In 2024, Medely surveyed 233 facilities across the country on challenges they’re facing, operational capacity, how they’re using Medely, and more. Based on these responses, we’ve compiled a list of what issues are most pressing to healthcare facilities as they seek to maintain a stable workforce and provide patients with the highest quality care.
Lowered operational capacity
In a post-pandemic healthcare environment, most facilities aren’t back up to full operational capacity. Out of the facilities surveyed, the average operating capacity was 72% of their full capacity, but when asked what capacity they would like to be operating at, the average response was 90%. So what’s causing the decreased operational functionality? 47 facilities cited reimbursement rates for care (20%), 45 cited lower patient demand (19%), and 39 cited labor costs (17%) as the reason they’re not operating at full capacity.
Both lowered patient demand and labor costs showcase a need for facilities to be able to staff flexibly. With fluctuating patient loads, facilities are hesitant to spend exorbitant amounts of money to onboard, train, and hire full-time staff for only certain periods of high patient demand, especially when healthcare worker turnover rates are so high. Facilities are looking for a less expensive way to staff according to their fluctuating needs, which is why facilities are turning to Medely to help address these common complaints with a flexible, on-demand staffing solution.
What’s driving facilities to choose Medely
As more facilities rely on Medely to address operational challenges, several key issues continue to impact the healthcare industry at large.
Recruitment and retention
Of the 233 respondents, 59% shared that staff recruitment and retention was one of the top challenges that their facility was facing.
Recruitment and retention problems have proven to be one of the biggest challenges for the healthcare industry, regardless of facility type. NSI Nursing Solutions published a study on healthcare retention in hospitals in 2024, and according to the survey, “Nationally, the hospital turnover rate stands at 18.3%.” Even with a slight decrease from 2023, hospital turnover rates are still at high levels. For skilled nursing facilities, a report from Mission Care Collective shares that “With an alarming 82% turnover rate, more than half of skilled nursing facilities are replacing over 50% of their staff each year.” For ambulatory surgery centers, a 2023 survey shared that RN turnover in ASCs was 35% and surgical technologist turnover was 39%.
With large turnover rates across the board, facilities are looking to retain their current staff while also filling gaps with contingent staff to ensure that they’re compliant with nurse-to-patient ratios and able to provide quick, efficient care.
Medely has provided a beneficial option for facilities that need more staff but are hesitant to hire more full-time staff. 146 respondents (63%) shared that the Medely makes their job easier by helping them staff and schedule at their healthcare facility, and 62 healthcare facilities (27%) shared that Medely helped them in “accessing quality healthcare professionals directly.” With Medely’s on-demand Talent Marketplace, facilities are able to post shifts within minutes to our network of over 300,000 nurses and health professionals across the country, leading to maximum operational efficiency and fully-staffed floors. No matter what comes up, facilities know that they can rely on Medely to remain compliant, even in the midst of continued turnover and high burnout that continues to plague the healthcare industry.
Credentialing and compliance
The second most cited way that Medely helps facilities operate more efficiently is through credentialing and compliance. 26 healthcare facilities (11%) cited that Medely helped them manage credentialing and compliance easier. When facilities post shifts to nurses and health professionals using Medely’s Talent Marketplace, they know that Medely has already gone through the rigorous process of ensuring their credentials are up-to-date, licenses are active, and that they have the skills necessary to jump into facilities with little orientation.
Medely can also help facilities keep up with their own internal credentialing. Talent Fusion, Medely’s centralized workforce management solution, provides facilities the opportunity to keep track of internal credentialing in the same platform as our Talent Marketplace. With one unified solution, facilities can automate onboarding, credentialing, licensing, and compliance monitoring. Our credentialing feature offers automated notifications and updates so facilities can ensure that staff are notified when licenses are close to expiration, keeping staff compliant while reducing the administrative burden that comes with keeping track of individual licenses and certifications.
Reduced administrative burden
24 facilities shared that Medely helped them with “saving time and money on administrative work.” The ability to post shifts directly to our Talent Marketplace eliminates the need for facility managers to manually call staff, reach out to agencies, and wait for people to respond to them. Shifts will be sent directly to nurses and health professionals, and facilities will be notified of who’s taking the shift, their credentials and experience, and anything else needed prior to the shift.
Medely also provides access to key contingent staffing data. With analytics like shifts filled, average fill rate, average pay per shift, and more, facilities can efficiently track staffing data over time to make informed staffing decisions for the future. With our favorites feature, facilities can favorite nurses or health professionals who performed well and send out a shift to them first the next time they need coverage. This helps facilities build up an external pool of trusted health professionals, which helps facilities achieve better continuity of care.
Reducing labor costs
11 facilities (5%) shared that Medely helped them manage labor costs. With Medely’s on-demand Talent Marketplace, facilities can staff according to their needs and budget. If demand is low, they can rely on current full-time staff or an internal float pool to fill shifts, but if demand increases, or staff are unavailable to pick up shifts, facilities can quickly post shifts on Medely to bridge the gaps in coverage.
Utilize Medely to find on-demand coverage near you
Medely has helped healthcare facilities across the country find coverage to fit their needs and address core problems that are facing the healthcare industry. With our technology-based tools, facilities have saved time, money, and resources on solving problems that continue to affect patient care. Ready for Medely to help address your workforce challenges? Sign up today!
