Travel Nurses, Gig Work Open Hospital Employers to Legal Risk (1)

Gig nursing options are growing as hospitals turn to outside companies to fill staffing gaps. But the practice carries legal and regulatory risks for both sides.

The gig model that relies on independent contractors is more complicated in the highly regulated health-care industry than for rideshare and food delivery. The trend could leave facilities and the companies serving them vulnerable to misclassification accusations, joint-employer disputes, and complicated wage and hour laws, attorneys and others in the industry say.

Health-care facilities face complex licensing and certification requirements. As pandemic-era flexibilities that allowed travel nurses to easily move from state to state ...