The healthcare industry is under a huge amount of pressure, but that, sadly, is old news.
Even if you're not a healthcare worker, you're well aware of the fact that hospitals and clinics don't have enough staff and that the shortage of physicians is causing the burnout rates to skyrocket. To make matters worse, patient demands are escalating, and there has never been a greater need for quality, consistent care than there is now.
The good news is that things are slowly starting to change. The number of available contract workers is going up, which allows organizations to adapt to the changing volume of patients quickly. Then there's the trend of telehealth, which makes it possible for doctors and specialists to reach patients outside of the traditional office setting.
Of course, there's still a long way to go before anyone can say that the U.S. healthcare system has gotten significantly better, but we're getting there.
Healthcare Staffing – Key Trends
More than half of the workers in healthcare say they plan on switching jobs by next year.
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The avg. turnover cost for a registered nurse (RN) in the U.S. is currently $61,110 (USD). – NSI Nursing Solutions, ‘2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report’
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This means that things are getting worse faster than they are getting better.
Since so many hospitals and clinics are having a hard time finding permanent staff, they're turning to contract workers. Contract workers are a very flexible solution, allowing healthcare facilities to scale up their workforce quickly when they need to. This is especially helpful when it comes to responding to short-term crises.
But as useful as contract workers are, this model is far from ideal because they don't have the same level of long-term commitment as permanent staff, and they're also not very familiar with the patients.
Telehealth is another trend that has a positive impact on healthcare staffing.
With COVID-19, the world of remote jobs and remote living opened up, and has shown that it's not only doable, but also in many cases, advantageous.
Because of this, we've seen a rapid (and steady) rise in the number of patients who are turning to remote care. That has much to do with how convenient and safe it is; naturally, the demand for telehealth professionals has gone up drastically. There are more and more doctors and mental health professionals who are offering their services through video calls and consultations.
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37% of adults used telehealth in the past 12 months; a figure much higher than that of pre-pandemic, indicating telehealth is now a permanent care modality. – National Center For Health Statistics (NCHS)
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This change requires new skills because telehealth professionals need to be comfortable and familiar with technology, not to mention how capable they need to be of taking care of patients from a distance; it isn’t a temporary solution but a long-term change in the way healthcare is delivered.
Innovative Staffing Models
Things will get even worse before they get better, but new technologies and innovative models are trying to meet the demand for flexible, efficient workforce management.
Here are the most important changes that are making an impact right now.
AI & Digital Tools
AI is making an impact everywhere, including healthcare.
AI tools can predict staffing shortages before they even happen, thus allowing healthcare facilities to plan ahead and avoid issues (up to a point at least). These tools can optimize scheduling because they're able to match the right professionals with the right shifts based on what the patients need and how available the staff is.
In addition to this, AI is making the hiring process simpler, faster, and more efficient, so it's easier to find qualified candidates. A lot of the administrative tasks that are involved in staffing are being automated thanks to AI, so that teams can focus on more important aspects of their work.
Collaboration Between Healthcare Providers
As a response to staffing shortages, a lot of healthcare providers are working with one another to share not only resources, but staff as well.
This model allows facilities to pool their workforce and provide flexibility in staffing, but without long-term commitments.
A great example of this is that hospitals working in the same area can now share specialized professionals (e.g., radiologists, specific surgeons, etc.), meaning that no one facility now has to secure each department to meet patients'needs.
This is actually EXTREMELY beneficial, and the reason might not be as obvious. Think about it – to meet patient demand, hospital A needed to secure one specialist for each department, regardless of how much 'traffic' (or demand) there currently is. This was simply because hospital B had that specialist type, meaning A needed one as well to stay competitive.
This would cause all kinds of issues:
- Working with a loss
- Having to secure/hire a specific specialist by any means (even less qualified ones)
- Using excessive allocation to satisfy the needs of more departments, which results in the existing departments getting fewer funds
These are only some issues that happen.
Now imagine if you weren't required to hire a radiologist and build an entire department alongside all the expensive equipment and necessary staff. But instead, you could collaborate with hospital B when you get a patient requiring such specific treatment. This way, hospital B, which lacks a cardiologist, can rely on hospital A to cover them in that department.
This way, both hospitals (A and B) can do what they currently do best and upgrade those existing fields, instead of thinning out the budget.
Cross-Training & Multidisciplinary Teams
Another very innovative strategy is cross-training healthcare workers.
If professionals can be trained in several roles, facilities have a more versatile workforce. Not only will this make sure that the staff can step in when they're needed, but it also makes teams more effective, and the pressure on specialized workers isn't as intense.
Multidisciplinary teams are becoming more common, too. These teams have professionals from different fields all working together (e.g., doctors, nurses, therapists, other specialists, etc.).
This way, the patients get a much better service level.
How Outsourcing Helps with Staffing Needs
Outsourcing is an important strategy for healthcare facilities that want to handle staffing shortages and optimize their resources.
Administrative roles like IT support and billing can easily be outsourced, so the staff can focus on taking care of their patients. These tasks are essential, but they can take up a lot of time, so why not outsource them to providers who can make things simpler and also reduce overhead costs?
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‘Reduction of expenses’ has been noted as the primary reason for companies outsourcing. – Deloitte
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Another excellent thing about outsourcing is that it makes it easier for experts to find suitable positions, like physician job opportunities and career listings that match individuals with jobs that fit their skills and preferences.
Offshoring specific healthcare services (transcription, telemedicine consultations, etc.) is another way for healthcare facilities to adapt. If they're able to move these services abroad, healthcare providers can significantly reduce their costs. Naturally, this isn't 100% perfect because offshoring comes with its own set of issues (especially in the 'staying compliant with regulations' department).
Despite these obstacles, however, offshoring allows for quick, affordable scaling of services.
It doesn't seem like staffing shortages will be resolved anytime soon, so some facilities are hiring internationally.
Conclusion
In the face of problems, innovation shines. It's always been this way, and today is no different. In the medical field, telemedicine and various AI-backed and -powered solutions show great promise.
But implementing changes can sometimes be difficult. But when the facility is at a crossroad between integrating a cutting-edge technology or procedure, and staying the same, it's usually the innovation that triumphs – as it should!
Be that as it may, the healthcare workforce is changing, and those who don’t adapt quickly won’t be able to continue their work.