Still Guessing? Why Your Physician Workforce Strategy Needs Real Data
September 1, 2025
Planning for 2026? Start with the Data Behind Your Provider Needs
Compliance Services
Performance Transformation
Even employed physician models require ongoing assessments to address access, succession, and strategic growth with clarity and compliance.
What if the doctors you’ve already hired aren’t enough? Or worse, aren’t the right ones for the care delivery model you're building?
In an era of physician employment, many hospital leaders assume workforce planning is handled. But recruitment success doesn’t start with who you want. It starts with what your community needs.
A PNA helps you:
- Align physician staffing with true community demand
- Document compliance for tax-exempt recruitment incentives
- Plan for retirements, access gaps, and service line growth
Do Employed Physician Models Still Require a Needs Assessment?
Over the past few months, we’ve published a series on why and how Physician Needs Assessments (PNAs) help hospitals solve today’s access and staffing challenges:
- Why Hospitals Still Need a PNA—even with employed physicians
- How PNAs Safeguard Recruitment Compliance
- The Recruitment Checklist Approach
- White Paper: Unlocking the Full Value of a PNA
3 Strategic Lessons from the PNA Series
1. Employment ≠ Automatic Alignment
Hiring more physicians won’t solve access problems unless you understand where the real demand lies. PNAs help align your current workforce to strategic service lines, population needs, and care models.
2. Documentation Is Not Optional
IRS and OIG expectations are clear: hospitals must prove community need before offering recruitment incentives. Whether recruiting for employed roles or independent practices, PNAs provide that defensible foundation.
3. Workforce Strategy is Ongoing
Retirements, population shifts, and service line growth require more than one-time reports. PNAs should be revisited every 2–3 years and used to guide both recruitment and retention planning.
Executive Takeaway
Without objective data, you’re planning in the dark. A PNA turns assumptions into strategy—backed by market analytics, physician supply analysis, and regulatory guardrails.
What to Do Next
📅 Schedule a strategic planning session to align physician staffing with long-term goals.
📘 Download the Physician Needs Assessment checklist to ensure your recruitment efforts start with the right foundation.
💼 Contact us to commission a custom Physician Needs Assessment for your service area.
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