Vital Signs is a monthly newsletter from AdvancedMD highlighting the healthcare industry’s top trends and insights. It’s our way of helping you stay informed.
There was no shortage of healthcare related news in the final weeks of 2024. One of the biggest insights we learned: The job market for healthcare providers is strong. In fact, a leader in the healthcare talent industry told Medical Economics, “Recruitment is at its peak right now” for physicians.
Doctors aren’t the only ones seeing professional gains within the medical field. A Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) survey found that more than a third of practice owners are budgeting for larger increases in nursing pay in 2025.
Meanwhile, the American Heart Association released a statement emphasizing how palliative care can help improve the quality of life for stroke survivors and called attention to the fact that such care is largely underutilized. In other news, medical imaging firms have greatly expanded their use of AI since 2018.
Here’s a quick recap of everything we learned:
- According to multiple healthcare recruitment professionals, the job market is strong for physicians considering a new career. “Recruitment is at its peak right now,” said the president of AMN Healthcare’s Physician Permanent Solutions, “We’re seeing changes within compensation models, we’re seeing changes in demand and who is requesting what and we’re seeing some incentive trends that are breaking records.”
- More than a third of medical group owners surveyed by MGMA report that they are budgeting for a larger increase in nursing salaries in 2025.
- The American Heart Association recently released a statement emphasizing how palliative care can significantly improve the quality of life for stroke survivors even though it continues to be largely underutilized with patients in need—especially among minority groups.
- Another survey conducted by MGMA found that 51% of medical group owners do not have clear processes in place to assess new technology.
- After surveying medical imaging providers, KLAS Research found that more than half are using an AI algorithm for at least one imaging use case. The findings represent a significant increase since 2018 when only 17% of healthcare organizations said they were “piloting or actively using” an AI tool for imaging purposes.
- According to Medical Economics, Bain & Company anticipates the number of primary care patients served by traditional fee-for-service providers to decrease more rapidly than the research firm originally predicted.
- Survey findings from The Commonwealth Fund revealed 23% of survey respondents with health insurance say that high out-of-pocket costs make it difficult to afford care. In fact, nearly half of all respondents reported they had held off on health care because of the expense.
- After surveying more than 2,300 physicians on workplace conditions, researchers found, “Lower levels of control were associated with higher levels of burnout, intent to reduce clinical time, and intent to leave the job.”
Vital Signs is brought to you by AdvancedMD. It’s our way of helping you stay informed on the trends and insights that shape our industry. Each month, we publish a roundup of healthcare headlines so that you are in-the-know when it comes to the topics that matter most to you, your staff, and your patients.