Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Beyond Staffing: How Henry Ford Health Is Rethinking Contingent Labor
Mar 20, 2026
Scott Ragland, Director of Centralized Staffing and Vendor Contracting at Henry Ford Health, led a shift from fragmented hiring to a governance-driven contingent workforce strategy. He discusses centralization and accountability. He breaks down pillars like data transparency, vendor partnerships, clinical compliance, and integrating external labor into the total workforce. He shares practical steps for selecting and working with an MSP.
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From Wild Wild West To Centralized Office
- Scott Ragland arrived to a decentralized "wild, wild west" contingent labor program with many standalone vendor contracts and little oversight.
- He was hired in 2018 to centralize requests, build governance, and search for a new MSP to bring order and accountability.
Transparency Turns Contingent Labor Into A Strategic Lever
- Governance and transparent data turn contingent labor from anecdotal to accountable by giving decision owners clarity on cost and clinical need.
- Showing approvers projected costs, requesters, vacancy rates and overtime alternatives changes leader behavior and reduces reactionary hires.
Assign Decision Rights Before Approvals
- Do establish clear decision rights and approval pathways so someone owns the choice to bring on contingent labor.
- Without assigned ownership, Ragland warns the market will drive behavior and costs will escalate from urgency-driven decisions.