We are witnessing rapid changes within the healthcare industry

Technology for the Modern Workforce﻿Eric Christenson, SVP Intellify SolutionsWe are witnessing rapid changes within the healthcare industry. COVID exposed significant gaps in the workforce, altering the healthcare landscape by creating high demand for staff with short supply, spiraling hospitals into cost containment challenges that still exist even three years later. They must rethink their workforce models and staffing strategies to be viable and effective in delivering optimal patient care.Hospitals are racing to overcome industry obstacles, from increased staffing demand, burnout, and supply chain issues, to antiquated technologies and systems and more. But what we are seeing are merely temporary fixes.There is a lot of fear and distrust in the market and hospitals are overwhelmed. A market-wide lack of transparency prevents them from knowing whether they are getting the best rates or the best clinicians when they outsource staff. It should be the other way around. Hospitals should have control over their workforce programs and should be working with a partner that is looking out for them. It is time for hospitals to take back control of how they are managing and deploying their staff. This presents an opportunity to uncover, develop and execute systemic long-lasting solutions that can aid our nation’s workforce and transform the way we currently operate on a foundational level. The sooner our healthcare institutions adapt and evolve business operations to embrace data, analytics, intelligent insights, and modern technology the better.So, how do we equip our hospitals with transformative solutions?Current staffing and vendor management systems rely on technologies that were developed decades ago. The answer is not simple, but it begins with understanding and meeting the industry where it currently stands.Our mission at Intellify Talent Solutions, Cross Country’s in-house technology company, is to partner withhealthcare organizations to optimize their workforce ecosystems by offering innovative, tech-enabled solutions and services that span the employment lifecycle. We recently launched our flagship product, Intellify, a simple yet powerful business intelligence-enabled digital platform that facilitates the effective management and movement of people within and across organizations.We meet organizations where they are and take them where they need to be with leading-edge technology to address their unique labor challenges and conditions. Whether it is a standalone solution, a data-driven technology platform, full vendor-neutral program management or a hybrid solution with custom add-on technologies and capabilities to streamline and optimize:<ul><li>Compliance, and making sure that it matches requirements.</li><li>Billing requirements, where the AR and AP are seamless.</li><li>Integration points, and what they need to be as successful and lean as possible.</li><li>Suppliers, and making suggestions based on the current supply panel.</li></ul>Intellify is an innovative system that utilizes Microsoft® PowerBI® to provide reporting-first analytics. It was built with data at the forefront to help hospital administrators make informed decisions, as opposed to other existing systems that implement reporting as an afterthought. Microsoft® PowerBI® presents data in a visual way, which allows users to look at their data and make quick decisions, without having to manually compare spreadsheets and crunch numbers.For example, the compliance and hiring process, which is typically the lengthiest, is easier and more streamlined, shortening the timeline from application to start date. It allows clients to see every step of the compliance process with full transparency that has not been available in the marketplace until now. Instead of having to be informed that, for example, a candidate has not completed a drug test on time, this information is clearly visible on the client’s customized dashboard, at the individual or global level. It is very insightful, and it is right there.In my view, the healthcare industry is going to become, and must become, much more technologically savvy. I think we will start to see more clinician involvement in the process, harmonizing external workforce partners, clinicians, and hospitals on the same sheet of music. Over time, through mobile apps, AI and more, clients will be able to directly source a candidate instead of having to go through an external partner or agency, increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness.Intellify empowers end users with innovative technology that combines data insights and transparency to help simplify workforce decisions and contain expenses from day one. Whether you are the CFO at a hospital or a nurse manager running a unit, you have a clear, direct snapshot of the people and processes you manage. It is not a silver bullet or one-size-fits-all solution—but it is a giant step in the right direction toward putting our hospitals back in control, as they should be.

Technology for the Modern Workforce

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