Transforming Staffing Delivery For A National Healthcare Provider

The Client Challenge

A large integrated managed care consortium was running a multi-million dollar transformation program. Historically, the organization used large offshore outsourcers to secure project management and solution analyst contractors at rates commonly less expensive than U.S.-based resources.  However, the team wanted to explore alternatives to these outsourcers as a way to acquire local expertise without sacrificing budget or quality.

The Solution

North Highland partnered with the organization to build out their team by working within their internal constraints.  We were able to quickly and successfully recruit local contractors at rates that were competitive to the rates they were being charged by the large outsourcers.  Our ability to strike a balance between acquiring local expertise, providing local relationship management and accommodating their rate sensitivity, has enabled the organization to scale their program team in lock-step with internal demands and timetables.

We also introduced our concept of “blended teams” by augmenting the contractor workforce with our management consultants, bringing an added layer of deliverable and quality oversight to the program that could not be offered by their previous suppliers. This capability is not only a great value-add and differentiator, but also enables the organization to flex up the service spectrum to align management consulting experts with their contractor resources.

“North Highland’s approachable, collegial style of working is one of their most prized qualities. We are regularly approached by many firms but because of our trust in North Highland and their passion for doing the right thing, we never hesitate to engage them.  North Highland understands our needs and delivers every time – and that’s why we consistently choose them.” – Program Manager 

The Results

Our professional staffing team partnered with our client to provide them with a convenient and valuable means of securing high-quality resources without having to hire full-time employees. This led to less of a management burden being placed on the head of the program. This also enabled flexibility to scale the team and ramp-up capacity or wind down work streams as the program demands shifted and internal funding priorities changed.

Additionally, as the number of contractors assigned to the program grew, we engaged our management consulting team to serve as an advisor to the head of the program, while simultaneously serving as the primary interface for their contractor resources. This enabled the client’s management team to keep their focus on driving the program internally while we absorbed much of the day-to-day responsibilities.