South Nassau Communities Hospital (SNCH) selected Amistaff Healthcare Technology’s Prophecy(SM) software as a complement to their comprehensive pre-screening assessment and hiring process. The Prophecy system compiles Behavioral, Clinical, and Situational Assessments into a comprehensive healthcare employment predictor. Implementing the Prophecy system ensures SNCH’s commitment to patient care by hiring the caregivers that best fit the SNCH values.

(Vocus/PRWEB ) February 18, 2010 — After a thorough search and business proposal process, South Nassau Communities Hospital (SNCH) selected Amistaff Healthcare Technology’s Prophecy(SM) software to use in addition to their comprehensive pre-screening assessment and hiring process. Implementing the Prophecy system ensures SNCH’s commitment to patient care by hiring the caregivers that best fit the SNCH values.

“The assessment tools provide the hiring manager and recruiter with valuable information to assist in ‘best selecting’ applicants for our vacant positions. The reports are user friendly and the interview questions provided are extremely useful during the interview process,” says Donna Pandolfi, RN, Director of Recruitment & Retention for Patient Care Services.

The assessment tools provide the hiring manager and recruiter with valuable information to assist in ‘best selecting’ applicants for our vacant positions. The reports are user friendly and the interview questions provided are extremely useful during the interview process

Prophecy’s three web-based assessment tools – Behavioral, Clinical, and Situational – test interpersonal competencies missed in traditional testing. The three assessments work together to create the most comprehensive employment predictor for the healthcare industry.

Prophecy Behavioral Assessments, powered by PeopleClues ™, utilize personality and attitude tests to measure cognitive thinking. The results capture behavioral characteristics that predict high performance, such as integrity and conscientiousness.

The Clinical Assessments encompass the extensive exam library of Amistaff’s own NurseTesting.com. The comprehensive library provides testing solutions for more than just nurses. These clinical assessments include OSHA and Joint Commission mandatories, nursing and allied assessments, as well as clinical skills checklists.

Measuring a candidate’s skill level in the nursing and healthcare profession is more important than ever. Steps need to be taken to ensure that caregivers hold the latest skills and knowledge, as well as the critical thinking capabilities required of their positions. Prophecy Clinical Assessments identify caregivers with sufficient job knowledge to perform successfully by targeting the most important aspects of each clinical specialty.

Prophecy Situational Assessments identify caregivers with soft-skills directly correlated to successful nursing practice. Designed by industrial/organizational psychologists, four areas of critical workplace competencies are measured:

1) Interpersonal Competence
2) Workflow Management
3) Teamwork
4) Customer Service Skills

After viewing the video vignettes, the applicant selects their choices for the most and least effective responses. The answers demonstrate the manner in which the candidate responds to tough situations. Using Prophecy’s Situational Assessments, facilities are able to quantify which caregivers will make the most effective decisions in the workplace.

Amistaff looks forward to partnering with SNCH for on-site recordings of additional situational vignettes. The current collection of 25 assessments will be expanded to include the clinical specialties of Critical Care, Labor & Delivery, and Medical/Surgical.

About South Nassau Communities Hospital – South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals with 435 beds, more than 820 physicians and 2,700 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services. In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center, boasts Long Island’s first and only Gamma Knife® and is one of seven hospitals in New York without an open heart surgery program permitted to perform angioplasty as an elective or emergency procedure. It is also recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgery. For more about South Nassau, visit www.southnassau.org.

About Amistaff Healthcare Technology – Amistaff Healthcare Technology was founded in 2004 as a healthcare staffing solutions provider. Amistaff creates products and services that help hospitals and healthcare staffing firms improve recruitment, retention and placement of caregivers. Amistaff includes a team of IT professionals, RN’s and former recruiters allowing Amistaff to base their products on an in-depth understanding of each client’s unique staffing requirements. All of the Amistaff products are web-based solutions designed to simplify workflow and increase efficiency. These products include NurseTesting, Prophecy Health, and BlueSky Medical Staffing Software. Visit www.amistaff.com for additional information.

January 22, 2010 — Amistaff Healthcare Technology selects RightSignature as the electronic signature complement for their suite of healthcare staffing solutions including NurseTesting.com, BlueSky Synergy, and Prophecy Health. Ron Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer, stated that after evaluating some of the leading electronic signature software, RightSignature had the right mix of features to meet their clients’ needs.

“RightSignature offers unique, indispensable options for facilitating the signing process,” Gonzalez explained. “RightSignature’s iPhone application and Google Docs integration make working with traveling healthcare providers easier than ever, reducing the time between application and placement. Healthcare staffing companies and hospitals will absolutely benefit from the rich feature-sets available to them, facilitating the recruitment and on-boarding process.”

RightSignature offers unique, indispensable options for facilitating the signing process

RightSignature’s iPhone application and Google Docs integration make working with traveling healthcare providers easier than ever, reducing the time between application and placement. Healthcare staffing companies and hospitals will absolutely benefit from the rich feature-sets available to them, facilitating the recruitment and on-boarding process.

Using the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, RightSignature provides a clean, simple interface to get documents signed online. Focusing on the small and medium business market, RightSignature ensures secure and compliant signatures globally for corporations, non-profits, and web workers alike.

Daryl Bernstein, Chief Executive Officer of RightSignature, said, "RightSignature is singularly focused on enabling users to fill out and sign documents online with ease. We’re thrilled to work with Amistaff Healthcare Technology to bring our intuitive, elegant signing experience to employee on-boarding processes in the healthcare industry. Amistaff’s NurseTesting, BlueSky Synergy, and Prophecy Health products are the perfect integration partners for RightSignature."

RightSignature’s API allows seamless integration of the electronic signature application with other leading software solutions. Amistaff developers have utilized the API to enable users to send documents for signature from within the Amistaff suite of software solutions.

About Amistaff: Amistaff Healthcare Technology was founded in 2004 as a healthcare staffing solutions provider. Amistaff creates products and services that help healthcare staffing firms and hospitals improve recruitment, retention and placement of caregivers. Amistaff includes a team of IT professionals, RN’s and former recruiters allowing Amistaff to base their products on an in-depth understanding of each client’s unique staffing requirements. All of the Amistaff products are web-based solutions designed to simplify workflows and increase efficiency. These products include NurseTesting, BlueSky Medical Staffing Software and Prophecy Health. Visit www.amistaff.com for additional information.

About RightSignature: RightSignature LLC provides cutting-edge software for signing documents online. Parties complete form fields online and create a handwritten signature with a mouse, on the iPhone touchscreen, or on a fax signature page. Utilizing the world-class infrastructure of Amazon Web Services, RightSignature is a software-as-a-service and is available anytime, anywhere, through a web browser. From solo professionals to Fortune 500 companies, RightSignature users span the globe and represent almost every industry. RightSignature has offices in Santa Barbara, California, and London, England.

The Healthcare Industry falls into the spotlight of non-compliance again as the GAO raises red flags on the credentialing and privileging systems of the Department of Veterans Affairs for doctors.

The results of a VA investigatory report in 2008 of the Marion, Illinois, VA medical center (VAMC) revealed patient deaths exceeding expectations four times between October 2006 and March 2007.  Wanting to further their research in attempts to pinpoint reasons for the results, the GAO launched this research study.

In particular, the credentialing and privileging processes, as well as the continuous monitoring of physician performance, went under the knife (please excuse the pun).  Six VAMCs were selected for scrutiny and 180 credentialing and privileging files were reviewed.  GAO selected files based on various physician characteristics including highly paid specialties and newly hired physicians. 

Although the results did not mirror the original findings from the VAMC in Marion, Illinois, take a look at these shocking findings:

• “29 of the 180…files reviewed lacked proper verification of state medical licensure.”
• “GAO identified 21 files where required malpractice information was not disclosed by physicians and was not detected by VAMCs.”

I am no statistician, but both of these findings show that between 1 and 2 files out of every 10 physicians hired showed major deficiencies in the credentialing department!  The GAO even stated that the malpractice information overlooked (when not shared by the physician on the applicant – which don’t get me started on non-disclosure of pertinent information demonstrating lack of character in the first place) shows up on an external database the VAMCs should already be reviewing!

So what were their conclusions? The title of the GAO’s report gives this away – “Improved Oversight and Compliance Needed for Physician Credentialing and Privileging Processes.” 

I don’t want to get on a soap box, but there are some great medical credentialing software available that make credential management a walk in the park.  Amistaff’s BlueSky Medical Staffing Software paired with NurseTesting’s Validated Competency Exams make a dynamic duo to overhaul, and drastically improve, the Department of VA’s credentialing and privileging processes. 

For more information on this topic – view the GAO’s full write-up.
 

NurseTesting Creative Solutions (NTCS), formerly known as NurseTesting Consulting Services, announces another year of 100% success with leading clients to obtain an edge on competitors by achieving Joint Commission certification. This benefit to healthcare staffing clients comes at a time when focus on hospital hiring has shifted from temporary to full-time employees and thus staying above the competition is of utmost importance.

High Point, NC (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 12, 2010 — During the 2009 calendar year, NurseTesting Creative Solutions (NTCS) continued 100% success helping healthcare staffing clients achieve Joint Commission certification. This brings the total to 32 organizations achieving certification in just two years. Achieving Joint Commission certification distinguishes organizations among the elite in the healthcare staffing industry and demonstrates their commitment to the delivery of quality services.

Chris Carrington RN, MS President, NurseTesting Creative Solutions, commented on the anxiety clients mention with starting the intricate certification process. “Many organizations preparing for Joint Commission find the process to be overwhelming and extremely time consuming, pulling key personnel from revenue generating activities for up to 12 months. NTCS partners with organizations to streamline and simplify the process, allowing them to focus on what they do best…recruit and staff.”

Many organizations preparing for Joint Commission find the process to be overwhelming and extremely time consuming, pulling key personnel from revenue generating activities for up to 12 months. NTCS partners with organizations to streamline and simplify the process, allowing them to focus on what they do best…recruit and staff.

NTCS provides on-site consulting that caters to each organization’s needs. All of their consultants are nationally experienced Nurse Executives bringing over 20 years of healthcare staffing industry experience. NTCS executives are designated as consultants of choice for Healthcare Staffing Services Certification.

The steps leading clients to Joint Commission certification includes NTCS:

·     Performing a Gap Analysis – a comprehensive evaluation of operations including recruitment, competency assessment, appropriate placement and performance evaluation to assure the delivery of quality care and compliance with Joint Commission standards
·     Developing a comprehensive consultation plan with required activities to achieve certification
·     Developing key processes, policies and documents to assure compliance with standards
·     Educating staff on the importance of Joint Commission standards and implementation of standards into day-to-day operations.
·     Implementing Performance Measurement data collection & analysis
·     Performing a Mock Survey which simulates the Joint Commission review utilizing Joint Commission evaluation tools
·     Providing ongoing support throughout the certification process.

These steps put the organization on the “fast track” to Joint Commission certification. Survey readiness can be achieved in as little as 3-4 months with NTCS.

NTCS’ “guaranteed certification” provides the organization with confidence and a sense of relief throughout the process. Charles Eales, President of Premier Healthcare Professionals, commented on his appreciation of the NTCS consultants as they led them towards receiving the reputable gold seal:

"PHP engaged the services of NurseTesting consulting in order to prepare for its Joint Commission Certification. We were absolutely delighted with the level of service and attention that we received. The consultants were extremely knowledgeable of the Joint Commission requirements and provided an invaluable amount of support prior to us gaining the Joint Commission Gold Seal of approval. PHP passed the review and did not receive any recommendations from the Joint Commission auditor on how any of our policies or procedures could be improved. I would certainly recommend NurseTesting Creative Solutions to any healthcare staffing company considering Joint Commission certification.”

The NTCS consulting team offers services beyond Joint Commission certification. NTCS offers the Clinical Oversight Program, a cost effective alternative to staffing operations, where one of their consultants serves as clinical supervisor – providing clinical expertise and risk management activities for the organization. Responsibilities of the consultant include:

·        Addressing all issues; clinical or compliance in nature
·        Interviewing/qualifying candidates within the hiring process
·        Assisting with performance evaluations of healthcare professionals
·        Interacting with state board or any appropriate licensing/certification entity
·        Coordinating performance improvement plans for Joint Commission
·        Monitoring Joint Commission standards and expectations to assist with implementation

The Clinical Oversight program keeps the organization at the forefront of both standards compliance and quality healthcare staffing.

About NTCS – NurseTesting Creative Solutions, formerly NT Consulting Services – a division of NurseTesting.com which is an Amistaff Healthcare Techology product – was founded in 2008 in response to the healthcare staffing industry’s need for consultants experienced in Joint Commission’s Health Care Staffing Services Certification. NTCS’ consulting services assist healthcare staffing firms prepare for Joint Commission certification and provide cost effective clinical operation and risk management services. NTCS also provides staffing operations start-up support for new healthcare staffing organizations. NTCS consultants are nationally experienced Nurse Executives with 20+ years of healthcare staffing experience and extensive experience and success with Joint Commission Health Care Staffing Services Certification. Visit www.nursetesting.com/consulting/ for additional information.

As frequenters of the blog may remember, our company decided to adopt a local orphanage for the 2009 holiday season. 

We opened up the donations to our entire office complex being that the orphanage is called "home" to 46 teenagers.

Packing & Preparation

The weather truly put us in the holiday spirit as we headed out for delivery!

With coffee in hand and jackets closed tight, a few of us ladies headed out in the treacherous weather.

And for those of you from up north – yes – a bit of sleet is considered "treacherous weather" here in the piedmont of NC!

Unpacking & Delivering

The drive which was only supposed to take 25 minutes ended up closer to 45 when we took the slippery roads into consideration.

From board games to computer monitors and body lotions to bedroom set, we had a great turn out of goodies to help make each child’s holiday brighter.

Looking forward to continuing a charge towards bettering our neighborhood non-profits in 2010!

A recent article in the LA Times caught our attention here at Amistaff Healthcare Technology.  A very valid and present concern for the healthcare staffing industry was brought up in the article Temp Firms a Magnet for Unfit Nurses:

 “Firms that supply temporary nurses to the nation’s hospitals are taking perilous shortcuts in their screening and supervision, sometimes putting seriously ill patients in the hands of incompetent or impaired caregivers” (Weber et al, 2009).

What a claim to be made with the potential to cause detrimental effects on the already declining healthcare staffing industry!  

Unfortunately, the investigation conducted by the LA Times and ProPublica found significant instances where staffing firms “skimped on background checks or ignored warnings from hospitals about sub-par nurses on their payrolls. Some hired nurses sight unseen, without even conducting an interview” (Weber et al, 2009).

One reporter found that “firms hired nurses who had criminal records or left states where their licenses had been restricted or revoked. At least three firms employed a nurse in California whose license had been suspended in Minnesota for stealing drugs at a string of temp jobs. One used him after he’d been convicted of doing the same thing at a Santa Rosa nursing home” (Weber et al, 2009).

Unlike hospitals, staffing firms do not immediately see the effects of an unqualified or inept caregiver.  Hospitals entrust staffing firms with supplying caregivers to complete their workforce.  With hiring the primary focus of a staffing firm, hospitals assume that the firms have access to and effectively use industry leading pre-hire screening assessments. 

A well-known fact is staffing firms pay the bills by placing their employees.  Therefore, the possibility that firms knowingly place incompetent, unfit caregivers in hopes that they will not “mess up” is hard to ignore. 

In fact, the reports of this investigation found examples of this exact fear:

“Temp agencies shuffled errant nurses from one hospital to another, even as complaints mounted. A Culver City agency continued sending one nurse to hospitals despite more than a dozen warnings that she was ignoring her patients and sleeping on the job. Before she was hired, the nurse had been convicted of 12 crimes, including prostitution, carrying a concealed weapon and possessing cocaine” (Weber et al, 2009).

Although Amistaff does not believe that these types of behaviors are the industry norm, we do feel that hospitals and staffing firms alike need to keep their focus on hiring the most qualified caregivers that match the job specific needs of the openings.  The current nursing shortage makes this task more challenging than ever.

So, what can be done?

We recommend hospitals look into the pre-screening tools implored by their elect staffing firm(s).  Supplying onboarding procedures should be a relatively easy task for staffing firms as the process should not differentiate from one clinician to the next.
 
Also, staffing firms and hospitals alike stand to benefit from reviewing and perhaps restructuring their internal hiring process.

Amistaff’s newest, web-based assessment tool – Prophecy Health – tests interpersonal competencies missed in traditional testing. The Behavioral, Clinical, and Situational assessments work together to create the most comprehensive employment predictor for the healthcare industry.

Regardless of the assessments selected, Amistaff strongly advises the use of assessments that are frequently monitored for reliability and validity given the ever-evolving practices in the fast-paced industry.  And, Amistaff’s clients can rest assured that these precautions are taken by our clinical team to ensure we offer the most accurate and complete assessments for the industry.  

Check out how dedicated our clinical team is to this calling by the new development process our NurseTesting.com clinical assessments undergo in order to creating validated content!
 

Weber, T., Ornstein, C., & Schwartz, L. (2009, December 6). Temp Firms a Magnet for Unfit Nurses. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nurses6-2009dec06,0,1174984.story?page=1

About Prophecy – Prophecy is the aggregation of three assessment tools that work together to generate the most comprehensive employment predictor for the Healthcare Industry. Prophecy Clinical Assessments identify caregivers with sufficient job knowledge to perform successfully by targeting the most important aspects of each clinical specialty. Prophecy Behavioral Assessments identify caregivers with behavioral characteristics that predict high performance, such as Integrity and Conscientiousness. Prophecy Situational Assessments identify caregivers with soft-skills that are directly correlated to successful nursing practice. Learn more at www.prophecyhealth.com .

Amistaff sends warm wishes to all the bosses in the healthcare industry.

Thank you for continuing to persevere through challenging times with the patient’s needs in mind.

Whether your leadership stems from staffing firms or facilities , your hard work touches the hearts of patients and their families
each and every day.

The Ami-staffer’s send a special thanks to Ron and Eric today! We appreciate working for such phenomenal gentlemen!  Enjoy the cookie cake and evening out with your families –
you all deserve it!

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday, June 29, 2009, that white firefighters who earned top test results on an exam were the victims of illegal discrimination in New Haven, Ct., officials watch for the domino effect on hiring and promotion policies in all industries.

As David G. Savage from the Los Angeles Times reports, “because the ruling interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, it applies to all employers, private as well as public.”

Another analyst, Steven Greenhouse, from The New York Times writes that “employers are (now) expected to work harder to make sure their written tests – indeed their entire selection process – are fair.”

With the generic guidelines implied by the Supreme Court ruling, business owners must take extra precautions in ensuring validated exam content.

Keep NurseTesting.com in mind for your healthcare competency exams. Each exam, tailored towards specific job duties and requirements, follows the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures and complies with the Department of Labor and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Without validated exams, you could be subjected to a Title VII action should your selection procedures have Adverse Impact. NurseTesting works diligently to ensure the least amount of Adverse Impact on its clinical assessments.

Adverse Impact – a statistical concept that is generally used to mean there is a “substantially different passing rate” between two groups, such as Caucasians versus minorities on a test or exam. This could lead to litigation by candidates against potential employers, claiming the exams were unfair or biased.

Over 500 staffing agencies and hospitals around the world
trust NurseTesting.com for their testing needs.

Amistaff HCT extends a warm thanks to all the Health Care Recruiters from hospitals and health systems across the country. Today, June 2, 2009 marks the 15th annual National Health Care Recruiter Recognition Day. 

Being an integral part of the Health Care Industry Workforce, recruiters absorb the challenging task of ensuring patients receive optimum care through the candidates they place. The day-to-day operations of hospitals nationwide owe a big thanks to the hard work completed by recruiters as they strive to place the best health care professionals in their facilities!

From all of us at Amistaff HCT – recruiters, you all deserve the praise. Have an awesome day!

For more information regarding the National Association for Health Care Recruitment,
visit their website.