What We Learned from Luke Gaskins, CEO of Proxy Healthcare

On this episode of Big Decisions: Healthcare Staffing, Goodwork’s CEO Daniel, sat down with Luke Gaskins, CEO of Proxy Healthcare, to hear his perspective on the realities of operating a lean, independent staffing agency. Luke discussed the tradeoffs between MSPs and direct contracts, the vendors his team depends on, and how he’s adapted to a tighter, more demanding market.

MSPs vs. Direct Contracts: Operational and Strategic Differences

Luke emphasized that MSPs are hard to manage without a large, well-coordinated team. Cancellations often come without warning. Communication is restricted. And nearly all MSPs now require Joint Commission certification. Many direct contracts, by contrast, do not.

With direct contracts, Proxy can resolve issues faster and communicate directly with facilities. These relationships have helped the company remain stable even as market conditions have shifted.

Tools and Vendors That Made a Difference

Luke shared several vendors that have helped Proxy Healthcare operate efficiently:
- ATS: Praos Health (https://www.praoshealth.com )
- Background Checks: Vetty (https://www.vetty.com )
- Factoring: 80–90% cash advances, ~2.5% total cost
- Payroll: Paylocity (https://www.paylocity.com ) with unlimited payroll runs

Additional Operational Lessons

- Stay local when possible.
- Don’t over-engineer early.
- Monitor compliance costs.

Final Thought

"You don’t need to impress anyone. You need to get people paid, on time, at good jobs. That’s the job." — Luke Gaskins

🎧 Listen to the full interview on Spotify
📍 Visit: https://proxyhealthcare.com