With a shifted focus, facilities have begun to navigate the new normalcy of the Healthcare Staffing industry—a focus filled with a heightened sense of responsibility for priorities such as financial sustainability and clinician quality amidst an unbalanced, ever-evolving market.
Since the pandemic, the healthcare staffing industry has undergone a seismic shift. In today’s blog, we’ll look at how facilities have had to adapt to this changed world. They’ve zeroed in on the importance of their financial health and the quality of the clinicians within their community. They have had to tackle an uneven market with newfound control and foresight. Prime Time Healthcare has been a key resource in this evolution. We’re not just a staffing agency; we’re a partner that’s empowering healthcare organizations to lead in their own way. It’s about working together, using technology that works, and giving facilities a say in their future. It’s a new era for healthcare staffing!
Along with the rest of the world, the healthcare staffing industry was heavily affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Based on key points and data from ASPE at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, critical staffing shortages caused facilities to frantically try and keep up with the demand, all while keeping their financials and patients/residents in mind. Facilities and communities alike have been left reeling, desperately looking for staff to help chart a path forward through an unforeseen time. They’ve had to dig deeper into budgets than ever before to facilitate this, all while focusing on providing exceptional care in a world of change. Agencies also had to react, and they did so by investing in their workforce, streamlining efficiencies, and creating opportunities where there had been none before.
What no one could have known, though, is just how much of an impact this pandemic would have across the board— on things such as legislation, on Healthcare Professionals, and on how the value of temporary clinicians in the workplace was even viewed.
The healthcare landscape has been significantly reshaped by recent legislative changes, particularly affecting Medicare Advantage Plans. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the following key updates for 2025 indicate a shift towards a more integrated, inclusive, and patient-focused healthcare system:
- Expanded Access to Behavioral Health Care: New Medicare benefits for marriage and family therapists (MFTs) and mental health counselors (MHCs) broaden the spectrum of professionals in healthcare staffing.
- Enhanced Patient Rights and Streamlined Processes: Standardizing appeals processes and limiting out-of-network cost-sharing for patients reflect a patient-centered approach to healthcare.
- Effective Utilization of Supplemental Benefits: Ensuring these benefits are not just for marketing but are actually utilized by enrollees, highlighting a focus on inclusive and equitable care.
- Focus on Health Equity: Medicare Advantage plan organizations are required to analyze their policies from a health equity perspective, ensuring all patients have access to quality care.
Combined with CMS’ recent proposal for Long-Term Care communities under Medicaid and Medicare, they’ve intensified the conversation regarding the future of resident care. To concentrate the focus on the level of care and provide transparency, CMS has proposed new minimum staffing levels to ensure nursing coverage around the clock while also providing unprecedented transparency on how Medicaid payments are to be used at the community and facility levels. It’s a delicate balance to keep things formal and accountable, while also setting realistic expectations from the start. For more insights, take a look at this CMS article.
Temporary staffing in healthcare is now increasingly seen as a strategic resource, vital for maintaining high standards of care. As the industry evolves, Prime Time Healthcare’s commitment to exceptional customer service and personalization has been deep, ensuring that we’re not just filling roles but genuinely partnering with facilities to elevate our relationships. We’re dedicated to addressing their unique needs, guaranteeing both quality and dependability. This approach adequately aligns with our goal: providing outstanding patient care while also maintaining the financial health of healthcare facilities.
What’s become apparent post-pandemic is that there is a very real clinician shortage already affecting facilities across the country. A mixture of an aging workforce, job dissatisfaction, and burnout amongst Healthcare Professionals has left a gaping hole in the ability of facilities to continue providing positive patient experiences by themselves. This challenging situation calls for our commitment to the well-being of residents— who are a top priority. It highlights the need for innovative solutions and supportive measures to ensure both patients and residents receive the care they deserve. An environment where healthcare professionals can thrive is a necessity to achieve this standard.
Facilities need a partner who’s focused on making them, along with their residents, the priority—a partner that has the same values and strategic plans with them, not for them. Prime Time Healthcare has become that exact partner—one that places your Healthcare Organization above all else. As a nation-leading provider of Healthcare Professionals, we were quick to recognize the need to empower our facilities in a way that no one would post-pandemic.
A transparent way that creates engagement from all parties and has the same end goal in mind: quality clinicians providing quality care in an impactful way. We’ve encouraged our facilities to evaluate their staffing agencies early and often to ensure they have leading, innovative solutions to a challenging market. To aid this process, we’ve provided them with transparent market data at no charge so that they know what to expect and when to expect it. As a full-service agency, we aim to amend our agreements to empower facility partners with financial sustainability and ensure they have streamlined efficiencies at no extra cost. Offering services for all disciplines from RN and LTC to allied health and therapy, they will be effectively fit to steer the course towards progress and excellence in the healthcare service industry. Our role is clear: support and enhance healthcare facilities in every discipline, ensuring the like-minded goal of the best possible care for patients and residents.
At Prime Time Healthcare, we understand how crucial our role is in the market. We’re here to be the flexible and reliable partner you deserve. Our responsibility? To provide support and innovation so that our facilities feel empowered to take back control of their staffing and are ready to face unforeseen challenges in a solutions-oriented way.
The question now becomes: How is your staffing partner positioning you, and what’s in store for your future because of it?
Works Cited
Fact sheet contract Year 2025 policy and technical changes to the Medicare Advantage Plan Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare cost plan program, and programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly, and Health Information Technology Standards. CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/contract-year-2025-policy-and-technical-changes-medicare-advantage-plan-program-medicare
Fact sheet medicare and Medicaid programs: Minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting (CMS 3442-P). CMS.gov Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-minimum-staffing-standards-long-term-care-facilities-and-medicaid
Issue Brief: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the hospital and outpatient clinician workforce - ASPE Office of Health Policy. (n.d.). https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/9cc72124abd9ea25d58a22c7692dccb6/aspe-covid-workforce-report.pdf
