This story was originally published by MIT News.

For small healthcare groups like dentist’s offices, one sick staff member can mean a day’s worth of cancelled appointments. Such offices can either continue short-staffed, which could negatively affect patient care, or reschedule appointments, potentially delaying critical procedures and screenings.

The MIT alumnus-founded Stynt is solving that problem by helping healthcare offices fill last-minute shift openings for positions including dental hygienists, assistants, office managers, and dentists. Stynt’s online platform lets offices post openings that qualified professionals can then bid on.

“We’re a software-as-a-service marketplace with a focus on healthcare staffing,” founder and CEO Alex Adeli says. “We provide healthcare facilities with credentialed professionals extremely fast, in most cases within 15 minutes or less. These offices get direct access to certified professionals who are seeking open positions in their area of expertise, at their desired pay rate, within their preferred geography.”

 …