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The Role of MSPs & Vendor Neutrality
To meet the growing demand for high-quality care, health systems often rely on staffing agencies to supplement their workforces. However, managing a contingent workforce — including recruitment, compliance management, onboarding, payroll and more — can be complex. As a result, many health systems outsource this task to managed service providers, or MSPs, allowing hospitals to focus on their primary mission: delivering high-quality patient care.
The primary goal of any MSP should be to ensure the healthcare organization has the talent they need when they need it. Most importantly, MSPs must serve as fulfillment drivers and financial stewards, continuously striving to acquire high-quality talent at the lowest possible cost for the healthcare organization. The vendor-neutral model has gained popularity in healthcare workforce management due to its perception of impartiality and competitive edge.
Contracting with a broad range of suppliers can make them compete for a health system’s business and remove a system’s dependence on any one supplier. On the other hand, vendor-neutral models offer a robust supplier panel but often lack accountability on fulfillment. Artificially placing caps on supplier submissions can cause jobs to age, delaying fulfillment and causing caregivers to arrive later than a system needs. When jobs don’t get filled — especially for hard-to-fill specialties — the only thing a vendor neutral MSP can do is raise rates to entice suppliers.
Vendor Accountability as a Solution
How can health systems balance the desire for a robust supplier marketplace and competitive rates with the need for accountability? A Qualivis partnership might be the solution.
Qualivis delivers the benefits of a vendor neutral program with the accountability to fulfillment and financial stewardship that many vendor-neutral programs lack. A flexible, Qualivis vendor-accountable MSP delivers the following benefits:
- Fair and open market rates: By leveraging real-time market intelligence through LotusOne, healthcare systems can make more informed staffing decisions, helping to align labor costs with market trends and contributing to the reduction of overall operational expenses.
- Diverse supplier pool: By tapping into a substantial network of suppliers that represent more than 80% market share in staffing capacity, facilities can increase their access to a more diverse and robust talent pipeline for greater fulfillment. A Qualivis program can be customized to support a system’s various supplier initiatives with a tiered release program to promote local, small business or certified diverse agencies.
- Accountable suppliers: The Qualivis vendor panel consists of highly engaged and accountable partners committed to fulfilling client needs. Many of Qualivis’ supplier partners have created dedicated teams to expedite fulfillment and minimize costs.
- Transparency and focus on supplier performance: Qualivis ensures its accountable suppliers maintain engagement and a high level of commitment to the program by monitoring their performance and maintaining accountability to consistently and positively contribute toward the staffing needs of member hospitals. The Qualivis accountable model delivers complete visibility into program and supplier performance metrics such as time-to-fill, quality of hire and fulfillment rates. Underperforming suppliers are removed from the panel.
Case Study: Positive Impact of Transitioning from Vendor Neutral to Vendor Accountable at UMC Lubbock
University Medical Center (UMC) Lubbock faced significant challenges with its previous vendor neutral healthcare staffing provider. The hospital struggled to fill and secure top-tier talent while staying on budget. By utilizing Qualivis market data to set competitive bill rates and partner with accountable suppliers, UMC Lubbock secured laboratory OR technician positions which previously had long times-to-fill or remained vacant due to a lack of interest from noncompetitive rates. Since going live with Qualivis in December 2022, UMC Lubbock has seen a decrease in their spend on contingent labor. The Qualivis partnership encompasses comprehensive staffing solutions, including permanent hiring initiatives to support UMC Lubbock’ core staff recruitment.
I’ve been with UMC Lubbock for more than 14 years and have heard issues about working with our previous provider. The issues negatively impacted operations and made it difficult to efficiently allocate time. Qualivis program and its software streamline our processes and freed time for our staff to establish a new series of workflow processes.
Bailey Lindley, Director Nurse Recruitment & Nursing Resource Pool, MSN, RN, NE-BC
Health systems need to consider more than vendor neutrality when selecting a workforce solutions partner. By prioritizing vendor accountability in their program requirements, healthcare organizations can achieve a more balanced and effective approach to staffing. With Qualivis, health systems gain access to a diverse supplier panel that adheres to both cost and quality standards while providing timely fulfillment of staffing needs. This accountability drives suppliers to maintain high performance, reducing staffing delays and delivering efficient placement of top-tier talent. Furthermore, it enhances transparency with clear insights into key metrics such as time-to-fill rates and overall program effectiveness. Ultimately, vendor accountability boosts operational efficiency and financial stewardship, making it essential for successful workforce management.