More healthcare employers hiring temporary medical professionals in wake of recession A recent employment survey conducted by the staffing industry’s leading job board suggests that temporary workers are back in vogue. Twenty-nine percent of companies’ surveyed from February to March said they hired temporary workers in the first quarter of 2011 and 26 percent said they would in the second quarter, reports Staffing Industry Analysts, a firm specializing in workforce management trends. Though the uptick in employment is great news for healthcare staffing agencies, healthcare employers must find an effective means of managing temporary and contract labor, or the inefficient on boarding and off boarding of employees will result in wasted staffing dollars and diminished patient care delivery. The survey, which included 2,800 hiring managers and 5,600 workers across a broad spectrum of industries and company sizes, also showed 28 percent of respondents hiring permanent employees in the first quarter – the biggest increase in three years. "With healthcare reform knocking on everyone’s door, telling hospitals and healthcare employers to ramp up patient safety efforts and increase care quality, a workforce management solution such as the Candidate Direct Marketplace enables administrators to manage both temporary and [+]

Talk of healthcare information technology, EMRs and EHRs is fast growing among hospital administrators nationwide.  Healthcare reform laws passed last March give hospitals until 2013 to put electronic medical and health records systems in place and to meet a slew of meaningful use guidelines set forth by reform’s Healthcare Information Technology Act (HITECH). How much can this potentially cost hospitals? By some estimates, as much as $120,000 per physician for a competent EHR in terms of equipment, software, services, training time and potential lost revenue. Coincidentally and to the detriment of hospitals, these expenditures come at a time when providers are reeling from one of the worst economic downturns in decades. And to make matters worse, investors are shifting their focus to outpatient centers, leaving hospital administrators no choice but to improve efficiencies and cut costs to meet HITECH mandates on time. Susan Higgins, Product Development Director for Candidate Direct, a leading provider of healthcare staffing solutions, said one way hospitals can save money is to streamline their permanent and contingent workforce staffing needs. From recruitment to payroll, Higgins said their company provides hospitals with customizable, automated staffing solutions to hire and retain candidates who possess [+]