HWL Insights

Across the nation, health systems and nursing schools are running into the same bottleneck: a shortage of preceptors. Without enough qualified nurses to guide students through clinical rotations, health systems are forced to overextend staff nurses, while academic institutions struggle to expand class sizes. The result? Student capacity shrinks, nurses burn out, and the workforce pipeline suffers. 

We’re thrilled to welcome Tay Person to HWL as Vice President of Business Development for our Education Vertical.

I was speaking to an executive in a health system that was six months into having implemented an MSP with a very large staffing agency that had promised everything under the sun from customer service, fill rates, quality and cost savings. I was not shocked to hear that almost none of the promises from sales had materialized.

In nearly every conversation I’ve had with unit-level nursing leaders about insourcing — regardless of health system size or type — one truth frequently prevails: on the surface, most would rather avoid working with per diem staffing companies or internal resource pools. 

The just-released SIA report shows that healthcare staffing revenues are expected to decline by about 6% year-over-year in 2025, to ~$39.4 billion. But there’s a silver lining: signs point toward stabilization, and modest improvement is projected in 2026.

Healthcare demand for locum tenens and contingent staffing has never been higher. The pandemic highlighted how critical staffing agencies are for delivering qualified providers quickly, but also exposed weaknesses in service quality, compliance, and transparency. As healthcare organizations rely on external staffing partners, vendor-neutral VMS/MSP platforms must streamline talent access while holding agencies accountable to higher service standards.

Healthcare leaders are facing unprecedented financial pressure. With rising costs from tariffs on medical imports and Medicare reimbursement cuts straining margins, hospital executives—from CFOs to COOs and CNOs—are being forced to make hard decisions. 

Healthcare organizations across the country continue to contend with unsustainable staffing costs that come with being trapped in a vortex of over-reliance on premium-rate travel nurses and non-local agency staff. But what if there was a better way? 

When you're responsible for serving over three million patients annually across 700 care locations, operational efficiency isn't just a goal - it's essential for patient care. RWJBarnabas Health (RWJ), New Jersey's largest integrated healthcare system, discovered this firsthand when their locum tenens program became a source of administrative burden rather than strategic support. 

Bottom Line Up Front: Healthcare organizations face unprecedented challenges in managing contingent labor costs, vendor relationships, and workforce optimization. Strategic vendor management systems deliver measurable cost savings, enhanced transparency, and oversight of contingent staffing programs—positioning procurement professionals to drive meaningful ROI while maintaining operational excellence.

With over 1 million healthcare positions projected to go unfilled by 2030, the question is not if we need help—but how we get it.

Healthcare organizations face unprecedented challenges in managing contingent labor costs, vendor relationships, and workforce optimization. Strategic vendor management systems deliver measurable cost savings, enhanced transparency, and oversight of contingent staffing programs—positioning procurement professionals to drive meaningful ROI while maintaining operational excellence.

The healthcare industry has become an increasingly complex balancing act. Between regulatory changes, staffing shortages, and patient volume fluctuations, running a healthcare organization today feels like performing surgery while the operating room transforms around you. The question isn't whether unexpected challenges will hit your facility—it's when, and how ready you'll be to handle them. 

From workforce shortages to challenges in retention and recruitment, developing sustainable strategies is essential for driving organizational performance and ensuring long-term success in healthcare.

In a time when the nursing workforce faces unprecedented challenges—burnout, turnover, and unsustainable costs—healthcare leaders must look beyond reactive staffing models. At this year’s AONL Annual Conference, Amanda Wheeler, Vice President of InSourcing at HWL, sat down with the AONL podcast team to discuss how organizations can shift from scrambling to fill shifts to building resilient, future-ready workforce strategies.

Healthcare organizations face mounting pressure to maintain optimal staffing levels while managing costs and quality care. A resilient provider staffing strategy requires three key elements: rate transparency, workforce optimization, and administrative efficiency. HWL helps empower partners to do this every day here are some key learnings in each category:

Healthcare organizations face unprecedented workforce challenges as the staffing market continues to contract and evolve. This article examines the latest industry data and reveals how HWL's comprehensive suite of solutions can help healthcare providers navigate these challenges while optimizing their workforce strategy and controlling costs.

South Shore Health (SSH) has long been a leader in delivering exceptional care. As Massachusetts’ only community-based Level III NICU and one of just three Level II Trauma Centers in the state, SSH sets the standard for regional healthcare. Its nationally recognized cardiac program performs more than 3,500 procedures annually and consistently ranks among the top 10 hospitals in the state.

Exploring thought leadership in healthcare through engaging conversations with industry leaders

As healthcare systems navigate ongoing financial challenges, a promising shift is emerging. Recent analysis from Moody's Investor Services reveals an encouraging trend in the sector's financial health, with operating cash flow margins approaching 7%. While this signals a positive trajectory toward recovery, healthcare organizations must strategically navigate ongoing challenges to maintain this momentum.