The Problem
Like many in the industry, a skilled nursing facility in California faced staffing shortages and needed a solution. They turned to a large tech-enabled staffing agency where staff were requested through an app.
The Executive Director of the facility was feeling like there is a lack of accountability with many of the tech-enabled agencies she used. With no control over who picked up those shifts, it led to more staffing troubles. “It came down to the quality of the care provided to our residents and the consistency of who was coming in.”
While filling shifts is vital to the facility, having the power to choose the best caregivers for those shifts is equally as important.
The facility had high needs due to post-pandemic conditions like caregiver burnout. Relying on agency workers from many different agencies to keep her facility staffed required more efficient and effective staffing processes. In addition, they were spending hours a day scheduling and often had last-minute call-offs with no support.
The Solution
As an Executive Director of a senior care facility, the priority is first and foremost, patient care. With the implementation of Kevala’s open shift management system, they now have the ease of requesting staff through an app coupled with the attention and quality she can get from local agencies. “The great part of Kevala is we can build relationships with smaller, local agencies who want to do everything they can to make sure our facility is satisfied.”
“The great part about Kevala is we can build relationships with smaller, local agencies who want to do everything they can to make sure our facility is satisfied”
Kevala streamlined the communication between the scheduler and their local agency partners through one platform. They send out her shift needs to all their desired agencies and then decide who they want for the shift with an easy review and approval in the app. “Being able to be picky is huge for us; getting much better people gives us more stability in an unstable environment. Our residents are well taken care of and our staff is happy.”
Building a stronger relationship between the community and local agencies in the area was only possible with Kevala’s easy-to-use, centralized staffing platform.
The Outcome
The ripple effect that a successful communication system has on an entire facility is something that the community has felt since the implementation of Kevala. “There’s been a shift in culture, those registry people want to be here."
Gaining such a significant culture improvement is something that can benefit a facility on multiple levels. Better people, better communication, and better overall patient care. “Now that they are able to easily communicate with us, submit candidates, and plan ahead, the agencies would ask, what kind of person are you wanting? They are more invested in us now.”
Agencies becoming more accommodating and receptive toward the needs of the facility is what every facility needs from that relationship. Kevala is dedicated to promoting a complementary relationship between a facility and its agency partners, so healthcare facilities stay staffed with the highest quality, lowest cost care available.
What's Next
The scheduling torch has been passed down to the new resident care administrator within a few weeks, and they needed no training with such a user-friendly platform. The community has been able to foster relationships with the local agencies they use and have built a mutual understanding of the type of staff members they need in order to meet the expectations and standards of the community.
“Now that they are able to easily communicate with us, submit candidates, and plan ahead, the agencies would ask, what kind of person are you wanting? They are more invested in us now.”
Now the Executive Director can get back to spending her time on other important ED responsibilities, like connecting with residents and improving community culture.
