We sat down with Mike Rhodes, vice president of operations and compliance at Among Friends Adult Day Care Inc., to talk about his experience using Medely. Mike uses Medely on an as-needed basis to keep his facility compliant with state staffing regulations and able to quickly address any shortages or lack of appropriate coverage.
Maintaining compliance
Due to state requirements, Mike’s facility must have at least six hours of coverage to remain compliant, though he prefers to extend it closer to eight. These requirements led Mike to turn to local agencies to find coverage when needed. “We have staff nurses and occasionally they need time off. I tried a couple of local agencies, and they just couldn’t get anybody for me,” Mike shared. “And again, we’re kind of on an as-needed basis. And, it didn’t work.”
After local agencies left him still needing coverage, he turned to Google to find a better solution. When Medely popped up, he was immediately skeptical about the solution based on his previous experiences with agencies. But after using Medely, he was pleasantly surprised by the timely, affordable coverage he was able to find with Medely’s pre-vetted nurses and health professionals.
“ [Medely] delivered on what they said they were going to deliver on from my Google search.”
Finding an easy-to-use solution
As Mike was onboarding with Medely, he was experiencing serious staffing gaps that needed to be filled quickly. With the hands-on assistance of his account executive, Taylor, he was able to learn how to post shifts and find coverage so he could be self-sufficient in the future. “I had a tremendous need for a few days. My rep, Taylor, walked me through. I was still onboarding and getting used to the platform. She held my hand to make sure that we got everything posted the way it should have been,” Mike shared. Taylor was able to ensure all of Mike’s questions were answered promptly, even assisting him in setting up a template for posting shifts to make the process quicker in the future, reducing the time he had to spend entering facility details.
“[It takes] 20 seconds because she set me up with a template, which is fantastic because it’s got all my data in there. All I really need to do is set the time.”
When Mike was first getting started, he had a situation with a last-minute Medely nurse cancellation, but his account executive went above and beyond in finding a replacement. “One of the days, the Medely nurse canceled at the last minute. Taylor was quick to do the best she could to find a replacement, including adding a bonus on Medely’s behalf to try and rectify the situation,” Mike shares. “It was the side-by-side partnership to try and get a nurse in that secured our relationship right there.”
Pre-vetted nurses and health professionals
When Mike turned to local agencies the first time, one of his main complaints was how long it took. Waiting for agencies to vet every person is a lengthy process, and when an urgent need arises, it’s important to have someone ready to pick up a shift at a moment’s notice. With Medely’s integrated credentialing system, facilities don’t have to wait for us to vet every nurse or health professional before picking up shifts. All the nurses and health professionals in our Talent Marketplace are vetted, credentialed, and skills-tested as soon as they sign up for the platform to ensure that when facilities post a shift, there’s no delay. Facilities don’t have to take on any extra burden of having to credential or interview the professional unless they prefer to. Medely provides facilities with that peace of mind.
For facilities that want an easier way to keep up with credentials for their internal and external team, our new Talent Fusion total workforce management solution offers an integrated credentialing system. With license verification, compliance tracking, and documentation in one place, Talent Fusion makes it easier for facilities to get nurses and health professionals working quicker. Facilities can also continue to keep internal staff informed of expiring credentials or certifications with automated notifications and updates, leading to fewer lapses in coverage and potential safety concerns.
Seamless staff integration
All nurses and health professionals who have picked up shifts through Medely have seamlessly integrated into Mike’s facility, ensuring that all patients are provided with excellent care. “They [the full-time staff] love the quality that comes in through our door, and they work hand-in-hand with them [the Medely nurses and health professionals]. They’re very appreciative,” Mike shares. “Is there a positive impact? Absolutely. Because my staff can go about their life because we have an agency [Medely] nurse in.”
As Mike has continued to fill shifts with Medely, he continues to be amazed at the quality of the nurses and health professionals who pick up shifts at his facility. With our templates for quick posting, excellent customer service, and seamless coverage, Mike has been able to cut down on the time that he spends worrying about compliance. He knows Medely has it covered. “My job is to keep the company compliant, and Medely delivers nurses when I need them,” Mike shares. “The value of being able to post that job, get it filled, and then I go about my business… With Medely I can be productive in other areas because it’s taken care of.”
2024 Outcomes with Medely
Thanks to Medely, Mike has been able to find coverage quickly and efficiently at his facility. Since he started posting in 2024, Mike has had 33 shifts filled with Medely with an average fill time of 65 minutes. The quick turnaround ensures that he’s able to stay compliant and continue providing the best care for his patients. Through Medely’s data, we’ve estimated that compared to traditional staffing agencies, Mike’s facility has saved 30% by using Medely.
Find staff on your terms with Medely
Whether your facility needs a few shifts to meet compliance requirements or continual support over a long period of time, Medely’s flexible solutions, Talent Marketplace and Talent Fusion, offer facilities the choice to staff on their terms. Ready to meet your staffing goals with Medely? Sign up today!
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity
