Healthcare staffing has changed considerably in the last couple of decades or so. Private practices are closing in favor of hospital-based services and large medical groups owned by healthcare systems. The entire paradigm shift has led to an untenable staffing situation for many facilities that rely on locum tenens to fill in the gaps.
The good news is that growing numbers of healthcare facilities are discovering how valuable vendor management systems can be in facilitating healthcare staffing. A good vendor management system from a reputable managed service provider (MSP) can make an enormous difference.
If you are a decision-maker in the healthcare staffing space, here are three reasons you and your employer need a good vendor management system:
1. Administrative Streamlining
Healthcare staffing includes a ton of administrative work ranging from scheduling to tracking attendance. All this work takes time and effort that could be expended elsewhere. That is where a vendor management system comes in. A good system streamlines administration by employing a combination of automation and integrated task management.
A system offering a dashboard view encapsulates data and presents it in a single space for easy analysis and application. It provides a direct contact point between healthcare facility and staffing agency. It keeps everyone in the loop, thus avoiding misunderstandings and assumptions. Administrators spend less time putting out fires and more time handling critical matters.
2. Greater Efficiency and Productivity
Next, a good vendor management system produces greater efficiency and productivity. For example, with a few clicks of a mouse, an HR representative can create and distribute job postings that tell staffing agencies exactly what is needed at any point in time. No one from HR has to spend hours making phone calls.
Distributing job postings is just one example of the efficiency and productivity improvements afforded by vendor management systems. Across the board, everything a good system can do is done more efficiently. The result is a more productive HR department.
3. Access to Vital Data
If administrative streamlining and greater efficiency and productivity are not enough to motivate you, consider the data access a good system affords. We are talking data that could prove invaluable in moving your facility forward. It is data that could be critical to guaranteeing that all your staffing needs are met on time and on budget.
The reality is that we live in a data-driven world. Data is everywhere. It is increasingly driving the decisions made in industry, education, and healthcare too. If the decisions your facility is making are not data-driven, you are behind the times. This includes staffing decisions.
A good vendor management system provides all the data you need to make smart decisions. You can generate reports detailing all your facility’s past experiences with locum tenens providers. It can help you project needs for the future. It can provide critical information on costs, revenue generation, and just about any other relevant data point.
Quality Software from a Quality Partner
In closing this post, it should be noted that the best vendor management system comes from a quality partner you can trust. After all, software is only as good as its ability to guarantee that those using it get the most out of it. If you do not have quality staffing partners on board, a vendor management system will not be of much help.
The vendor management concept has been part of most industries for quite some time. It has now made its way to healthcare staffing. If your facility is not yet using a vendor management system, it is time to change things.