Today's health care organizations rely on a contingent workforce, but also require certain capabilities in order to maintain management of contracted and full-time employees. This is where a vendor management solution (VMS) comes into play.
According to Technavio, use of VMS technology is on the rise, and the industry will see a more than 12 percent compound annual growth rate through 2021. However, not all VMS options are one in the same, and it's imperative that hospitals and other health care facilities select a solution that is truly vendor neutral.
Here are a few essentials to help you spot the right vendor-neutral VMS for your organization:
Unbiased vendor recommendations
First and foremost, it's imperative to seek out a platform that can recommend capable vendors, but doesn't push certain options on users. If a VMS does appear to favor one vendor over another, it's a sure sign that the solution is not vendor neutral.
Having unbiased recommendations means stakeholders can make the best staffing decisions to benefit their workforce, and can also establish more balanced relationships between vendor partners.
Market data dictates rates
Another sign of a vendor-neutral VMS is that the included staffing rates are based on the current market landscape, and not on the requests or demands of suppliers. The most robust VMS solutions can even offer market data to support rates and provide a complete picture for decision-makers. This type of advantage can truly support the kinds of cost savings health care organizations look for when leveraging their VMS technology.
Integration with other existing systems
As the Society for Human Resource Management noted, it's also important to find a VMS that can integrate with other critical platforms that include workforce data. These can include the core human resources information system and purchase order request system. In this way, decision-makers have a more unified view of the factors that will impact their staffing strategy, and can avoid working in several, siloed systems.
Robust feature sets
Considerable strides have been made within the VMS marketplace in recent years, and these advanced systems now encompass more critical workforce management capabilities than ever before. A vendor-neutral VMS will include key features like:
- Support for working with different types of health care workers like per diem, traveling, locum tenens and allied employees.
- Job board integrations.
- Data-driven reporting on activity reports and monitoring current workers.
- Credential management that support Joint Commission standards.
- Payroll and invoicing.
Is your VMS costing you?
A truly vendor-neutral VMS enables unbiased decision-making while ensuring that managers have everything they need to support their institution's workforce and patients. An advanced VMS also helps organizations avoid costly fees – do you know how much you could be losing? Check out our calculator and connect with BlueSky Medical Staffing Software to learn more about how a vendor neutral VMS could benefit your facility.
