The Challenge: Aya’s Vendor Monopoly
Coldwater Health System relied exclusively on Aya Healthcare’s VMS/MSP model to staff contingent labor. This created dependency, inflated costs, and long delays:
- 100% reliance on Aya’s staffing + VMS pipeline
- 8 weeks average time-to-fill for contingent roles
- $105/hour bill rates, with markups buried in the system
- No visibility into contractor pay, performance, or vendor costs
- Unpredictable annual spend, further straining thin hospital margins
- Lacked financial visibility into the Lotus One portal for reverse invoicing
- Unforeseen Cancellations from candidates currently on contract and unexpected ends after extensions were approved.
“Aya was both the referee and the player — controlling the VMS and the staffing supply. We were handcuffed to their model.” — CFO, Coldwater Health System
The Turning Point
Hospital leadership — led by the CFO and CEO — knew this model was unsustainable. Switching to another MSP meant repeating the problem. Building an in-house team wasn’t scalable.
They needed a third path: a way to own their contingent workforce strategy while reducing spend and improving speed.
The solution was SkillGigs’ Contingent Talent Marketplace (CTM) — a modern, in-sourced alternative to Aya’s vendor-controlled approach.
Implementation & Change Management
CTM was rolled out in just six weeks. Phase one included HR leaders with master admin access; phase two expanded to clinical department heads for time approvals. The platform integrated directly with Coldwater’s ATS, reviving past applicant data into active profiles.
Initial skepticism centered on whether CTM could outperform Aya’s model, but early wins quickly shifted internal support.
Stocking & Driving Traffic Into Coldwater’s CTM
Coldwater’s marketplace wasn’t left to chance — it was strategically stocked and continuously fueled by SkillGigs’ demand engine:
- ATS & Career Site Integration → Past applicants from Coldwater’s ATS and career site were revived and funneled into CTM.
- Internal Staff & Alumni → Existing employees, past contractors, and alumni were invited into the CTM, creating a trusted redeployable pool.
- SkillGigs National Marketplace → CTM was seeded with SkillGigs’ 200,000+ clinicians, instantly eliminating the “empty marketplace” problem.
- The Secret Sauce: Marketing Engine → Multi-channel digital campaigns, offshore profile activation calls, and automated nudges kept talent flowing directly into Coldwater’s CTM.
“Aya gave us a black-box pipeline we couldn’t influence. With CTM, SkillGigs not only stocked our marketplace, they continuously drive talent into it. It’s our brand, but powered by their marketing engine.” — CHRO, Coldwater Health System
The Secret Sauce: CTM Technology Advantages
- AI-Powered Matching → Surfaces the best-fit candidates instantly using skills, performance history, and availability.
- Private Marketplace → Combines past applicants, current staff, and new candidates in one branded ecosystem.
- Transparent Bidding → Clinicians set their pay expectations; inflated Aya markups disappear.
- Talent Redeployment Engine → Top performers are rated and redeployed without restarting the sourcing cycle.
- Integrated Compliance & Timekeeping → Mobile approvals and automated credentialing remove manual bottlenecks.
Executive Perspectives
- CFO: “Aya’s model was a monopoly. CTM broke it.”
- CHRO: “We’ve built a virtual bench of transparent, redeployable talent.”
- Procurement: “We regained leverage and eliminated inflated ‘VMS tariffs.’”
- CEO: “This is not just cost savings. It’s strategic independence.”
Beyond the Numbers
Unexpected wins included:
- Clinical directors gained back 8–10 hours weekly, shifting focus to patient care.
- Centralized billing and time capture simplified audits.
- Worker morale improved through transparent pay and direct career access.
The Road Ahead
Coldwater is expanding CTM across seven additional facilities, starting with rural hospitals and scaling into larger markets.
Their new view: contingent labor isn’t a necessary evil — it’s a strategic asset they now own and control.
“Hospitals don’t have to play by Aya’s rules anymore. Coldwater proved you can take back control and win.” — Coldwater Executive
Why This Matters for Hospitals
For hospitals still reliant on Aya or other MSP/VMS providers:
- 50–60% faster fill times
- 20–30% lower spend
- Independent control over your workforce
- Margin relief while protecting patient care
