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PRESS RELEASES
Health First Hospitals Reduce Contract Agency Costs by 83% in Six Months Through System-wide Launch of BidShift®
New Initiative Centralizes Visibility into Staffing Needs; Enterprise on Track to Realize $3.1 Million Reduction in Contract Labor
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March 18, 2008
BidShift was implemented enterprise-wide in just seven weeks, with an 83% reduction in contract labor usage realized in the first six months of use. By allowing the existing workforce to fill open shifts instead of relying on costly contract agency personnel, the organization is on track to realize a $3.12 million annual reduction in contract labor within the first year of implementation, representing an annual net savings of $1.32 million.
"BidShift is an integral part of Health First's strategy to encourage our own staff to request and fill extra shifts so that patients receive care from a consistent group of our own excellent nursing staff," said Robert Suttles, corporate human resources officer for Health First, and immediate past Chair of the HR Council for VHA Southeast, of which Health First is a member. "BidShift allows us to offer work and shift incentives in a centralized way, and rewards staff for helping meet the needs of our patients. We believe BidShift will improve nurse satisfaction and differentiate us in our ongoing nurse recruitment and retention efforts."
BidShift's web-based service provides Health First staff 24/7 access to view and request open shifts for which they are qualified. Its introduction streamlines the scheduling of open shifts and expands the enterprise's ability to improve fairness in staff scheduling by making available shifts visible to all qualified staff at the same time.
"We've been pleased with the degree of cross-unit activity seen through use of BidShift, and have seen a tremendous increase in staff willingness to work on different nursing units," stated Jan McCoy, VP of patient care services at Cape Canaveral Hospital. "Over a third of open shifts across the enterprise are being voluntarily filled by staff from other units."
"BidShift promotes a shared responsibility for effective staffing that recognizes the commitment of existing employees and helps recruit and retain the workforce in today is highly competitive labor market," stated Graham Barnes, CEO of BidShift, Inc. "Health First joins a growing group of health systems that are using BidShift to create the nursing environment and competitive edge that many organizations are striving for."