Building Rate Tools for Managed Service Providers

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) use the platfrom to manage healthcare staffing, but the platform lacked the tools to handle complex rate structures. I designed a flexible rate management system that brought billing, margins, and overtime logic into the product — improving accuracy and setting the foundation for future financial workflows.

Challenge

MSPs had no way to differentiate between what hospitals were billed and what staffing agencies were paid. Rates had to be entered manually on every shift, overtime wasn’t handled automatically, and changes weren’t tracked. The process was slow, error-prone, and often managed outside the platform — leading to friction for both users and internal teams.

Objective

We redesigned the rate experience to support dual-rate entry (client rate + MSP fee), placement-level rate setup, reusable shift-type templates, overtime threshold rules, and a built-in change log. The design balanced clarity and control, and was intentionally built to scale — creating a flexible foundation that can support more rate structures and relationship types in the healthcare space over time.

Pain Points for MSP Users in 1.0

  • Lack of Margin Visibility
    The original interface only allowed MSPs to enter a single rate — with no distinction between the amount billed to the client and the amount paid to the staffing agency. This made it difficult to track margins or confirm whether contracts were financially viable.
  • Repetitive Rate Entry
    Rates had to be entered manually for each time window across every shift and contract. There was no way to reuse standard rates for common shift types like “Night Call” or “Weekend,” which led to duplication, inconsistencies, and user fatigue.
  • No Overtime Logic
    There was no support for setting thresholds like “overtime after 8 hours.” Users had to calculate overtime separately and manually enter the values — increasing the risk of errors and making it harder to stay compliant with clinician pay policies.
  • No Change Tracking
    When someone updated a rate, there was no history of who made the change or when it happened. This lack of visibility created confusion, made collaboration harder, and often required support intervention to untangle discrepancies.

Key Experience Improvements in 2.0

  • ‍Clear Separation of Financial Roles
    We introduced separate fields for the Client Invoice Rate, Bill Rate, and MSP % Cut. Each row now automatically calculates and displays the MSP’s margin, helping users evaluate contract profitability directly in the UI - no spreadsheets needed.
  • Reusable Shift Types
    Rates are now defined once per shift type (e.g., Regular, 24-Hour Call, Weekend Call) and reused across contracts and placements. This dramatically reduces manual entry, ensures consistency, and speeds up onboarding for new assignments.
  • Structured Rate Hierarchy: Activities + Differentials
    Rates are now grouped by Activities (e.g., Base, Call, Overtime), with optional Differentials (e.g., Holiday, Weekend) nested cleanly inside each section. This reduces clutter, improves scanability, and mirrors how staffing contracts are actually structured.
  • Scoped Editing with Change Visibility
    Rates are edited at the shift type level. Change logs are now integrated and scoped per entry, making it easier to see what changed and when - improving team coordination and trust.
  • Explicit Rate Locking
    Finalized rate tables can be locked, preventing accidental changes after approval. This ensures financial consistency while still allowing edits through clear, intentional controls.

Future Improvements

  • Bill Rate Visibility
    MSPs can now see what the staffing agency is being paid alongside the client rate — eliminating the need to track payouts externally.
  • Automated Margin Calculation
    The system now calculates and displays MSP margin per row — improving clarity around profitability.
  • Consolidated Table View
    All shift types, activities, and differentials are shown in one scrollable table — reducing clicks and making review faster.
  • Stronger Lifecycle Controls
    A clear Lock button and scoped Add action reinforce finalized rate states and structured updates.
  • Mixed Pay Structure Support
    Supports both hourly and fixed rates across client and bill rate columns — expanding the system's flexibility for complex contracts.