Case Study

Gracedale Nursing Home

Immediate Savings, $1M+ in the First 30 Days Projected to Exceed $3.5M+ Annually as Gracedale Leads Workforce Modernization

Executive Summary

Gracedale Nursing Home, a county-owned facility under new executive leadership, set out to tackle a challenge faced by long-term care facilities across the nation: rising labor costs, administrative complexity, and heavy reliance on multiple staffing agencies to sustain operations.

Partnering with WAE, Gracedale implemented a modernized staffing strategy centered around an internal Priority Resource Pool (PRP) and a planned Managed Service Provider (MSP) rollout. The results were immediate: 126 clinicians converted within 30 days, net new clinicians increased by 400 percent, and more than $1 million in savings were realized in the first month, with projected annual savings exceeding $3.5 million.

This approach also streamlined scheduling and credentialing workflows for staffing agencies, incentivizing them to expand participation and increasing the facility’s available workforce.

Background

Like many long-term care facilities nationwide, Gracedale faced the combined pressures of labor shortages, escalating agency rates, and growing administrative complexity. Reliance on more than 25 staffing agencies to supply over 70 percent of the workforce created high operational load and unpredictable costs.

These challenges are not unique to one facility but reflect a broader national trend in post-acute and long-term care, where workforce supply and demand are often mismatched and internal administrative structures are stretched.

gracedale.org | (610) 829-3400
2 Gracedale Avenue
Nazareth, PA 18064

Results at a Glance

126 clinicians converted within 30 days
400 percent increase in net new clinicians
Instant savings within the first week of implementation
$1M+ immediate savings in the first 30 days
$3.5M+ total projected savings from PRP and new recruitment
30 percent reduction in staffing agency markups
Larger, more reliable workforce pool as agencies expanded participation

The Challenge

High Complexity and Rising Costs

Gracedale’s internal team was managing:

Coordination across 25+ agency partners

Credentialing and compliance for every temporary clinician

Performance feedback routing through multiple vendors

Invoicing with varying markups and rates

Scheduling complexity across multiple systems

This structure placed significant administrative demand on county staff and made workforce forecasting difficult.

WAE gave us back control. We converted 126 clinicians, cut agency markups, and unlocked $2.5M in annualized savings in less than 30-days.

– Larry E.
Gracedale Nursing Home

Photo courtesy of Gracedale

The Solution

A Modernized Workforce Model

To strengthen its workforce strategy, Gracedale partnered with WAE to implement a structured model that increased workforce stability, reduced spend, and created a clear, centralized system for all stakeholders.

Priority Resource Pool (PRP)

Clinicians with 500+ hours of experience at Gracedale were transitioned into a dedicated pool

PRP clinicians retained their pay rates while the county avoided inflated agency markups

PRP members received priority access to shifts, improving predictability

Clinicians built their own schedules through WAE’s self-serve platform, improving retention and visibility

Priority Resource Pool (PRP)

Building on the success of the PRP, Gracedale is preparing to roll out a Managed Service Provider (MSP) structure to further streamline and scale its workforce model. This next phase will:

Consolidate agency relationships into a single coordinated system

Standardize pricing and contracts for improved fiscal oversight

Centralize scheduling, credentialing, and workforce analytics

Give agencies and the county one source of truth for staffing needs

Further reduce administrative workload while improving speed to fill shifts

The MSP model is designed to amplify the early success of the PRP and create a sustainable structure that benefits the county, clinicians, and agency partners long term.

Benefits for Staffing Agencies

The new model was designed to be a win for agency partners as well as the county.

Agencies gained a single, streamlined point of contact

Real-time visibility into open needs improved placement speed

Automated clearance reduced administrative load

Clinicians were empowered to claim shifts directly through the platform

This improved efficiency made Gracedale an attractive placement option for more clinicians, expanding the available workforce.

Implementation Timeline

The Results

More Clinicians, Lower Costs, Immediate Wins

Unlike traditional workforce programs that take months to show results, WAE’s model delivered immediate impact.

126 clinicians converted into the PRP within 30 days

400 percent increase in net new clinicians

$1M+ in savings within the first 30 days

$3.5M+ projected annual savings

30 percent reduction in staffing agency markups

Expanded pool of available staff as agencies increased participation

Why It Matters

This workforce strategy reflects a growing movement across long-term care to modernize staffing infrastructure, reduce administrative complexity, and make clinical work more predictable and sustainable.

Facilities strengthen workforce stability and cost efficiency

Agencies reduce administrative work and improve placement capacity

Clinicians gain flexibility and familiarity

Residents benefit from improved continuity of care

Gracedale’s early results show what is possible when county-owned facilities take a strategic, forward-looking approach to workforce management-one that aligns operational goals with fiscal responsibility and clinical excellence.