CASE STUDY
Rapid Response & Flexible Length Assignments
Case Study Summary
- Fastaff fills 100% of 2+ week orders at eight facilities in days.
- 100% of nurses matched in less than 48 hours.
- 100% of nurses arrive on next available start date – most in less than a week.
- In some facilities, 100% of nurses were offered extensions at the end of the assignment.
How Eight Hospitals Relied on Rapid Response® to Fight the Flu
By January of 2018, the CDC declared the 2018 flu season the most widespread in 13 years of tracking(1) , and clinicians scrambled to provide ample coverage during census spikes compounded by staff illnesses. What they needed was flexible, reliable solutions fast, and 13 week traditional travel minimums would not work in these urgent and unpredictable census spikes.
In the first few weeks of January, Fastaff responded to the critical needs of eight hospitals in this situation by filling 100% of flu-related orders within 24-48 hours. Fastaff delivered 136 experienced nurses in hard-to-fill-specialties to start in less than a week, and some to start within a few days. The orders differed by location, but they all needed two things fast: experienced nurses and flexibility. Here are some examples.
When a large hospital in central California contacted Fastaff for 10 ICU/telemetry nurses, the request was for two-week assignments due to the uncertainty of the flu census spike. Fastaff filled the delivery within 48 hours, including the arrival of a senior staff member on the ground to assist with logistics and transportation while checking in daily with administrators. At the end of the two weeks, and with census still high, 100% of the nurses were offered extensions.
Simultaneously, a 400-bed acute care hospital in Orange County, California, requested 20 ICU nurses for two-week assignments, and Fastaff’s team worked non-stop to ensure nurses arrived in less than 48 hours.
Finally, when a nationally recognized tertiary care center in Tucson, Arizona, called for 32 ICU, telemetry and ED nurses for start dates within a week, 100% of the positions were filled and credentialed to begin immediately. Not only did the nurses arrive ready to hit the ground running, but they also willingly floated to additional units to support full-house flu coverage.
In addition to being fast, the care provided by the Fastaff nurses was high quality. One client described the integration of the Fastaff nurses by saying, “The Director has received nothing but positive feedback…staff RNs are commenting how they jump right in, help, and fit in well with the team.”
Whether inpatient census is up from from flu activity or any planned or unplanned events, hospitals can rely on Fastaff to quickly recruit, credential and arrange travel, with excellence in delivery and 24/7 availability. By offering two week flexible-length assignments with no cancellation fees, Fastaff empowered these hospitals and others to be highly census-responsive while lowering total cost.
(1) https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/t0112-widespread-flu-activity.html
