Meridian Health Selects Avantas for Healthcare Enterprise Labor Management Solutions

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Avantas, a leading provider of labor management technology, services, and strategies for the healthcare industry, today announced that Meridian Health, a leading not-for-profit health care organization in New Jersey, selected the company's labor management technology and services.

Meridian Health, named one of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" and the first health system in the country to receive Magnet designation for Nursing, will leverage Avantas' consulting services and labor management technology, Smart Square^®, to optimize labor management processes across its six hospitals. Avantas is an AMN Healthcare company.

Under the terms of this three-year agreement, Meridian Health will adopt Avantas' proven HELM^® methodology (healthcare enterprise labor management), which will help the organization develop an efficient, sustainable and automated approach to managing its workforce. HELM represents a disruptive innovation for the healthcare industry, challenging organizations to rethink what is possible with regard to labor management. The HELM approach is comprehensive and sophisticated – combining the science of workforce planning, demand forecasting, operational best practices, and a complete set of scheduling and staffing tools.

"We knew we needed a partner that offers both an automated labor management solution and the healthcare workforce management expertise to help us implement the strategies we need to achieve our goals," said Maureen Sintich, MSN, MBA, R.N., WHNP-BC, NEA-BC, senior vice president and chief nurse executive. "Prior to selecting Avantas, we looked at a number of labor management solutions, but only Avantas provided a comprehensive, end-to-end methodology that begins with an upfront workforce analysis to help us forecast demand and ensure we have the right types and numbers of resources to serve our community. Avantas will support our goal of establishing more consistent staffing processes and policies between facilities and increase efficiency across our entire system, enabling us to leverage our resources based on accurate predictions of volume rather than budget."

As part of the agreement Meridian signed with Avantas, Meridian will implement Smart Square, including Avantas' patented open-shift management tools. Smart Square is the only healthcare scheduling and productivity software that combines demand forecasting with robust scheduling functionality, enterprise transparency, and business intelligence tools all in one application. This technology will provide Meridian with access to timely, actionable information to identify negative workforce management trends and make adjustments before productivity is affected.

"With our flexible, agile approach and technology, we can meet the diverse needs of a large multi-site system like Meridian," said Chris Fox, President, Avantas. "We are proud that such a highly-regarded organization has embraced our healthcare enterprise labor management methodology and solutions, as it demonstrates Avantas' ability to help organizations of all sizes meet patient demand, drive quality improvements and achieve their financial goals." 

About Meridian Health
A leading not-for-profit health care organization in New Jersey, comprising Jersey Shore University Medical Center and K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, and Meridian Partner Companies that include home health services, skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers, ambulatory care, ambulance services, fitness and wellness centers, and outpatient centers. In April, Meridian Health and Raritan Bay Medical Center signed a definitive agreement to merge. In May, Meridian Health and Hackensack University Health Network also signed a definitive agreement to merge. Meridian Health has consistently been rated among the top performing health systems in New Jersey for clinical quality, is one of the FORTUNE "100 Best Companies to Work For" for six consecutive years, and is the recipient of numerous state and national recognitions for patient care and nursing excellence. Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium alongside six of the nation's leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. With more than 100 convenient locations, over 1,800 beds, nearly 13,000 team members, and affiliations with more than 2,000 of the area's finest physicians, Meridian Health is a leading health care provider in New Jersey, providing quality health services, facilities, and programs.  For more information, please visit www.MeridianHealth.com.

About Avantas
Developers of the HELM™ methodology (healthcare enterprise labor management), Avantas is devoted to serving the healthcare industry. Its proprietary approach to managing labor consists of workforce planning services and a scheduling and productivity solution, Smart Square^®. This comprehensive approach provides its clients with tailored best practice labor management strategies designed to drive substantial and sustaining cost and quality improvements across the enterprise through automation. Avantas is a division of AMN Healthcare. For more information, please visit the Avantas website at www.Avantas.com.

About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare (NYSE: AHS) is the leader and innovator in healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. AMN Healthcare's workforce solutions - including managed services programs, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing and consulting services - enable providers to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes within the rapidly evolving healthcare environment. The Company provides unparalleled access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, and many other healthcare settings. AMN Healthcare disseminates news and information about the Company through its website, which can be found at www.amnhealthcare.com.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, estimates and projections about future events and the industry in which it operates using information currently available to it. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and its other periodic reports as well as the Company's current and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Be advised that developments subsequent to this press release are likely to cause these statements to become outdated with the passage of time.

Media Contact: Scott Allison Scott.Allison@Avantas.com 402-717-7706

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SOURCE Avantas