providers staff their buildings is one of the big issues facing the health care industry today.
“Over the course of Covid [we’ve learned] you’ve got to try to be more flexible,” he said.
That means different shift times, like offering four hour and 12-hour shifts, and some providers that did not adjust likely lost workers because of it, he said.
“The industry as a whole hasn’t really adopted that model and I think it’s opened up the avenue for companies like ShiftKey to fill the gap,” he said. “Health care is no different than any other industry, people want that flexibility.”
Health care facilities have posted more than 35 million hours of shifts on ShiftKey since its inception.
During the Skilled Nursing News Staffing Summit held virtually last week, Todd Kiziminski, vice president of talent acquisition for Trilogy Health Services, said adding more flexibility is one the biggest short-term opportunities that operators can capitalize on amid staffing shortages.
