Taking a break from who is hiring and who was hired, we rounded up some reading on the state of the healthcare workforce. Like many things in our lives for the few years the pandemic has taken a toll on it, the healthcare workforce might be on the top of the list of disruption. With 18% of healthcare workers having left their jobs and another 12% being laid off, what are the solutions for healthcare as a whole? You can’t open a paper, magazine, or watch news and not hear about the crisis that has evolved. Here are some insights and reports.
In the News
Press Ganey and UKG Launch Tech Integration to Streamline Nursing Quality and Workforce Management Workflows
Press Ganey, the leader in experience measurement, analytics, and strategic advisory services for health systems and health plans, introduced a new technology partnership with UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions. This integration connects UKG Pro Workforce Management™ with Press Ganey’s National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® (NDNQI®), helping hospitals and health systems streamline staffing decisions with real-time data to support nurse well-being and patient safety.
AmeriCorps Funding Cuts: Eroding the Mental Health Workforce Pipeline
The future of the National Mental Health Corps (NMHC)— a pipeline into the mental health workforce—is now in jeopardy. In the midst of a growing mental health crisis, the loss of AmeriCorps funding for crisis call center placements—and the emerging threat to suicide prevention training support—marks a critical moment for the National Mental Health Corps and the vital infrastructure it helps uphold.
CVS Health opens new Workforce Innovation and Talent Center in Columbus
CVS Health® announced the opening of its new Workforce Innovation and Talent Center (WITC) in Columbus, located at the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority’s Rosewind Community Center. The WITC will provide the community access to free workforce training and health services in collaboration with various local workforce organizations, such as Eckerd Connects, Columbus Jewish and Family Services, Columbus State Community College, YouthBuild and more.
New Statewide Initiative Further Combats Critical Shortages in Behavioral Health Workforce
The demand for behavioral health services continues to outpace the number of professionals in the field, leaving more than 2.4 million Ohioans without access to care. To close this gap, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) announced the launch of a new recruitment campaign to grow and strengthen the field, referenced in the campaign as Ohio’s Wellness Workforce.
symplr Acquires AMN Healthcare’s Smart Square Scheduling Software, Enhancing AI-Driven Workforce Optimization for Health Systems
symplr®, a provider of enterprise healthcare operations software backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. and Charlesbank Capital Partners LLC, has acquired the Smart Square® scheduling software from AMN Healthcare. This strategic acquisition strengthens symplr’s position in healthcare workforce and operations management and further bolsters the symplr Operations Platform by offering a powerful combination of Best in KLAS solutions for nurse and staff scheduling and timekeeping.
Kahuna Ladder for Healthcare Transforms Paper-Based Clinical Ladder Programs into Digital Powerhouses to Boost Engagement and Retention
Kahuna Workforce Solutions, a skills and competency management SaaS platform, announced the launch of Kahuna Ladder for healthcare, a cloud-based clinical ladder platform that provides a modern alternative to paper-based ladders. For hospitals and healthcare organizations struggling with nurse burnout and retention, Kahuna Ladder for healthcare unifies clinical competency data with automated, transparent career advancement in one purpose-built platform—resulting in better retention, stronger engagement, and measurable ROI.
Baton Rouge Health District Awarded $2 Million to Strengthen Local Healthcare Workforce
The Baton Rouge Health District has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Louisiana Department of Health’s Health Care Employment Reinvestment Opportunity (H.E.R.O.) Fund, along with $1 million in matching contributions from partners, to expand its BRHireD regional workforce initiative, focused on addressing critical healthcare staffing shortages in the Louisiana Capital Region. This $2 million investment supports an unprecedented regional coalition of 14 partners.
CareRev Expands On-Demand Workforce Platform, Now Supports Allied & Ancillary Healthcare Professionals
CareRev, the on-demand workforce platform purpose-built for acute care, announced that it will now offer allied and ancillary roles within its platform to support health systems and hospitals across the country. Access to CareRev’s on-demand workforce provides hospitals and health systems with the resources needed to ensure quality patient care while optimizing labor costs.
To Read
New Doximity Study Shows Modest Physician Pay Growth Amid Deeper Workforce Strain, Reimbursement Pressures
Doximity, Inc., a digital platform for U.S. medical professionals, released its 2025 Physician Compensation Report. The findings highlight a healthcare workforce under pressure, with modest compensation growth of 3.7%, a persistent gender pay gap of 26%, and growing concern from pediatric physicians about declining reimbursement.
Workforce Pressures Mount for Nurses and Technicians as AI and Politics Enter the Workplace: New Report
Incredible Health, the largest software and AI-powered career marketplace for permanent healthcare workers, announced the release of its sixth annual State of U.S. Nursing & Technicians Report. The report highlights emerging challenges and opportunities across staffing, compensation, well-being, and AI technology across the US healthcare workforce. This year’s report features a major expansion: for the first time ever, the report includes insights from more than 1 million US nurses, as well as technicians. The insights offer healthcare organizations a data-driven roadmap from responses across the country to meet rising care demands, improve retention, and support their permanent workforces.
ICYMI
And ICYMI – Experts weigh in with predictions on targeting workforce issues with AI.
