ProFlex is being heralded as a proven solution to the nursing crisis -- shifts are staffed, nurses are supported, hospitals save millions

ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ProFlex is providing a solution to the nursing-shortage crisis, enabling hospitals to simultaneously save millions of dollars while caring for patients with happier, well-compensated nurses and fully staffed shifts.

ProFlex presents a long-term partnership with healthcare systems that gives the power and control back to the hospitals, which have been overpaying travel-nurse agencies to fill gaps in staffing and patient care. ProFlex helped its launch hospital system in Western New York save more than 30 percent on contingent nursing costs last year, while helping administrators build their own nursing pool, fill shifts, and ultimately reduce dependency on the costly travel-nurse agencies. This allowed for a savings of tens of millions of dollars and the much-needed rebuilding of culture on the nursing floor and stability among staff.

The Covid pandemic took a toll on nursing as a profession, trimming the workforce as nurses burned out or left the field due to extended hours and pressure while making sacrifices in the most challenging conditions. CBS News reported in the fall, "Nurses are considered the backbone of the U.S. health care system, but there's an unprecedented shortage. Travel nurses are a solution, but it comes at the cost of morale and the bottom line because they're offered more money than nurses on staff."

ProFlex offers the nursing pool the opportunity to make a stronger rate while staying aligned with the hospital in their region. ProFlex works with healthcare administrators to determine sustainable rates and best workflow and onboard personnel and marketing technology to reach well-aligned talent.

"I have worked collaboratively with the team that created ProFlex over the last 15 years and they are special because they are nimble, transformational, and care about the long-standing implications of workforce needs on communities and healthcare teams," said Bridgette Wiefling, M.D., Senior Vice president of Clinical Transformation for Highmark Health in Pittsburgh. "I worked collaboratively with them to develop this alternative model for staffing-cost reduction that creates flexibility and leverages health system employee relationships, creating a win-win with instant returns proven to be effective and sustainable."

Before the pandemic travel nurses made up about 5 percent of all floor nurses, but that number is now an average of 25 percent nationally. The New York Times reported travel nurses filling the gaps "were earning salaries ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 a week, up from a weekly average of $1,700 in 2019. Hospitals were in such dire need for nurses, they had to pay whatever rates the agencies demanded."

Travel nurses deserve the same gratitude for the role they played throughout the pandemic, yet the challenge is they come with a hefty price tag, leaving hospitals in financial crisis and the stability and culture on the nursing floor compromised. At times the travel nurse resided in the same town as the hospital, earning far more than their nursing counterparts.

"The job market for healthcare professionals demands a new solution to return power to hospitals," said Lindsay McCutchen, founder of ProFlex's parent company Tallavera. "Controlling talent costs is paramount and we take pride in ProFlex's powerful sourcing capabilities that provide transparency in pricing, market demand, and peer performance."

McCutchen developed the ProFlex model, informed by her experience in staffing the frontlines of healthcare systems for decades. ProFlex is expanding nationwide with the support of The ZLH Group and its CEO Ben Wood.

"Our nurses need to be financially cared for, yet the current landscape of healthcare staffing is unsustainable for hospital systems, all but ensuring profitability for travel-nurse agencies," Wood said. "The ProFlex partnership strives to improve outcomes through improved nurse-to-patient care ratios."

Michael Sorrento, Executive Vice President of The ZLH Group, is guiding the ProFlex expansion. He trained as a nurse and worked for over two decades to bring innovation to healthcare systems.

"It's meaningful to fight for our nurses that have sacrificed so much caring for our neighbors and loved ones," Sorrento said. "Today's nursing crisis has jeopardized the stability, teamwork, and camaraderie on the nursing floor, which impacts quality of care and patient & family experiences. ProFlex serves as an alternate, sustainable solution that not only meets the needs of the C-suite, but also the caregivers that have been heroic when we've needed them the most."

Hospitals and healthcare administrators may contact Michael Sorrento at [email protected] or (888) 740-7015 to learn more about ProFlex.

SOURCE ProFlex The ZLH Group