AUSTRALIAN start-up Locumate.ai has partnered with the Californian and American Pharmacist Associations to launch a new joint venture called HealthShifts, aimed at changing the on-demand workforce for pharmacists in North America.
This collaboration will extend Locumate.ai's platform, initially tested in 850 Australian pharmacies, to 88,000 US pharmacies, significantly expanding its market presence and potential for revenue growth.
Surge Singh, co-founder of Locumate.ai, said, "we have been described as the orchestration engine for the future of on-demand workforces, and while pharmacy is our first key sector, there are plenty of others who would benefit from the platform we have created".
The creation of HealthShifts was finalised after six months of negotiations and is set to address some of the critical workforce issues faced by pharmacists, such as overwork and lack of efficient resource management.
Susan Bonilla, CEO of the California Pharmacists Association, expressed optimism about the joint venture, noting, "this platform will really help to address some of the overwork and challenges many of our members are currently facing".
Melbourne pharmacist and co-founder Kavita Nadan highlighted the platform's effectiveness during the COVID pandemic, identifying a significant gap in the on-demand workforce within the industry.
"With Locumate.ai, organisations have more control over their on-demand staffing needs on a daily basis, and it is fast, efficient, and enables more opportunities for mutually meaningful and long-lasting connections," she said.
Michael Hogue, CEO of the American Pharmacists Association, said HealthShifts is going to put pharmacists in the "driver's seat in determining how they want to work, where they want to work, and I think that is amazing and is going to really transform the way work happens in pharmacy".
Bonilla further emphasised the unique approach of the partnership where the platform is developed by pharmacists for pharmacists.
"It is going to lead to a great deal more self-determination, workplace satisfaction, and patient care, as the implementation that we're embarking on is so holistic that it's going to be addressing the issues of the pharmacist workforce at every single level". JG
Pictured (L-R): Susan Bonilla, Surge Singh, Michael Hogue, Kavita Nadan, and Rajan Vaidya.
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