?Overview
The need for healthcare workers will always exist. However, the challenge for healthcare facilities today is finding reliable, permanent employees. The pandemic only highlighted how extreme the need for flexible, temporary healthcare staffing is, as the global healthcare staffing market reached US$33.8 billion in 2020 — and it’s not slowing down. Experts estimate the global healthcare staffing industry will reach US$47.8 billion by 2026 , growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of six percent. Informed by the pandemic, even as it winds down, healthcare facilities now understand why they need to have access to temporary, on-demand staffing to fill in their gaps.
Despite these very real challenges, the healthcare industry remains notoriously slow to adopt emerging technologies that can improve efficiency and flexibility. Many hospitals depend on staffing agencies that handle all of their processes manually, from onboarding new nurses to placements. However, staffing agencies can only do so much when relying on calls and emails for every process. Even as the healthcare workforce in Canada grows by up to 8 percent per year , too many hospitals rely on outdated methods of finding temporary workers to help cover shifts. Healthcare facilities need a better way to find workers to cover a shift or help out for a few months.
Premier Health of America ( TSXV:PHA ) is a modern healthcare staffing platform that gives healthcare workers and facilities access to leading technologies to finally create a truly flexible workforce. The platform serves the healthcare needs of governments, corporations, and individuals. A healthcare facility simply posts an open shift and desired skill set, and providers around the country can claim it. The provider arrives at the facility ready to work, whether for a single shift or a few months. This happens automatically, removing the delay of a staffing agent manually calling providers to fill a shift.
Technology is at the core of Premier Health of America’s platform. The company describes itself as the ‘Uber of healthcare staffing.’ Essentially, the company is a digital disruptor of an industry that struggles to step into the modern world. Premier Health of America created a platform that gives nurses control over where and when they work, while providing facilities with access to a massive workforce to cover any hiring needs.
The company’s mobile app technology, PSweb, is at the core of its operations, and the app has been live for over a decade. Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data power the app , delivering a genuinely automated process to healthcare facilities and professionals. The company maintains support staff that’s available by telephone for anything that may require a human conversation.
Premier Health of America has multiple business units that cater to specific needs. For example, Code Bleu and Premier Health Soin provide qualified healthcare professionals on demand. Meanwhile, Nordik Premier Health is focused on providing healthcare services to remote communities. Segmenting into focused business units allows the company to provide targeted services for healthcare facilities.
While the company currently operates in Canada, its platform is scalable as an international platform, with vast potential in other countries. For example, Premier Health of America plans to service the United States in the future, which it estimates has a market size 12 times larger than its Canadian counterpart.
A team of experienced managers is leading the company towards its ambitious goals. Martin Legault, CEO, has over 25 years of experience in corporate management in companies with over 500 employees. Sylvain Charbonneau, CFO, brings 25 years of financial experience to the company and has served as a board member of three major manufacturing enterprises. Jean-Robert Pronovost has decades of experience in venture capital and strategic divestitures and leads the company's financial development.
?Company Highlights
- Premier Health of America is a Canadian technology-focused healthcare staffing company that describes itself as an ‘efficient solution for a changing healthcare environment.’
- Its platform leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning through big data to deliver automated solutions to healthcare facilities and providers.
- The company is a true digital disruptor, with most healthcare facilities still relying on manual staffing solutions.
- PSweb is the company’s proprietary technology that powers its services. Its platform provides database management, scheduling, and real-time assignment in the context of complex healthcare working protocols.
- Healthcare workers can use the mobile app to sign up for shifts at healthcare facilities without manual intervention from a staffing agency. Any qualified professional can use the platform to decide where and when they work.
- Premier Health of America has multiple business units that cater to specific needs within the healthcare industry, such as on-demand staffing for remote healthcare.
- The company plans to continue expanding throughout Canada and aims to take its platform to the United States.
- Premier Health of America recently completed its acquisition of 100 percent of Umana Holdings, enabling it to work in regions beyond Quebec.
- An experienced management team leads the company through its continual expansion and technological development.
?Key Project
PSweb Proprietary Platform
PSweb is at the company's core and enables automated staffing solutions disrupting the healthcare staffing industry. The platform has been live for a decade and is undergoing constant development to integrate the latest technology, such as leveraging AI, big data, and machine learning to provide predictive analysis for healthcare facilities.
Premier health recently acquired Umana, a subsidiary of the Canadian Health Care Agency. As a primary provider of nursing services to remote and semi-remote Indfigenous communities in Ontario and Alberta, this provides Premier Health with the opportunity for expansion outside of Quebec.
“The acquisition of CHCA starts our expansion outside of the province of Quebec and consolidates our market position in Canada’s northern regions,” said Martin Legault, CEO of Premier Health .
Project Highlights:
- All-in-One Application : The company’s mobile application handles everything from staffing to billing. Healthcare facilities don’t need to use multiple applications to address staffing needs.
- AI-Enabled : Advanced AI and big data were recently integrated with the application to provide predictive analytics to assist healthcare facilities' staffing decisions.
- Automated Business Processes : Automation is a core feature of the application and is continually improved to streamline its function. Recruitment, resource allocation, customer requests, and billing are automated within the platform.
- A Mobile-First Approach : Healthcare workers can confirm availability, claim assignments, confirm assignments, and receive payment all on a mobile device.
?Management Team
Martin Legault - Chief Executive Officer
Martin Legault is the founder of Premier Soin and has been its chief executive officer since its incorporation in 2003. He has over 25 years of experience in the management and operations of several companies in Québec. Legault’s past experiences include direct responsibility for over 500 employees in the context of international franchises and points of service. Legault holds the title of administrateur agréé, delivered by the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec.
Sylvain Charbonneau - Chief Financial Officer
Sylvian Charbonneau joined Premier Health of America in October 2020, bringing over 25 years of management finance experience. Since 2016, he has held a CFO position for Transtex, a C$35 million revenue manufacturing company. In the last 10 years, he acted as chief financial officer and board member for three leading manufacturers, supporting their growth and international expansion. Charbonneau’s career includes experiences working at Deloitte and SGF, formerly Investissement Québec. His strength lies in his leadership, strategic vision, judgment, and the analytical capacity in evaluating investment projects. After earning a bachelor’s of business administration degree, Charbonneau obtained a master’s of business administration from HEC Montreal school of business in 1993.
Jean-Robert Pronovost - Director and Vice President Corporate Development
Jean-Robert Pronovost is a managing partner and co-founder of Cape Partners, a Canadian boutique private equity firm. Before co-founding Cape Partners, Pronovost was a partner and co-founder of IUGO Capital, a family office venture capital fund with investments in Canada, the United States, and Europe. He was responsible for direct investments, strategic divestitures, and restructurings, serving as a board member of several portfolio companies. Previously, Pronovost spent four years at Credit Suisse First Boston, advising on large mergers and acquisitions and executing public and private financings for Canadian and foreign corporate clients. Pronovost also worked for six years in various positions at the Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec, where he elaborated investment allocation strategies and securitization vehicles for alternative assets. He began his career at British Telecom, working as a financial analyst. Pronovost has a degree in economics and finance from Laval University and a joint master’s of business administration from the École Supérieure de Gestion at UQAM and Florida International University.
Giovanni Garay - Ontario General Manager
Giovanni Garay is a seasoned professional that has demonstrated strong abilities in delivering industry-leading service standards, and measurable performance improvements, in fast paced environments. He has held several leadership roles with Scotia Bank, Cap Gemini, and ADP, and has developed over the years an expertise in managing strategic initiatives, including quality framework, training, and coaching programs, as well as client relationship management. Garay is a strong change agent and uses coaching and mentoring to transform teams into high performers, positively impacting organizational culture and effectiveness, and associate development which results in meeting and exceeding corporate objectives. Garay is a natural leader and persuasive communicator with the ability to forge strong relationships across levels and functions.
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Premier Health of America