As we all watch the world’s greatest athletes compete in London, from across the globe, it’s often easy to think only of the competition that unfolds daily. In reality, when these athletes perform their sport, those few seconds or minutes are the culmination of years of daily preparation. As young athletes, these individuals started at an early age to establish daily routines of exercise and practice, along with a strict diet coupled to the needs of their sport.
Can you compete as a Healthcare VMS?
Watching the culmination of a well-executed vendor management system is in many ways comparable to the preparation required of Olympic class athletes! It is the attention to detail that separates the high achieving performers from those not quite good enough to be in the elite company of the Olympics.
The same can be said for the successful establishment of a VMS system in healthcare staffing. There can be no detail left to chance. Some of the more obvious details are as follows:
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Time and attendance acquisition:
- How is the time captured, and can it be done in a more efficient manner? (i.e. real time badging by subcontractors)
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Cost of labor reporting:
- Both subcontractors and client need to know the true cost of labor as close as possible to the real-time payroll calculations. The manner in which time is recorded will directly impact the speed and accuracy of the cost of labor figures.
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Compliance and competency:
- Nothing creates more headaches than not being able to quickly and accurately producing all required documentation. As the number of sub-vendors grows, this requirement can be difficult to meet unless the system was set up properly from the beginning.
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Schedules and contracts verification:
- A key element of any system requires that at least three parties be on the same page as it relates to shifts to be worked in the future, as well as historic shifts. The actual worker needs access, the client needs access, and the vendor needs access. These three pieces keep schedule complication and errors to a minimum.
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Financial considerations:
- If the first four elements of the system have come together, they should properly populate all financial systems for the purposes of payroll, invoicing, and financial reporting.
Just as Olympic athletes spend years focusing on the “little details” to compete worldwide, no less should be expected from your vendor for the purposes of a master vendor solution.
