**The big picture:** Healthcare facilities are increasingly reliant on staffing agencies to fill persistent vacancies, making it crucial to understand the associated costs and diverse pricing models. **Why it matters:** For staffing leaders and HR executives, decoding agency fees is essential for budget management, operational efficiency, and maintaining adequate talent levels in a tight labor market. **Between the lines:** - Facilities consistently grapple with maintaining adequate staff, complex regulations, and high recruitment costs. - The article aims to detail average nurse staffing agency costs and common fee structures. - Understanding these models is key for facilities seeking to optimize their budgets. **Staffing & HR impact:** Strategic management of agency relationships directly impacts gross margins and recruiter bandwidth. Compliance with evolving labor laws also remains a critical consideration when engaging contingent healthcare staff. **The bottom line:** Cost-effective contingent staffing is paramount for healthcare's financial health and patient care quality.