Kansas officials review data, gaps in oversight of supplemental health‑care staffing agencies

Deputy Secretary Scott Brunner of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services told the Committee on Social Services Budget that KDADS has compiled a registry and initial quarterly reports from supplemental health‑care staffing agencies after a 2024 budget proviso directed registration and reporting.

Brunner said KDADS assembled a contact list of about 205 companies (drawing from roughly 80 vendors on the state contract list and other sources), sent notices in June and began collecting quarterly submissions on July 1. "We have no regulatory authority to penalize anybody who doesn't report to us," he said, describing the reporting as voluntary and noting the proviso covers the current fiscal year only.

The agency reported that 20 staffing agencies registered with KDADS submitted reports; 55 reported placing nursing employees in Kansas facilities; 13 said they were registered but placed no staff in the state; and 52 registered agencies submitted no information. On pay and charge data for agencies that reported placements, Brunner said the average facility charge for a registered nurse was $80.64 per hour while agencies on average paid RNs $43.26 per hour. He gave…