HWL Insights

As an MSP/VMS partner, we operate at a unique intersection — supporting healthcare organizations under workforce pressure while collaborating closely with agencies delivering care across nursing, rehab, and support services.

When was the last time your nurse managers had bandwidth to focus on retention strategies, quality initiatives, or staff development without being buried in candidate phone screens?

The workforce management landscape in 2025 told a story of both challenge and transformation. Healthcare organizations spent over 50% of their budgets on labor costs while facing unprecedented staffing shortages, according to Redesign Health analysis. Education wasn't far behind, with 1 in 8 teaching positions either vacant or filled by uncertified educators, reports the Learning Policy Institute. Yet amid these challenges, innovative solutions emerged that are reshaping how organizations approach workforce strategy. 

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 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? 

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 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.

The concept of an Internal Resource Pool (IRP) is no longer a “nice to have” in healthcare—it’s a strategic imperative. With workforce volatility, increasing patient acuity, and tightening budgets, healthcare organizations must cultivate agile, cost-effective, and clinically competent staffing solutions.

Staffing shortages, rising costs, compliance complexities, and more have been some of the most common challenges in the healthcare space for the past few years. Legacy systems and medical devices also pose cybersecurity risks that are often overlooked. Outdated staffing protocols foster inefficiency and lost revenue.

As a flex pool or travel nurse, you're often the "new nurse" on different units. While this role brings exciting opportunities, it also presents unique challenges. Here's how to navigate them with confidence and professionalism.

While nurses were more widely recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic, the allied health sector—comprising a wide range of professionals from imaging specialists to rehabilitation therapists—has also undergone significant changes. As healthcare leaders face ongoing staffing challenges, the demand for allied health professionals continues to rise, underscoring their critical role in comprehensive patient care.

In healthcare staffing, promoting diversity and inclusivity is not only ethically imperative but also strategically beneficial. Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) programs play a central role in achieving these goals. DBEs are businesses owned and operated by individuals confronting social and economic challenges, encompassing minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and disabled-owned enterprises, among others. These programs are designed to provide equitable access for DBEs to participate in federally funded contracts, particularly in healthcare staffing, thereby fostering supplier diversity and advancing equity in the healthcare sector.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has emerged as a critical area of concern within the healthcare sector. As healthcare organizations grapple with the economic impact of mental health costs and workforce shortages, the need for reliable staffing solutions has never been more pressing. According to recent data, the annual economic burden of mental and medical healthcare costs combined with lost productivity exceeds a staggering $220 billion in the United States alone. This figure underscores the urgency to address staffing challenges effectively to mitigate further financial strain and ensure quality patient care.

In the world of healthcare, where the lines between day and night often blur, the concept of work-life balance can seem like a distant dream. But as a mental health expert and a leader in healthcare workforce solutions, I understand the impact that a lack of balance can have on both healthcare professionals and the patients they serve. Addressing this issue is imperative and it starts with an awareness of the impact mental health has on our workforce.

The primary concern for organizations globally lies in the realm of workforce challenges, and this is evident across various sectors. Nowhere are these challenges more pronounced than in healthcare, with continuous shortages of providers of all types.

Healthcare organizations of all types of focus on addressing their staffing challenges in many ways, and one area that is of growing focus is physician and provider internal resource pools (IRP), often more generally referred to as “float pools”.