Case Study

Situation

In 1972, Potomac Hospital opened its doors to the residents of Eastern Prince William, Southern Fairfax and North Stafford Counties. Since then, Potomac Hospital has grown from 29 patient beds, 115 employees and 61 physicians to 183 patient beds, more than 1300 employees and more than 250 medical staff members. Today, Potomac Hospital is a not-for-profit community hospital serving Prince William County and its surrounding communities.

The mission of Potomac Hospital is to identify healthcare needs and enhance the health of our community members regardless of race, color, religion, creed or ability to pay. Potomac Hospital offers a wide range of medical specialties, a highly qualified medical and clinical staff, and state-of-the-art technology required upholding its mission. As the hospital grew, it found itself faced with the challenges of fast urban growth, a change in the demographics of the population, increased competition within the field of nursing, and increases in turnover due to the competitive nature of the specialized staff they employ. Shortages of qualified people were putting pressure on the system and internal resources were already tapped. The hospital needed support in overcoming these pressing problems.

Furthermore, the hospital needed an approach that had visibility into the future. As anticipated growth occurred, the program needed to adjust quickly to the changing needs. A process driven approach would be needed to improve availability of qualified people, provide just in time staffing, and effectively manage the competency of people entering the facility, all in a cost effective way.

Solution

Customer Care Solutions (CCS) through SPARKS was the solution for Potomac Hospital. CCS implemented a Vendor Management Program that provides an On-Site Account Management Team who is responsible for the day to day operations of the hospital’s contract labor. The CCS program allowed the hospital to gain control and visibility into the supplemental staffing process, manage and reduce overall staffing usage, and provides total system cost savings. All existing contracts through the staffing vendors were re-negotiated and best in class vendors were selected based on overall performance and ability to meet cost objectives. By implementing best practices, CCS was able to improve operational efficiency and build quality controls, which determine how to leverage people in the most effective manner. A large part of this solution would include the introduction of an e-procurement process thru CCS’s proprietary technology program called StaffDesk.com to manage the total process of labor acquisition and delivery of performance.

Results

Customer Care Solutions has been onsite at Potomac Hospital since 2003. By managing the day to day operations of all supplemental staffing within the hospital, the management at Potomac can concentrate on other pressing needs and most importantly, patient care. CCS provides per diem and travel nurses, allied healthcare specialists, clerical and administrative support. CCS is a full service recruiting partner for the hospital providing customized solutions to every area of the hospital that has a need for contingent staff. The program manages the vendors that support these efforts and inherently builds compliance with the ever changing hospital standards. Credentialing for all contingent staff is monitored and controlled by CCS thereby freeing up the time required on part of the hospital in managing this function. Overall total dollar utilization was decreased by 45%. Ultimately, the people, process and technology application provided by our CCS division has allowed Potomac Hospital to improve its relationships with its most important asset, its people.