Healthcare facilities of all sizes can contain costs, track contingent workforce activities and optimize healthcare staffing spend

Human resource professionals find oasis in Vendor Management System contingent labor technologies

You’re a human resources leader at a busy hospital facility. The pressure is on to make every healthcare staffing penny count, and with healthcare reform expanding patient populations and restructuring reimbursements, higher ups are calling on you to support healthcare staffing decisions with ROI.

Enter “Vendor Management Systems” or VMS. A means of tracking patterns in staffing volume, quantifying the performance of contingent workers and managing all costs associated with a contingent workforce of nurses, doctors, therapists, PAs, interns, orderlies and volunteers. It’s free to implement, and peers in the profession have told you their vendor management system saves time and money.

It’s tremendous, say peers, to view and manage all of their healthcare travelers, per diems, locum tenens and scope-of-work contractors in real time and with just an Internet connection. Having access to a highly competitive healthcare staffing environment, where staffing agencies bid on postings and where volume pricing with preferred vendors can be negotiated.

“Whereas one staffing vendor agency may have a stated  bill rate of $64 an hour  for an Occupational Therapist, another agency might be  willing to staff the position for only $62,” said Sue Higgins for Candidate Direct, a leading healthcare VMS provider. “Our vendor management solution saves hospitals thousands in annual staffing spend, especially when implemented across departmental divisions,” Higgins said.

But cost savings is only one benefit,  Higgins said. Analytic tools in the vendor management system allow healthcare employers to track contingent workforce metrics, such as requisitions by vendor, time to fill rates, communications, low bidders, worker reviews, skills checklists, certifications and licensure.

“VMS is the CRM of contingent workforce management,” Higgins said.  “By tracking vendor performance, hospitals can set staffing benchmarks, plan ahead for census fluctuations, make informed policy decisions and identify which vendors continually fill hospital staffing needs with highly-qualified candidates at a desired price point.”

“A vendor management systems can also help hospitals better achieve compliance objectives, as federal laws regarding employee classification get tighter and a heightened focus on reporting and transparency requires healthcare providers to ensure that documentation is held to the highest of standards,” said Candidate Direct CEO & Chairman, Robert L. Bok.

The Candidate Direct Marketplace® provides a single place for healthcare providers to source, recruit, procure and manage contingent and direct hire needs. Our blog provides readers with information about current trends and aims to stay in the forefront of technology and industry news. Please contact Candidate Direct for more information about our healthcare staffing software and technology.