Popular myths surround us. Did you know toilets flush the same direction no matter the hemisphere?
Healthcare’s no stranger to a few myths of its own. Here are 8 dirty, no good myths about healthcare VMS that I hope we can all lay to rest.
MYTH #1: There will be a vendor exodus!
An egregious myth! Vendors want in on business opportunities. Without orders, there is no business and candidates go elsewhere. VMS expands the overall exposure to a hospital’s needs. As Dee Kilfoyle at RN Advantage recently told us when speaking about order matching, “(It’s) much easier to stay on top of the competition.”
Vendors will participate. It’s been proven time and again. Health systems have to remember, they have the demand and where that exists, supply will follow.
MYTH #2: It’s easier to have one agency do all the work!
Easier? Depends on how you define “easy.” The agency (or MSP) may be responsible, but it’s still the healthcare delivery organization (HDO) that’s held accountable. Without control, exposure to operations is limited, making audits less of a sure thing.
That doesn’t mean outsourcing is bad. Depending on organizational goals, it may be the right move. But it’s critical to include the right VMS component. It makes the MSP more efficient and compliant while opening up operational visibility to the HDO.
MYTH #3: It’s just more work, period!
This always sounds to me like code for, “I don’t like change” (this is going to be a theme). Once the necessary data is entered (this can be done by the VMS during implementation), time savings quickly becomes apparent.
One hospital we polled saved approximately 88 hours a month by implementing a VMS. That’s just a single hospital!
MYTH #4: Suppliers can’t have personal relationships with clients!
Some suppliers react to VMS based on a fear of change (see, there it is again). They fall back on myths like:
- “Candidates go into a black hole!”
- Actually, activity is more transparent than ever
- “I won’t be able to get feedback!”
- Data points provide new insight into what’s working and what’s not
- “Hospitals are just going to choose the lowest price!”
- Hospitals want what they want. Some care about price, some favor quality, most probably want a mix of both. But VMS doesn’t determine that.
Good ol’ fashioned relationship building doesn’t die with VMS. It works in perfect harmony to make suppliers smarter and better at providing the best solution to its clients.
MYTH #5: Data isn’t safe and gets shared!
This nasty myth is actually true with juuust the right tweak. Data isn’t safe and it does not gets shared. There, that’s better.
Data integrity is everything to a VMS and keeping it private and protected is job #1. Data is more secure on an encrypted, secure and password-protected server than it is lying around in manila folders. For ShiftWise, over 10 years in business with a client retention rate over 98% speaks volumes about data integrity.
MYTH #6: The costs go up. It’s expensive!
ShiftWise operates between cost neutral and cost saver. But cost increaser? No.
This myth comes from the fear that because VMS is typically supplier-funded, rates will have to rise. But in our experience, that’s not true. We benchmark your rates against the market to ensure you pay the going rate. Furthermore, time savings and other efficiencies cut costs.
On the flip side, suppliers might say VMS is then driving down their rates. VMS doesn’t have that power. It is the natural market that drives rates, not technology.
MYTH #7: Staffing managers fear change and won’t adopt the new way of doing things!
It’s not a myth that people fear change. What is a myth is that this natural reaction prevents success. A company like ShiftWise always comes in to a new client with a plan that everyone can adopt and get on board with. As long as you recognize the hurdles, it’s pretty easy to give everyone a clear path over them.
MYTH #8: Quality will suffer!
This one comes from the fear that vendors are going to suppress their best candidates because they can get more money for them at non-VMS hospitals. Let me counter that with a question. If a vendor is providing poor quality, will you continue to use that vendor? Probably not. VMS is long on choice and when you have options, you’re free to choose the best.