This blog is based off an article that first appeared in The Future of Work Exchange.
Healthcare leaders are being asked to solve a workforce puzzle that grows more complex each year. Clinical shortages persist, patient volumes fluctuate unpredictably, and labor costs remain under constant scrutiny. At the same time, healthcare organizations are under pressure to improve workforce visibility, reduce administrative friction, and adopt more flexible staffing models.
These challenges were explored in a recent FOWX podcast hosted by Ardent Partners, featuring Kelly Rakowski, CEO of Trio Workforce Solutions. The discussion highlighted how extended workforce models are reshaping healthcare, why traditional workforce tools are no longer sufficient, and how vendor management systems (VMS) are evolving into enterprise workforce platforms.
Trio Workforce Solutions did not begin as a technology company looking for a healthcare use case. Its foundation lies in direct operational experience.
More than two decades ago, the organization began as a healthcare-focused managed services provider (MSP), working closely with hospitals to standardize credentialing, improve compliance, and create consistency across supplier networks. This early work revealed a persistent issue: the technology available to manage healthcare staffing failed to reflect the realities of clinical work.
Generic workforce platforms struggled with licensure requirements, credential expiration tracking, specialty-based skill validation, and the operational nuances of healthcare roles. Rather than forcing healthcare workflows into non-clinical systems, the organization made a strategic decision to develop a platform purpose-built for healthcare staffing.
That decision ultimately led to the creation of Trio.
When Trio launched, it was designed around the interconnected needs of healthcare organizations, staffing partners, and workforce program administrators. The focus was not just efficiency, but usability, particularly for clinicians navigating assignments, documentation, and onboarding.
As the platform matured, its scope expanded. Locum tenens staffing, long underserved by modern workforce technology, became a key area of innovation. By addressing both nursing and physician staffing within a single ecosystem, Trio began to reflect the broader reality of healthcare labor management.
Over time, however, the organization found itself operating in two parallel lanes: one focused on services and another on software. While both were successful, clients increasingly sought a more unified approach, one partner capable of delivering technology, insight, and operational expertise through a single lens.
The decision to unify under the Trio Workforce Solutions brand was driven by market demand rather than marketing ambition. Healthcare organizations were no longer looking for point solutions; they wanted integrated platforms that could support long-term workforce strategy.
Today, Trio positions its VMS not as an administrative system, but as a central workforce infrastructure. The platform is designed to support internal float pools, internal travel programs, external contingent labor, and evolving hybrid models, all within one environment.
This approach gives healthcare leaders the flexibility to adapt their workforce strategy without losing data continuity or operational control. As organizations experiment with new labor models, the ability to see and manage the full workforce picture becomes a strategic advantage.
While automation and AI were key topics in the Ardent discussion, Rakowski emphasized a critical distinction: healthcare workforce decisions cannot be fully automated.
Successful placements depend on factors that data alone cannot capture: team dynamics, patient populations, clinical culture, and trust. Recognizing this, Trio has invested in expanding its clinical oversight capabilities, integrating experienced clinicians into candidate evaluation and readiness processes.
This hybrid approach blends technology-driven efficiency with human expertise, improving match quality while reducing the workload placed on clinical leaders and hiring managers.
Long-term workforce projections make one thing clear: healthcare labor constraints are not a temporary challenge. Shortages among nurses and physicians are expected to persist, forcing organizations to adopt more proactive, data-informed workforce strategies.
Trio’s model, combining workforce intelligence, platform innovation, and healthcare-specific operational knowledge, reflects a broader shift in how workforce solutions are being designed and delivered. The focus is moving away from transactional staffing toward continuous workforce optimization.
Trio Workforce Solutions’ evolution illustrates a larger trend unfolding across healthcare: the convergence of technology, services, and human expertise into unified workforce platforms. The rebrand signals more than organizational alignment, it reflects how healthcare leaders are redefining what they expect from workforce partners.
As health systems look to build resilience in an uncertain labor environment, platforms that offer flexibility, visibility, and strategic insight will play an increasingly central role. Trio’s story provides a clear example of how that future is taking shape.