Smarter Healthcare Workforce Management Starts Here
Our Knowledge Center delivers practical, data-backed insights to help hospitals and health systems control labor costs, reduce agency dependency, and strengthen workforce sustainability.
From nurse staffing strategies and labor cost management to retention best practices and open shift optimization, our articles equip healthcare executives with the tools to improve margins without compromising patient care.
Hospital labor cost as a percentage of operating revenue averaged 48% across 75 U.S. health systems in 2025. Integrated delivery networks averaged 36.9%. Academic medical centers averaged 50.2%. Our 2025 Healthcare Cost of Labor Report shows where systems landed and what the improvers changed.
In today's digital age, health systems are inundated with an overwhelming amount of healthcare software and technology platforms that are critical for managing patient care and employee retention. However, this excess of healthcare software leads to major interoperability challenges, ultimately impacting patient outcomes and staff satisfaction.
Population health management is a proactive approach to healthcare that focuses on improving the health outcomes of entire patient populations. It involves collecting, analyzing, and managing patient data to identify health disparities, healthcare access, and healthcare costs. With technology and value-based care, healthcare providers can deliver patient-centered care emphasizing prevention, early intervention, and patient engagement.
Latent workforce opportunities in healthcare refer to untapped pools of internal and external labor that can help solve staffing challenges. With the ongoing healthcare staffing crisis, exploring these opportunities is critical to ensure high-quality patient care while reducing labor costs. One innovative solution to accessing internal and external labor is ShiftMed's gap shift management technology platform, which empowers healthcare systems and facilities to seamlessly manage their internal labor pools and tap into a W-2 on-demand marketplace of over 350,000 credentialed nurses.
There is a shift taking place in nursing and healthcare in the United States. The pandemic exposed a workforce staffing crisis that has been brewing for decades. On its current trajectory, it’s expected to get worse in the coming years because pay isn’t keeping up with the cost of living, healthcare workers are being asked to do more with fewer resources, and there aren’t incentives for nurses to enter the workforce.
Hiring quality, reliable healthcare professionals is tougher than ever. You've got nurses retiring, overworked nurses leaving the profession, and bottlenecks in nursing education. It's become a costly dog-eat-dog situation for healthcare providers trying to attract and retain top talent.
We've all heard the proverb, "the early bird gets the worm." It emphasizes the importance of starting something early to maximize the outcome. When using the ShiftMed app, it's best to post open shifts four to six weeks in advance to ensure fulfillment. However, we realize your facility schedulers don't always have that luxury with last-minute staff call outs. So, how can you fill critical shifts fast?
