Every year, Michigan healthcare facilities face significant staffing overhead costs that could be streamlined through better technology. Legacy agencies charge substantial markups. Gig platforms have raised concerns about treating nurses fairly. And regional facilities, the ones serving communities outside Detroit and Grand Rapids, have staffing needs shaped by smaller local clinician pools, commuting conditions, and changing demand. CarePods , founded by Taylor Doucet, is building something different: a platform designed around the workers first, with the infrastructure to try to prove it works.

The Broken Economics of Healthcare Staffing

The problem is not just a shortage of nurses. Getting qualified clinicians into the right facilities remains a challenge, with Michigan hospitals reporting thousands of nursing vacancies . Legacy staffing agencies operate on traditional playbooks, taking cuts and adding markups that can push rates higher while clinicians receive only a portion of what facilities pay.…