Healthcare staffing has become one of the most expensive pressure points in an industry already struggling to control costs. According to Health Affairs, nearly half of U.S. nursing homes used agency nursing staff by 2022, up from 23 percent in 2018, while agency workers accounted for 11 percent of direct-care nursing hours.
The economics are difficult to ignore. Research published in Health Affairs also found that agency nurses cost nursing homes 50 to 60 percent more per hour than directly employed nurses. Federal data likewise characterized contract staffing as an important but costly response to persistent workforce shortages.
