Private equity drives up healthcare staffing costs via consolidation & fee stacking. California’s new laws curb interference. Strategies for hospitals to fight back.
The healthcare staffing industry is often described as cyclical, booms followed by corrections. But the collapse of the proposed acquisition by Aya Healthcare of Cross Country Healthcare, combined with renewed federal scrutiny of noncompete practices, signals something more structural: a shift in how regulators view labor markets, consolidation, and competition
FTC cracks down on healthcare noncompetes, targeting staffing firms like AMN/CHG. Implications for MSP/VMS deals, clinician mobility & contingent labor costs. Audit now.
FTC comments related to Aya Healthcare and Cross Country Healthcare staffing agencies terminated merger.
Explore how software technology and local provider pools are reshaping per diem staffing in hospitals for cost savings.
Hospital staffing remains steady despite federal budget uncertainty, with agencies leaning on contract extensions, local coverage, and tighter rate control. Learn how healthcare staffing firms can navigate these trends using smarter workforce planning and technology.
Short answer: Not according to recent evidence, but both groups report that the work environment still needs improvement. Travel Nurses and Core Nurses: Work Environment Comparison A national study in The Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA) examined whether travel nurses and core (non-travel) nurses perceive their work environment and ethical climate differently. Conducted across seven
Private equity in healthcare often drives staffing pressures and cost increases. Learn how to resist extraction and build stable teams in healthcare staffing.
The classification of travel and per diem nurses remains one of the most debated topics in healthcare staffing. At the heart of this debate is whether nurses working on temporary assignments through staffing agencies should be treated as independent contractors or as W-2 employees.
This week, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson issued a formal letter to healthcare providers and employers regarding the use of non-compete agreements in contracts with healthcare professionals.
FTC scrutiny of the Aya–Cross Country merger highlights risks of MSP consolidation in healthcare staffing and why hospitals need independent workforce control.
The healthcare staffing industry may be on the cusp of another major consolidation with the potential acquisition of Cross Country Healthcare by Aya Healthcare.
In December 2024, Aya Healthcare announced plans to go through with an acquisition of Cross Country Healthcare (Nasdaq: CCRN) in an all-cash deal valued at $615 million, or $18.61 per share. This represented a 67% premium over Cross Country’s pre-announcement closing price of $11.16. The announcement initially lifted CCRN’s stock
While the travel nurse industry experienced significant declines—dropping by 37% in 2024 alone—it would be premature to assume the end of its relevance. In fact, several key factors point to a resilient and promising future for this sector. Despite recent contractions, projections indicate that the market will stabilize in 2025
In the ever-evolving landscape of staffing agencies, especially within healthcare, the pursuit of efficiency, compliance, and precision is constant. Every decision about technology adoption carries weight, potentially shaping both operational effectiveness and financial outcomes. With a plethora of software solutions on offer, the pivotal question emerges: Is healthcare-specific staffing software
Long term, is it realistic to get rid of all of your agency nurses? Jacalyn Liebowitz of Adventist Health doesn’t think so. Watch as she explains why “agency is AN answer, but it’s not the only answer.”
What’s all the talk about supposed MSP ‘Vendor Neutrality’ in healthcare staffing? Now that the contract labor spend is dropping for most hospitals around the country, many are taking a closer look at how their supply chain for temporary personnel is performing. Prudent executives realize the drop in contract labor
In April of 2024, Tim Teague, President of BlueSky Synergy, joined a team from Adventist Health to discuss why they decided to become their own MSP, how they run their internal staffing agency and how it generates revenue to help fund other healthcare staffing initiatives.
On March 20, 2024, BlueSky President Tim Teague and Adventist Health Program Manager, Agency Staffing Office, Joe Heilman discuss how Adventist went from a cost center to profit center with the help of BlueSky VMS. Watch the full broadcast below!
The landscape of healthcare staffing agencies in the U.S. has shifted significantly, with fewer agencies dominating the market. This trend can be attributed to several factors: Rise of Managed Service Providers (MSPs): The emergence of MSPs in the healthcare industry has played a pivotal role. MSPs streamline the process
Post-pandemic era healthcare labor costs rose to crisis levels across the country. Much of these costs were fueled by the sudden surge in agency nursing labor costs. Supplemental labor became a growing percentage of total workforce expense. Since workforce comprises the greatest cost to healthcare institutions, this caused financial stress
BlueSky Medical Staffing Software today announced an innovative feature to its flagship platform. The BlueSky Network establishes a direct connection between participating staffing agencies and the hospitals they staff when both are connected to the BlueSky Network. Reducing duplicate work and speeding time-to-fill, both the agency and hospital will benefit
With the nursing shortage showing no signs of slowing, many hospitals and health systems are casting a wider net, and that includes hiring international nurses. While that can be part of a balanced strategy, there are some things to consider before going all in.
Recently, while visiting a loved one in a palliative care unit at a local Nashville hospital, I had a conversation with a dedicated nurse that opened my eyes to the challenges faced by healthcare professionals. This nurse, passionate about helping those in need, candidly shared the stress that had begun
In the dynamic landscape of healthcare staffing, the last decade has witnessed a remarkable transformation, largely propelled by the expansion and execution of the Managed Service Provider (MSP). This evolution has not only brought about unprecedented opportunities for staffing agencies but has also revolutionized the way healthcare institutions are connected
As we bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve embarked upon at BlueSky. In the ever-evolving landscape of hospital staffing, this year has been nothing short of transformative. Join us as we take a look back at the milestones, innovations, and collaborative successes that
Traveling around through various associations and conferences, I hear the same refrain; “we’re going to eliminate travelers and contract labor”. That sound like music to the CFO’s ears, but is it be realistic? In some cases, a laser like focus on staffing models can have that impact. However, the $63B
As governmental funding for pandemic staffing has wound down, the bottom line for hospitals has taken a serious hit. Organizations with the highest labor costs during 2022 spent an average of $465M1. Large organizations such as Kaiser Permanente and Banner Health1 took a serious hit during that period of explosive
Let’s be honest, future healthcare provider financial projections are not pretty. Drastically reducing the highest top line costs to secure future financial solvency is key, and temporary staffing is ostensibly the item zero in on.