Selecting an ideal staffing agency is important for satisfying your healthcare demands, as it assures that you will have access to qualified professionals during emergencies or critical situations. A good agency will get qualified healthcare workers to you fast and understands your facility’s needs so the staff they send are a great fit for you. This means high quality patient care, less burnout for your existing staff and less disruption to business as usual. By partnering with a trusted agency you save time, reduce stress and can focus on delivering great patient care without worrying about staffing. Now, let’s checkout the top 10 questions you should ask before partnering with a

healthcare staffing agency

.
1. What’s Your Healthcare Staffing Experience?
Why: An experienced

healthcare staffing

firm has specialized expertise and understands the complexities of the healthcare organization as well as its staffing needs.
2. What happens if I need a worker last minute or someone cancels?

Why: This ensures that patient care isn’t disrupted, helps avoid higher costs for urgent staffing, and gives peace of mind that the agency has reliable solutions for emergencies. When things don't work out the way expected, knowing how the agency deals with last-minute issues reveals their reliability.

3. What’s Your Fill Rate and Time to Fill?

Why: As there is a huge need for healthcare workers, and their hiring is also expected to be very quick. Industry trends show time to fill for healthcare roles is increasing so knowing the agency’s metrics is key.

4. Do You Offer Temporary, Permanent and Per Diem Staffing?

Why: Flexibility is everything in healthcare staffing, facilities need different types of staff at different times. Per diem demand has increased in 2024 especially in critical care and ED sectors.

5. How Do You Stay Compliant with Healthcare Laws and Regulations?

Why: Healthcare regulations including HIPAA, OSHA and labor laws are always changing. Partnering with a healthcare staffing agency that keeps up with the latest compliance standards will reduce legal risk for your facility.

6. What Tech Do You Use for Workforce Management?

Why: VMS and other tech tools make hiring easier by making it easier to schedule workers and manage shifts. They also make it easier for the facility and the healthcare staffing agency to communicate with each other, which speeds up collaboration and cuts down on routine work.

7. How Do You Manage Payroll and Benefits?

Why: As contingent workers make up a big chunk of the healthcare workforce, managing payroll, benefits and tax compliance is critical. Ask about workforce payroll solutions especially as healthcare staffing agencies are coming up with more robust payroll services to attract top talent.

8. Can You Share Your Retention Rates?

Why: High turnover in healthcare is definitely a huge problem. Agencies with strong retention programs can give you consistent staff and lower turnover costs.

9. How Do You Take Care of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)?

Why: According to recent studies, healthcare providers are prioritizing DEI to better serve diverse patient populations. Partnering with a healthcare staffing agency that promotes diversity in their hiring practices will enhance the cultural competency of your healthcare team.

10. Can You Share Client References and Case Studies?

Why: The best way to judge how well a healthcare staffing agency does its job is via feedback from their past clients. In particular, since healthcare is so popular right now, ask for case studies and reviews of how they’ve handled staffing issues like yours in the past.

Wrapping up

Whenever you’re in need of workforce or staffing solutions for your organization, the healthcare staffing agency you select is a big decision. They are the ones who can provide skilled temporary staff in case of transitions or emergencies. Just to wrap things up here is what we talked about in this blog; look at their experience in your specialty, a thorough screening process means the workers they send are qualified and trustworthy, insurance covers you in case of legal issues and clear communication and flexibility is key. Ask for references from past clients to see their reputation, also compare pricing to get the best deal for your budget. Don’t rush the decision—choosing the right agency can lead to a long-lasting, reliable partnership. By considering all of these things you will definitely find a healthcare staffing agency that provides reliable and qualified professionals to your facility.