The American healthcare system faces an unprecedented convergence of challenges: a spike in physician retirements, shifting policy implications, widespread provider burnout, and growing patient demand. For healthcare leaders and recruitment professionals, the path forward requires far more than simply filling open positions. It demands a strategic, data-driven approach to optimizing both provider performance and physician recruitment.
As Executive Vice President of Business Development for Jackson Physician Search, I recently had the privilege of co-hosting an MGMA webinar with Jenny Hart, senior manager at ECG Management Consultants, where we examined both sides of this coin. Jenny offered practical ways to optimize the performance of existing talent, and I focused on my area of expertise, strategic physician recruitment. Of course, we both understand the enormous pressure on healthcare organizations to do more with less. The goal of our conversation was not to add to that pressure, but rather to help organizations identify areas of missed opportunity. That is, where can we save time and effort to make the processes more efficient?
If you missed the webinar, keep reading for some practical advice that surfaced during our discussion.
Understanding the Perfect Storm
The statistics paint a sobering picture. With 40% of practicing physicians currently over age 55 (AAMC), we’re experiencing what many call the “Silver Tsunami.” That is, a wave of retirements that is fundamentally reshaping our workforce. The challenge isn’t merely one-to-one replacement: each retiring physician requires 1.5 to 2 full-time equivalents to maintain the same patient volume, reflecting both changing practice patterns and reduced clinical hours among younger providers.
Meanwhile, the recruitment timeline has extended to an average of 12-18 months, and competition has intensified dramatically. Today’s physicians receive up to 40 job offers monthly, transforming recruitment from a transactional process into a sophisticated marketing and retention challenge. Adding urgency to this situation, a Jackson Physician Search study found that 51% of physicians are actively considering new employers, while 36% are contemplating early retirement.
The Access Crisis Demands Urgent Action
Patient access has deteriorated to crisis levels across most specialties. While the industry standard targets 14-day wait times for new patient appointments, the national average has ballooned to 38 days (ECG). Specialty care often faces even more alarming delays.
These delays don’t just frustrate patients — they represent substantial revenue loss and market share erosion. When combined with the fact that 32% of hospitals operate at marginal or at-risk financial levels, and 43% are technically failing (ECG), the imperative for strategic capacity expansion becomes clear.
Balancing Supply and Demand
Effective capacity planning requires sophisticated metrics that evaluate provider clinical effort, patient preferences, and provider availability. Jenny offered several datapoints used to determine if there is indeed unmet patient demand (declining referral completion rates, lengthening new patient wait times, declining patient scores). She also shares metrics to evaluate accurate supply and identify capacity loss (provider capacity, templated hours, scheduled hours, arrived hours).
Jenny discussed methods for recouping these losses, such as clearer scheduling protocols, working with physicians to tweak templates, automating appointment reminders, and employing a rolling waitlist. These tactics will result in more patient-facing time for clinicians; however, if metrics indicate unmet demand persists, increasing headcount is a must.
The True Cost of Slow Recruitment
Of course, hiring a new physician is rarely a quick fix, but the efficiency of the process significantly affects both the time to fill and the recruitment cost. Consider two scenarios. In the first, which took 298 days, the client reviewed 18 candidates, invited four to interview on-site, and extended one offer. In the second, a 143-day process, the client reviewed six candidates, invited two for interviews, and extended one offer. The former incurred approximately $17,500 in additional costs while losing $728,000 in potential revenue.
The difference lies in urgency, stakeholder alignment, and process efficiency. The market does not allow for a long, drawn-out process in which you wait to compare a candidate you interviewed in March with one you interview in May. The former candidate has long since accepted another offer. Organizations that treat recruitment with appropriate priority — holding timely interviews, marketing the organization appropriately, and making quick decisions — significantly outperform those with bureaucratic, committee-driven approaches.
Building a Winning Recruitment Strategy
Understanding physician priorities is fundamental to successful recruitment and retention. Compensation will always be important, of course, but we’re increasingly seeing the importance of purpose and a meaningful connection with the practice group and community. A recent joint study from Jackson Physician Search and LocumTenens.com, “Is Medicine Still a Calling: Exploring Physician Attitudes About Purpose in Medicine,” found that physicians with a strong sense of calling were more likely to feel engaged and satisfied in their jobs. Physicians want to know they will have an opportunity to make a difference and grow their careers. Work-life balance is also essential, especially to the younger generations.
The interview process serves two functions: 1) a chance to evaluate whether or not the candidate is a fit for the organization, and, just as important, 2) an opportunity to market the job and organization to the candidate. Tailor your messaging to the individual candidate’s needs, assigning specific topics to each interviewer to ensure a comprehensive approach. Arrange customized community tours for the entire family, including activities relevant to their lifestyle. Leave no questions unanswered and maintain recruiting momentum throughout the process.
Always Be Recruiting
We spent a lot of time on it, and Jenny shared great advice on how to determine if you need to increase headcount, but I advise leaders to keep developing a pipeline of talent, whether you are actively hiring or not. Consider that 76% of the physician population is open to hearing about new job opportunities, and another 11% are actively seeking new opportunities. Retention is certainly not guaranteed, so building a pipeline of potential candidates is critical. Adopt a plan to engage with physicians through Doximity, job boards, targeted emails, and social media. Build the pipeline so that when the need arises, you do not have to start from scratch.
Bridging the Retention Gap
When a candidate accepts the offer, you may sigh with relief, but as I noted above, retention is not guaranteed. A new study from Jackson Physician Search and MGMA, “From Contract to Connection: How Authentic Relationships Foster Early-Career Loyalty and Retention,” found a disconnect between how long administrators expect new hires to stay and how long they actually do. This disconnect highlights the need for deliberate, visible retention initiatives that address the factors physicians actually value: meaningful work, career development, reasonable compensation, and work-life balance.
Building Capacity
Strategic physician recruitment isn’t simply about filling positions — it’s about building sustainable capacity to serve growing patient populations while maintaining financial viability. By accurately measuring capacity, moving urgently on recruitment opportunities, and creating compelling value propositions for both recruitment and retention, healthcare organizations can navigate the current crisis and emerge stronger. The time for incremental approaches has passed; today’s healthcare leaders must embrace strategic, data-driven workforce planning as a core organizational competency.
Whether you are actively recruiting for an open position or building a pipeline of potential candidates, a trusted physician recruitment partner can expand your capacity by providing both strategic and tactical support. The team at Jackson Physician Search is eager to build a partnership around your team’s specific needs. Reach out today to learn more.
About Tim Sheley
Tim has devoted his career to addressing the growing needs of the healthcare community. His introduction to physician search began nearly 30 years ago, and he has been part of the Jackson Physician Search team since 2003, when it was known as Jackson & Coker Permanent. As Executive Vice President of Business Development, Tim enjoys contributing to the company’s continuous growth in a fast-changing healthcare recruitment marketplace.
Leveraging his healthcare business development expertise at the C-suite level, Tim frequently shares insights through industry articles and speaking forums, with a focus on generating a return on investment in the recruitment and retention of physicians and advanced practice providers.
Tim resides in the Atlanta area with his wife and is a proud dad of three talented daughters. He enjoys cycling and spending time near the water during his free time.
