DirectShifts

DirectShifts operates an online healthcare staffing and recruiting platform that matches clinicians with healthcare employers and handles the administrative work around placement. Clinicians create a single universal profile, store credentialing documents in a digital wallet, browse and apply to jobs, and receive invitations to apply directly from employers; employers search and filter the clinician database, contact candidates directly by text, email or phone from the platform, post an unlimited number of roles, and use an AI matching tool to surface top candidates. Job types span direct hire (full- and part-time), per diem, travel, surge staffing and locum tenens, covering physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, LVN/LPNs, CRNAs, therapists, medical assistants, technicians and RRT/OT/PT roles across the United States.

Beyond matching, the company provides operational infrastructure: multi-state licensing, credentialing, payer enrollment for Medicare, Medicaid and commercial plans, collaborative physician and supervision arrangements for advanced practice providers, telehealth scheduling, timesheets, legal work and malpractice insurance with full tail coverage. DirectShifts may act as employer of record for some locum contracts; locum and per diem hires are paid weekly, travel expenses including flight and hotel are reimbursed for travel roles, and an accountant and tax documentation are provided for 1099 workers. Product lines listed by the company include staffing and sourcing solutions, telehealth staffing and recruitment, an internal resource pool offering, an ATS and job board, and licensing and credentialing services. The platform is accessible via web browser and Android/iOS apps with no software installation required.

The company positions itself around removing intermediaries between clinicians and employers, describing itself as a physician-led team of physicians and entrepreneurs seeking to modernize healthcare recruiting. It reports a 92% clinician satisfaction rate, more than 50,000 active clinicians on the platform, over 1,000 facilities served, and a database of over 500,000 confirmed clinicians.

Founding story

The company was founded by freelance physicians, recruiters, healthcare entrepreneurs and technology experts who had encountered the problems of healthcare recruiting directly, and describes the platform as inspired by the personal need of its physician-led team. Sai Kumar Thumuluru, who holds a PhD in aerospace engineering and an MBA from Georgia Tech, serves as founder and CEO; Vamshi Krishna Gunukula is co-founder and COO and Shrinath Aithal is CTO.

Business model

DirectShifts runs a two-sided marketplace: the platform is free for clinicians, who pay nothing to create a profile or apply to jobs, while healthcare employers use the platform to source, hire and manage clinical staff. The company facilitates direct hire, per diem, travel, surge and locum tenens placements, pays locum and per diem workers weekly, and can act as employer of record on some locum contracts. Where a temporary clinician is converted to permanent staff, the employer pays what the company describes as a low buyout fee rather than being subject to lockout periods.

Revenue is generated from healthcare employers rather than clinicians, for whom the platform is free. Monetized services include staffing and sourcing, telehealth staffing and recruitment, an internal resource pool, an ATS and job board, licensing and credentialing, and temp-to-permanent conversion buyout fees.

Traction

The company reports more than 50,000 active clinicians on the platform, over 1,000 facilities served, a 92% clinician satisfaction rate and a database of over 500,000 confirmed clinicians. At Y Combinator's Summer 2019 Demo Day it reported 51 hospitals on the platform. Team size is listed at 72. The company has been recognized as "Best Healthcare Startup" and a "Top 10 Healthcare Company".

Latest developments

The company markets itself as workforce and operational infrastructure for telehealth and digital health companies scaling nationwide clinical teams, covering recruiting, multi-state licensing, credentialing, payer enrollment, collaborative physician supervision, telehealth scheduling and workforce operations. It is hiring for full stack engineering, enterprise sales and marketing operations roles, including a remote engineering position in India.