In our evolving technological landscape, efficiency and optimization are fundamental to healthcare staffing. One of the key ways to accomplish these goals is through a Vendor Management System (VMS) — a powerful tool able to streamline and enhance various aspects of healthcare staffing.
Let's explore how VMS aids in healthcare staffing.
Vendor Management Systems Healthcare Staffing: Explained
Vendor management systems are software platforms that streamline and automate the procurement of contingent labor in the healthcare system. VMS provides a centralized way for healthcare facilities to manage their relationships with external staffing agencies and suppliers of contract talent.
In healthcare staffing specifically, a VMS is used to source, engage, and manage contingent workers like nurses, physicians, physical therapists, technicians, and other clinical and non-clinical professionals. This allows healthcare organizations to optimize their flexible workforce and staffing strategy.
What Role Does Vendor Management Play in Healthcare?
Vendor management plays several important roles in healthcare staffing:
- Reduces Labor Costs: VMS leverages economies of scale to negotiate discounted rates and improved fill rates for contingent labor.
- Increases Efficiency: Automates previously manual tasks like posting job requisitions, candidate screening, onboarding, timesheet management, and invoicing.
- Improves Quality: Providing access to a global network of staffing suppliers allows healthcare facilities to secure higher-quality talent.
- Ensures Compliance: VMS platforms include robust reporting tools to ensure compliance with labor regulations and hospital policies.
- Enhances Data Analysis: Collects data on supplier performance, job-filling metrics, and other insights to inform better workforce decisions.
The Benefits of Vendor Management Systems in Healthcare Staffing
Healthcare VMS offers several benefits that can improve staffing. For one, a VMS helps reduce time-to-fill because requisitions are instantly distributed to all contracted staffing agencies, which helps expedite candidate identification and engagement. In addition, many types of vendor management software have dashboards that provide real-time insight into open requisitions, upcoming projects, and budget versus actual spend.
Because VMS provides healthcare providers with a large network of staffing suppliers, they increase the chance of finding qualified candidates for hard-to-fill positions. And, when a provider is hired through a staffing agency, a VMS can automate new hire paperwork, background checks, and credentialing for faster worker onboarding.
Key Features of Healthcare VMS
If you are considering a VMS for talent management and streamlined hiring, here are key features to look for:
- Customized Order Workflow: Ability to configure requisition and approval of workflows specific to each facility, specialty, or unit.
- Supplier Network: Pre-qualified network of healthcare-specialized staffing agencies.
- Applicant Tracking: Tools for posting jobs, screening candidates, scheduling interviews, making offers, and onboarding.
- Compliance Tracking: Dashboards for monitoring supplier compliance with service agreements.
- Mobility and Flexibility: Intuitive interface and mobile app for requisition submission and workforce management on the go.
The Role of Managed Services Programs in Vendor Management
In addition to using a VMS for tasks like automating onboarding and rate setting, many healthcare organizations also find success through managed services programs (MSPs). While these are two distinct approaches to managing external hires, they can be combined for a streamlined process. Health Carousel harnesses the capabilities of both MSPs and VMS to bring our clients a simplified, customizable solution.
MSPs enhance vendor management by:
- Leveraging the comprehensive MSP staffing pool, healthcare expertise, and economies of scale to negotiate improved staffing rates and terms.
- Providing access to technology, workforce analytics, and program governance to optimize contingent labor utilization.
- Managing supplier relationships and performance through SLAs to ensure staffing efficiencies.
Factors to Look for in a Managed Services Program
Key factors to look for in a healthcare MSP include:
- Healthcare-Specific Expertise: Deep understanding of healthcare roles, workflows, terminologies, and regulatory considerations.
- Technology Platform: A unified VMS providing requisition management, applicant tracking, reporting, and invoicing.
- Compliance Expertise: Comprehensive auditing, licensing, training, and reporting to ensure regulatory adherence.
- Customer Service: Dedicated account management and subject matter experts who understand each healthcare facility's unique needs.
- Geographic Coverage: Ability to source and manage talent across multiple regions/states.
About Health Carousel
If you're looking for a healthcare staffing solution with VMS and MSP capabilities, look to Health Carousel. We build custom solutions to address your staffing needs and leverage internal and external resource pool management, travel and international contingent staff, vendor-neutral solutions, and workforce analytics.
With Health Carousel, you'll have access to a diverse range of specialties and assignment durations, catering to short and long-term placements. You'll also gain full visibility throughout the staffing process with real-time reporting that stabilizes your workforce. Our user-friendly platform allows you to keep the focus on patient care while lowering costs.
If it sounds like we have the solution you're seeking, don't wait. Learn more about our platform and request staffing today.
