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Committee hears bill to register health-care shift platforms; unions raise concerns
Summary
HB7030 would require online platforms that post short-term health-care shifts to register with the Rhode Island Department of Health while exempting them from classification as nursing service agencies. Clipboard Health's representative said the model is an online marketplace, not a staffing agency; members questioned credentialing, liability and possible effects on union wages and benefits.
Chairwoman Donovan called up House Bill 7030, the Health Care Worker Platform Act, which would create a registration requirement for platforms that connect facilities with health-care professionals offering short-term shifts. A representative for Clipboard Health (Mr. McAuliffe) described the marketplace model: facilities post shift opportunities, clinicians submit credentials and background checks, and employers pay a fee to list openings.
Mr. McAuliffe said Clipboard Health requires credential verification and insurance, and is not a staffing agency or employer of health workers. He told the committee the platform does not set hourly wages and that employers and workers negotiate pay directly. ‘‘We're not trying to replace any workers,’’ he said, adding the platform aims to provide flexibility for clinicians seeking occasional hours.
Members pressed on liability, malpractice insurance, whether platforms can undercut union wages or erode benefits, and how platforms prevent "poaching" of workers. Mr. McAuliffe said credential checks and insurance are required and that the model is intended to add flexibility rather than supplant permanent staff; he and members discussed amending statutory language and whether more specifics should be in statute rather than regulation.
The SEIU and other stakeholders sought amendments; Alex Moore (SEIU) was registered in favor of recommended amendments but did not speak. The committee closed the hearing pending further amendment discussions.
