Employees in the healthcare industry are moving beyond emergency coverage to a “more purposeful” workforce strategy across their organizations, according to a new report from Definitive Healthcare.
Using a proprietary algorithm based on claims activity and affiliation data, the data analytics firm estimated that the number of locum tenens professionals has increased by more than 23% since 2022.
Definitive’s 2026 Providers: Industry Pulse report draws insights from proprietary data and analysis, as well as third-party research, to identify four key workforce shifts across industries. The report aims to give leaders and organizations “a deeper understanding of the current state of care, where it is heading and how to respond.”
According to the report, the allocation of temporary workers is becoming more structured. In addition to a shortage of primary care physicians and specialists, the “aging” of the physician population is making it more difficult to recruit full-time physicians, and more organizations are turning to community care.
Analysts recommended that healthcare leaders examine their organizational structures, clinical workflows, and budgets to see where such clinicians can provide more value.
Advanced healthcare providers (APPs) are a growth driver in primary care, with an increasing proportion of employed clinicians, highlighting the second major workforce shift, according to the report. Across all categories tracked by Definitive Healthcare, APPs grew 71% from 2021 to 2025.
Certified clinical nurse specialists saw modest growth of 7%, while a broader range of nonphysician practitioners (including certified nurse midwives and certified nurse anesthetists) recorded 139% growth.
Since the passage of the CARES Act in March 2020, NPs, PAs, and clinical nurse specialists have also played a major role in providing home health care. The CARES Act allows APPs to certify, establish, and review home health plans. This is a task that used to be assigned to doctors.
Organizations looking to position themselves well as the physician shortage worsens over the next decade should consider leveraging physicians as a central component of their access, growth and operational strategies, Definitive Healthcare said in a report.
Provider organizations should consider how APPs impact access metrics, patient throughput, readmission and follow-up compliance, and revenue retention, the report recommends. Organizations should also design clearly delineated roles to ensure APPs function at the top of their license while allowing physicians to focus on complex decision-making, diagnosis, and emergency care.
Continued demand for behavioral health services is driving another important workforce trend. According to Definitive Healthcare, behavioral health is moving beyond traditional practice models as demand grows faster than the supply of professionals. Many healthcare organizations are moving care away from traditional facility-based practices and exploring virtual, outpatient, and long-term care models.
Organizations should consider whether their reimbursement models are compatible with the delivery of hybrid care. Reimbursement models must reward outcomes, not just volume, and ensure that team-based care is reimbursed. “When patients move between social workers, nurses, care coordinators, and psychiatrists, opportunities to bill for collaborative, integrated care codes should be maximized,” the report authors wrote.
The report also focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence technology, with analysts saying that organizations “cannot afford to keep pace with technological advances.”
“As AI-powered technology becomes the norm across care settings, provider leaders need to assess whether their technology investments are leading to meaningful workforce benefits,” the report states. “Not only does it reduce workload and save time, the implementation of technology also becomes a cornerstone of brand identity and proves that the organization is not cutting corners when it comes to providing the best possible care.”
These technologies and solutions are rapidly increasing in use by patients, healthcare providers, and healthcare systems alike.
A recent study from Arcadia found that AI integration is slow across health systems and organizations, with only 14% of respondents reporting full integration of such solutions at “key decision points.”
Additionally, 31% of respondents cited day-to-day decision-making as a challenge to scaling AI responsibly. Other needs for responsible implementation included education (27%), strengthening data infrastructure (22%), and measuring impact (20%).
