While clinical staffing challenges have long been on the radar for healthcare leaders, the scale and complexity of today’s physician shortages are causing many health systems to rethink how care is delivered, supported, and sustained.
During a Becker’s Healthcare virtual event titled "Closing Provider Shortages: Strategies That Work," hosted in partnership with Medicus, two leading healthcare executives provided insights into clinical staffing challenges, broader operational impacts, and looming pressure points.
Featured Speakers:
Understanding What's Driving Today's Physician Shortages
What were once region-specific or specialty-limited staffing gaps have now escalated to nationwide clinical staffing challenges, impacting health systems of all sizes across all geographies. The discussion opened with a central question: What is contributing to increasing physician shortages and persistent staffing strain?
The answer? It's multifactorial. As highlighted by Chad Tuttle, supply and demand misalignments are particularly evident in specialties such as radiology. Nationally, imaging studies have seen 7% year-over-year growth, while the supply of radiologists has increased by about 2% annually. Similar trends are emerging in anesthesia, surgery, and psychiatry as patient demand continues to outpace availability.
The physician workforce imbalance is further compounded by a limited pipeline of new physicians due to residency constraints, an increase in physician retirements, and a rise in clinicians choosing to scale back their schedules in pursuit of better work-life balance.
"There are several different headwinds that are impacting the availability of certain types of providers," Dr. Roose noted, adding that shifting demographics are also intensifying the imbalance. As the population ages and grows in specific regions, health systems are seeing a sharp increase in demand for services, especially those related to chronic diseases and behavioral health.
Specialties Seeing the Most Staffing Instability
While the drivers of physician shortages are well understood, the areas where these gaps are most acute can vary significantly by specialty and care setting. To gather insight from those experiencing the impact firsthand, attendees of the virtual event, which included healthcare leaders from across the country, were polled to identify which clinical specialties pose the greatest staffing challenges within their organizations today.
The poll results mirrored what both executives are seeing in their systems. Dr. Roose described persistent shortages in radiology and psychiatry, noting the growing difficulty of staffing inpatient behavioral health services, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.
From the Midwest, Chad Tuttle noted similar clinical staffing challenges, particularly in radiology. Looking ahead, he expressed concern about emergency medicine, noting that proposed changes to extend residency training from three to four years could delay physician entry into the field and further constrain supply. He also flagged geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care as emerging areas of concern, where rising demand and lower compensation may challenge long-term coverage.
How Provider Shortages Are Impacting Care and Health System Operations
While often discussed in the context of workforce management, provider shortages are having far-reaching consequences across care delivery, hospital operations, and financial performance. During the discussion, Dr. Roose and Chad Tuttle shared examples of how provider shortages can affect system-wide decision-making and day-to-day functionality.
Their insights pointed to several specific areas of disruption:
- Delays in Access: Provider shortages can limit patients' ability to receive care and lead to a growing backlog of cases.
- Service Rationalization: In some instances, clinical staffing shortages can task health system leaders with evaluating whether they can sustain specific programs. The effects can range in scale, from limiting the availability of certain diagnostic services during specific hours to prompting the closure of entire programs.
- Hospital Operations: Staffing shortages in areas like imaging and anesthesia have led to delays in receiving timely diagnostic results or securing operating room access. These delays have contributed to an increase in patients’ length of stay. Tuttle noted that these operational disruptions raise concerns not only about financial performance, but also about how hospitals can sustain day-to-day operations and meet patient demand with available staff.
- Financial Strain: Gaps in clinical coverage can restrict a hospital's ability to provide high-demand services, like surgical procedures and outpatient visits, which are essential for driving volume, growth, and revenue.
As Chad Tuttle advised, “I’d encourage leaders to take advantage of whatever time they have now to ensure they have a robust plan in place with playbooks for each specific challenge that may arise. Medicus has been a great partner for us as we’ve navigated a couple of shortages within specific specialties.” Tuttle added that first, “You’ve got to have your playbooks in place.”
Looking Ahead
Today's clinical workforce pressures require more than reactive staffing - they call for proactive, long-term staffing strategies that align with overarching system goals. For a concise summary of the key insights from the virtual event, read our recap blog here. The next article in this series will explore the practical strategies Trinity Health and Corewell Health have leveraged to strengthen workforce stability and sustain access to care.
Interested in partnering with Medicus for interim healthcare staffing? Complete the short form below to connect with a member of the Medicus team.
