MidMichigan Health Partners With Concerro For Innovative Retiree Return-To-Work Program

ShiftSelect Provides Visibility into Areas Where Retiree Skills are Needed, Supports AONE's Guiding Principles for the Aging Nurse Workforce

Concerro, Inc., the market leader in SaaS-based workforce management and emergency response systems that improve both your quality of life and your bottom line, recently announced that MidMichigan Health – a partnership of health providers in the heart of Michigan – is using its ShiftSelect staff scheduling and open shift management technology to leverage the retiree base to meet resource needs across the health system.

MidMichigan Health was faced with an aging workforce and the potential loss of 500 tenured employees in a three year span, representing many years of experience, talent and skills. To withstand the looming labor shortage and retain approaching retiree knowledge and talent, the health system implemented a retiree return-to-work program called "MyTime Gold." Supported by Concerro's web-based workforce management system, MyTime Gold attracts retirees back to the workforce to help fill situational needs that match their expertise.

"Older workers are valuable for their experience and skills across many levels of the organization," stated Lynn Bruchhof, vice president of human resources for MidMichigan Health. "Through the MyTime Gold program, we are able to continue our investment in the workforce while providing the work-life balance retirees need. Concerro's web-based ShiftSelect system allows many of our retirees to view and request the shifts they are qualified to work online, regardless of nursing unit or hospital. The technology keeps staff engaged while offering the flexible schedules and roles needed to effectively retain older nurses in the workforce."

"MidMichigan Health is committed to supporting the Association of Nurse Executive's (AONE) Guiding Principles for the Aging Workforce to help provide flexible work schedules and alternative roles for older nurses interested in returning to work," stated Shelli Wood, vice president of nursing at MidMichigan Medical Center–Midland. "Concerro's ShiftSelect system provides visibility into enterprise-wide open shift needs and flexible work options, and has been a cornerstone of our MyTime Gold program throughout the health system."

MyTime Gold lets new retirees use and maintain their valuable skills following at least six months of active retirement. MidMichigan Health has made the "AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50" list the last four out of five times it has been awarded, largely as a result of innovations such as the retiree worker program supported by ShiftSelect technology, in addition to wellness and life-long learning programs which includes extras like health coaching, smoking cessation and access to computer and other classes to not only attract, but also retain mature employees.

Graham Barnes, CEO of Concerro, commented, "We commend MidMichigan Health for investing in programs and technology that support a retired, yet committed workforce. We're proud to support their approach to attracting retirees back to the workforce by increasing awareness of the available opportunities and providing flexible scheduling options."

About MidMichigan Health
MidMichigan Health is a non-profit health system headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It covers a 12-county region with medical centers in Alma, Clare, Gladwin and Midland, as well as urgent care centers, home care, nursing homes, physicians, medical offices and other specialty health services. MidMichigan provided $84.3M in contributions to community health in 2010. For more information, visit www.midmichigan.org/about.

About Concerro
Concerro is a healthcare Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company that provides healthcare workforce and emergency response and incident management systems that improve both quality of life and the bottom line by reducing costs through optimization rather than reduction. The company has won numerous awards and recognition, including being named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 for four consecutive years, and receiving Red Herring's 100 most promising private technology ventures in North America and Best of SaaS Showplace (BoSS) awards. For more information, visit www.concerro.com.

SOURCE: API Healthcare, A GE Healthcare Company