Flexestaff News & Events

AllHealth offers online shift auction system that eases nursing shortages, saves hospitals money and offers staff flexibility

AllHealth News Release
January 15, 2005

HARRISBURG , PA – AllHealth is now offering a Web-based tool called eShift™ that allows staff nurses to participate in online auctions for unfilled work shifts within their hospitals. This new solution from AllHealth vendor-partner Flexestaff™ enables hospitals to meet their staffing requirements while reducing their dependency on more expensive agency nurses. In addition, eShift offers staff nurses greater earning potential and job flexibility.

With eShift, nurses go online to view a schedule of vacant work shifts for which they qualify. They can then bid on the shifts they want by agreeing to work the shift at a lower wage than the previous bidder. The lowest qualified bidder is then notified by e-mail when the auction closes (usually 3-10 days in advance of the shift).

Bids start at a rate that is below the hourly costs for agency nurses but higher than the staff nurses normally earn. So, while the hospital may be paying its own nurses higher wages for certain shifts, it avoids the even greater expense of hiring temps. The system can also be configured to accommodate self-scheduling of shifts and premium rate fixed price shifts, if a hospital desires not to pursue an auction environment.

Another benefit of eShift is greater patient and physician satisfaction because the existing nursing staff is more motivated and familiar with the case load. One eShift client saw their patient satisfaction scores increase by eight percentage points in the ER three months after implementing the system.

AllHealth President and CEO D. Patrick Mazzolla comments, “This is an innovative and extremely cost-effective solution to the ongoing staffing challenges our customers deal with on a daily basis.”

eShift was developed in conjunction with Spartanburg (S.C.) Regional Healthcare System where managers are using the software to fill more than 700 shifts per pay period. The health system has decreased its use of agency nurses by 90 percent and is saving more than $1 million per year. In addition, vacant nursing positions have been reduced by over 30%. Due to the attractive monthly pricing model , clients typically experience an ROI of 400 percent or more within six months of implementation.

“eShift™ has dramatically improved the financial and operational performance of our client hospitals while enhancing the work-life balance for their staff,” states Flexestaff President Rod Hart . “We're excited to be able to offer this tool to AllHealth customers throughout the mid-Atlantic region.”

About AllHealth:
AllHealth has been creating value for healthcare organizations for more than 30 years through products and services in group purchasing, insurance and human resources, financial management, quality management and information technology. AllHealth is headquartered in Harrisburg , Pa. with additional sites in Philadelphia , Pittsburgh and Washington , D.C. AllHealth serves more than 1,500 healthcare facilities in the mid-Atlantic region. More information is available at www.all-health.com.

About Flexestaff™:
Flexestaff is a Chicago-based healthcare firm dedicated to helping providers more effectively meet their staffing needs. It was founded to address the problem of having the appropriate number of properly trained clinical staff to support every clinical service on a daily basis. The Flexestaff team is a group of experienced healthcare professionals, focused on developing innovative solutions to reduce the cost of healthcare staffing.

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