Navigating Healthcare HR: Why Post-Acute Healthcare Providers Might Find Workday a Brighter Path than UKG

Picture this: A nurse finishes her shift at a long-term care facility, checks her phone, and with a few taps, swaps shift with a colleague for next week. Meanwhile, her manager gets an instant notification and approves it while reviewing real-time staffing analytics that ensure patient care won't be compromised and budgets are not impacted.  

In the dynamic landscape of post-acute healthcare providers, from long-term care facilities to outpatient clinics to home health agencies, efficient human capital management (HCM) is critical to both the financial operations of a facility and quality patient outcomes. These organizations, often operating with tight margins and a focus on patient care, need robust systems that streamline HR processes, enhance employee engagement, and provide actionable real-time insights.  

Across the healthcare spectrum, a quiet revolution is taking place. Forward-thinking leaders are discovering that the right HCM platform doesn't just streamline operations; it transforms patient care while strengthening the bottom line. 

For many, this journey involves leaving behind familiar systems like Ultimate Kronos Group (now UKG) and stepping into Workday’s ecosystem. The reason behind this shift presents a compelling opportunity. Here’s why. 

The Evolving Needs of Post-Acute Healthcare Providers 

Post-acute healthcare providers face unique challenges: 

• High Turnover: Staffing shortages and burnout are prevalent, demanding effective recruitment and retention strategies. The Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) reports an average nursing staff turnover rate of 53.3%, with registered nurse turnover at 51.9%. 

• Patient Care Continuity: Staff struggle to maintain consistent patient care and ensure adherence to individualized care plans, particularly when facing persistent staffing shortages. 

• CMS Requirements: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements add another layer of complexity, demanding meticulous documentation and reporting that directly impacts reimbursement and certification. 

• Compliance Complexity: Regulations like HIPAA and state-specific licensing requirements necessitate meticulous record-keeping. 

• Dispersed Workforce: Home health agencies and multi-site clinics require mobile-friendly solutions for Electronic Visit Verification, accessing pertinent information, and completing tasks in a timely manner. 

• Cost Sensitivity: Lean operations necessitate efficient resource allocation and cost control with visibility across the entire ecosystem for better decision making. 

• Regulatory reporting: Facilities need to get accurate and up to date information for regulatory reporting and overall business decision making as the business changes frequently.   

Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG): A Look at the Landscape 

UKG, while a comprehensive HCM suite, reveals significant limitations when applied to today's healthcare environment.

Pros: 

• Strong payroll and tax management capabilities. 

• Comprehensive HR functionality. 

• Established presence and mature product.

Cons: 

• Complex implementation: Requires significant customization, diverting valuable IT resources. 

• Dated User Experience: Interface feels increasingly obsolete, hampering adoption and efficiency. 

• Limited Analytics: Reporting capabilities can be cumbersome to navigate, hindering data-driven decision making. 

• Scalability Constraints: System struggles to adapt to rapid organizational growth along with acquisitions and mergers.

• Poor Mobile Integration: A challenging and inefficient mobile experience, inadequate for today’s distributed and mobile healthcare workforce.

• Cost Structure: UKG can be expensive, especially for smaller organizations.

• Data Privacy Vulnerabilities: Less robust security architecture raises concerns for protecting sensitive patient and employee information, creating heightened compliance risks under HIPAA and other healthcare privacy regulations. 

Workday: A Modern Approach for Modern Healthcare Challenges 

Workday offers a cloud-based HCM solution designed for agility, mobility, and user-friendliness, addressing the unique needs of today’s healthcare providers:  

Pros: 

• Unified Platform: Seamlessly integrates HR, payroll, finance, supply chain, and planning. 

• Intuitive User Interface: Enhances employee adoption, engagement, and satisfaction. 

• Advanced Analytics and Reporting: Provides real-time insights across the entire ecosystem enabling true data-driven decisions and regulatory compliance.

• Mobile-First Design: Fully supports a dispersed workforce with a user-friendly experience. 

• Scalability: Easily adapts to the evolving needs of growing organizations. 

• Modern Architecture: Built on contemporary, modern technology that receives continuous updates without disruption. 

• Comprehensive Talent Management: Easy to use tools for recruiting, developing, and retaining staff. 

• Healthcare Specific Solutions: Purpose-built features addressing unique industry needs and requirements. 

Cons: 

• Requires thoughtful change management for successful implementation. 

• May necessitate adjustments to internal staffing models as certain functions move in-house. 

Why Workday is Transformative for Post-Acute Healthcare Providers

• Enhanced Employee Experience: Workday's modern interface and mobile capabilities improve employee engagement, crucial for retention in a high-turnover industry. Staff can manage their entire employment experience—from scheduling to professional development—through an intuitive platform accessible anywhere.
• Data-Driven Clinical and Operational Excellence: Workday’s real-time analytics provide unprecedented insights into workforce trends, enabling proactive staffing and resource allocation. Leaders can identify patterns in turnover, productivity, and performance, addressing issues before they impact patient care and outcomes. 
• Streamlined Compliance: Workday's comprehensive reporting and audit trails simplify compliance with CMS requirements, HIPAA regulations, and accreditation standards. Automated workflows ensure proper documentation and approval chains, reducing risk exposure and financial penalties. 
• Improved Talent Management: Workday's sophisticated talent management suite transforms recruitment, onboarding, and career development. By identifying high-potential employees, facilitating mentorship, and tracking competencies, organizations can build sustainable talent pipelines that directly enhance the employee experience patient care quality. 
• Scalability and Flexibility: Healthcare delivery models continue to evolve rapidly. Workday's cloud-based architecture allows organizations to pivot quickly in response to changing reimbursement models, care delivery approaches, and organizational structures without costly system overhauls. 
• Integration: Workday's robust API framework and pre-built healthcare integrations create a connected technology ecosystem. Clinical systems, scheduling platforms, learning management systems, and financial applications communicate smoothly, eliminating information silos and reducing administrative burden. 

Making the Transition to Workday 

Switching HCM systems is a significant undertaking. Careful planning and execution are essential. 

• Assess Needs: Identify specific pain points and requirements, and desired outcomes across all stakeholder groups 

• Plan Implementation: Create a detailed implementation plan and roadmap with realistic timelines and resource allocation 

• Proactive Change Management: Involve employees at all levels in the transition process, addressing concerns and questions and building enthusiasm 

• Training and Support: Provide comprehensive training and ongoing support tailored to different user groups and use cases. 

• Executive Sponsorship: Secure visible support from leadership, demonstrating organizational commitment from all levels. 

• Dedicated Support Resources: Establish internal champions and support mechanisms for the post-deployment period 

Conclusion 

For post-acute healthcare providers seeking a modern, agile, and data-driven HCM solution, Workday offers compelling advantages over legacy systems like Ultimate Software (UKG Pro). By prioritizing employee experience, compliance, and scalability, Workday empowers healthcare providers to focus on what matters most: delivering quality patient care. 

 While implementation requires careful planning, the long-term benefits, improved staff retention, enhanced compliance, increased operational efficiency, and data-driven decision making, create a clear return on investment. As healthcare continues to evolve, organizations equipped with modern, flexible HCM solutions like Workday will be positioned to thrive. 

The question is no longer whether to make the transition, but how quickly it can be accomplished to drive savings, improve clinician and patient experiences, and streamline processes across the continuum of care. Contact The Groove to learn more about how Workday is transforming the Post-Acute Care landscape.