Original webinar featuring: Becker’s Healthcare and CareRev’s CEO, Brandon Atkinson, alongside CNO, Susan Pasley
The healthcare industry faces ongoing workforce challenges, as contract labor expenses remain elevated compared to pre-pandemic times. Traditional staffing models, which rely heavily on a surplus of full-time employees and costly extended contracts, result in hospitals being tied to fixed costs regardless of fluctuations in patient demand. This has prompted a call for change, especially from the latest generation of nurses, who possess greater flexibility in their career choices and are less inclined to embrace these inflexible staffing structures.
To navigate this intricate landscape, hospitals and health systems must not only address staffing concerns, but also implement strategies to optimize operational efficiency. The integration of advanced technology solutions offers a way forward. By embracing modern workforce management tools, healthcare facilities can automate scheduling, monitor certifications, and intelligently allocate staff based on predictive analytics. This not only mitigates the risks of overstaffing and overworking core staff but also empowers administrative teams to utilize their time and resources more effectively.
This adaptability ensures that the workforce remains agile, capable of responding promptly to the dynamic healthcare environment.
Embracing flexibility and technology
In this webinar excerpt, Susan Pasley discusses how CareRev is designed to address the challenges posed by flu season and potential crises.
Moderator: As we prepare to dive into flu season, ready or not, and enter what has been called, a potential tripledemic, could you elaborate on how CareRev is sort of designed to respond to shifts in patient volume or acuity that could occur during such a season, and how it really helps to maintain optimal staffing levels when these external events occur?
Susan Pasley: We’ve certainly seen a lot of things just from an environmental perspective over the last couple of years that have impacted the need to increase capacity in our health systems, such as a wildfire, a hurricane, a tornado, and so really hospitals have to be looking comprehensively at any given moment, “am I prepared to be able to, on the drop of a dime, ensure that I have enough staff to meet my patient needs?
In my mind, as I talk to hospitals and health systems, I feel like they will really know that they’re ready when they have easy access to contingent, affordable, flexible labor that they can deploy at a moment’s notice if they have it. That’s step one. Step two is having the technology to be able to mobilize both the internal, as well as, the external staff and where they’re needed in response to whatever the crisis is or just patient demand in general.
So, if they don’t have those two things in place already, CareRev has great solutions to bring to bear as you think about, “how do I build a flexible workforce of the future?”
Future-ready workforce solutions
By leading with technology, healthcare facilities not only elevate patient care, but also fortify their capacity to thrive in an ever-changing industry. These innovative shifts and solutions support the well-being of the healthcare workforce, enabling them to provide the highest quality of care while maintaining sustainable practices. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, these integrated approaches will serve as cornerstones in establishing a resilient and future-ready healthcare ecosystem.
This isn't just a move towards technology; it's a strategic transformation for sustainable healthcare operations.
