Rethinking Per Diem Workforce Management: How Staffology Found a Vendor That Actually Works
Episode 1 of the Big Decisions: Healthcare Staffing podcast is live, and we kicked things off with a leader who's worked on both sides of the industry as a job seeking clinician to now a staffing owner seeking clinicians to staff facilities.
Michelle Henderson, founder of Staffology Solutions, joined us to talk about the realities of managing a per diem workforce, the pressure of growing a staffing business post-COVID, and how she made the call to overhaul her systems by bringing on Aditya Mangal, founder of Vars Health, as her vendor.
This podcast is not sponsored. It’s real leaders sharing the hard decisions they’ve made and the tools they’ve chosen to trust.
Meet Michelle & Staffology Solutions
Michelle Henderson is a licensed practical nurse (LPN) with nearly 20 years of frontline experience. She’s worked the floor, supported her daughter’s journey to becoming an RN, and now leads her own healthcare staffing company.
Her agency, Staffology Solutions, is based in Pennsylvania and focuses on:
- Skilled nursing and long-term care facilities
- Personal care homes
- Home care (licensed and preparing for a soft launch)
- 100% direct contracts (no MSPs)
- 100% W2 clinicians (no 1099s)
Michelle’s team currently includes herself, her husband, and a credentialing support staffer. They manage dozens of shifts weekly for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs. She’s preparing to expand with a Chief Nursing Officer and recruiter as the business scales.
“It will scare the crap out of you. You think you’re ready... you’re not. But you do it anyway.”
From Hacks to Headaches
Like many growing healthcare staffing companies, Michelle started with what she had: spreadsheets, folders, and creative workarounds.
For scheduling, she used Homebase, a platform designed for small businesses. She set all her facilities up under one location and color-coded shifts to avoid fees. It worked, but only up to a point.
Credentialing was even riskier. No alerts. No automation. If a CPR card expired, she only knew if she happened to check.
“There was nothing telling me if someone’s CPR was about to expire. I just had to remember to check.”
What Made Vars Different
Michelle didn’t seek out Vars. She ignored outreach from most vendors, including Aditya Mangal, at first.
But he stayed in touch and eventually offered something different: a working test environment, not just a demo. She could log in and try it as a nurse, a scheduler, and an agency owner.
Vars Health delivered:
- Credential automation with lockouts
- Mobile-first shift visibility
- Facility-side logins
- Do Not Return (DNR) tagging
- Clinician scoring
“He listened. He built what I needed. He didn’t treat me like a client. He made me feel like a partner.”
Why Per Diem Should Cost More
Michelle is rethinking the economics of per diem work. Rather than discounting it, she’s starting to bill facilities more for per diem than for long-term contracts.
Her reasoning is clear. Per diem work is harder, faster-paced, and more urgent. It should be priced accordingly.
“They’re filling last-minute gaps. That’s not secondary work. That’s essential.”
Why This Conversation Matters
This episode is a playbook for healthcare staffing leaders trying to grow while staying grounded. You’ll hear:
- How to spot red flags with vendors
- What systems actually scale
- Why mobile-first matters
- How to make per diem work profitable and sustainable
🎧 Listen to Episode 1 of Big Decisions: Healthcare Staffing exclusively on Spotify
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