While some creators of staffing software for healthcare or similar staffing technology rely on outside agencies to help cover open shifts for their client hospitals or healthcare facilities, this is by no means a requirement. In fact, it is entirely possible to create and manage a float pool consisting of only a facility’s full-time, part-time and per diem employees. But what is the best workforce management software to accomplish this goal?

<h2>Is a VMS Platform Myth Preventing Your Hospital From Cutting Costs?</h2>

<p>
  At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many nurses discovered a lucrative new
  career option: travel nursing. As the disease surged in city to city
  nationwide, hospitals would find themselves suddenly overwhelmed with patient
  counts they had never experienced before. In a bid to compete for supplemental
  staff in a market already facing shortages before the pandemic arrived, many
  hospitals found themselves paying upwards of $10,000 or more per week for
  travel nurses.
</p>

<p>
  In the months since the World Health Organization declared an end to the
  global Public Health Emergency for COVID-19, hospitals are facing a new
  dilemma: a significant number of nurses discovered they liked the flexibility
  – and the high salaries – they enjoyed during the pandemic, and left their
  full-time staff positions to travel full-time. What some hospitals are
  observing, however, is that many of these healthcare professionals are not
  “traveling” at all. They are simply accepting travel nurse positions in
  neighboring facilities to take advantage of higher salary options. This is has
  caused some facilities to
  <a
    href="https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/workforce/new-york-health-system-bans-local-travel-nurses.html?origin=BHRE&&utm_source=BHRE&&utm_medium=email&&utm_content=newsletter&&oly_enc_id=0816A8465878B4T"
    target="_blank"
    >stop hiring travel nurses who live within a 50-mile radius</a
  >
  of their workplace. The relatively high cost of depending on travel nurses to
  fill coverage gaps has proven to be utterly unsustainable.
</p>

<h2>
  Can Healthcare Staffing Software or Similar Technology Lower Staffing Costs?
</h2>
<p>
  In an effort to create internal float pools or internal resource pools to help
  address coverage gaps and reduce costs, many hospitals healthcare executives
  are wondering if a workforce management platform or talent management system
  could address these issues. These tools can help hospitals create automated
  scheduling that allows a preselected and pre-qualified group of clinicians to
  choose extra shifts they are available to work before gaps in coverage occur.
  However, some hospitals are hesitant about choosing a vendor management
  platform because of a common misconception that it requires the use of agency
  staff.
</p>

<h2>
  Myth: All Vendor Management Platforms Rely on Agency Staff to Fill Coverage
  Gaps
</h2>
<p>
  While some creators of staffing software for healthcare or similar staffing
  technology rely on outside agencies to help cover open shifts for their client
  hospitals or healthcare facilities, this is by no means a requirement. In
  fact, it is entirely possible to create and manage a float pool consisting of
  only a facility’s full-time (FTE), part-time and per-diem employees. But what
  is the best workforce management software to accomplish this goal? The current
  industry standard is to use a VMS platform.
</p>

<h2>How to Choose the Right VMS System to Create and Manage Your Float Pool</h2>
<p>
  Vendor management systems (VMS) are currently the most sought-after technology
  for hospitals and healthcare facilities seeking to both create and manage a
  float pool or internal resource pool. While many options are currently
  available in the marketplace, if your priorities are to cut costs and reliance
  on outside agencies, make sure the workforce management software you select
  features the following capabilities at a minimum:
</p>

<ul>
  <li>Ability to create and manage your float pool</li>
  <li>Mobile app for staff to self-book shifts</li>
  <li>
    Radius rules that lock down orders to providers within a customized area
  </li>
  <li>
    Workforce analytics software to monitor key metrics and make data-driven
    decisions
  </li>
  <li>
    Predictive analytics to anticipate staffing needs based on volume to
    minimize under/over staffing situations
  </li>
  <li>
    Global transparency into your workforce and compliance details down to the
    individual level
  </li>
  <li>Scheduling tool for immediate and forward planning</li>
  <li>Helps optimize staffing levels based on patient demand and workload</li>
  <li>White-labeled technology with your organization’s specific branding</li>
</ul>

<p>
  Intellify Talent Solutions is pioneering an effort to help hospitals regain
  control of their staffing capabilities and reduce costs by using its flagship
  technology product, IntellifyTM vendor management system. Contact us today for
  a quick demonstration of how Intellify could simplify your processes, reduce
  your costs, and create happier and healthier clinicians and patients.
</p>

Is a VMS Platform Myth Preventing Your Hospital From Cutting Costs?

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