Rising demand, persistent shortages, and increasing complexity across sites of care are forcing leaders to rethink how clinical capacity is deployed. AmplifyMD recently had the opportunity to partner with the American Hospital Association (AHA) on a new Trailblazers report, The Future of Physician Workforce Optimization, to explore how leading health systems are using virtual models to address this challenge.
Drawing on examples from health systems including Memorial Hermann Health System, AdventHealth, and MUSC Health, the report shows that organizations can no longer rely on site-by-site staffing models or siloed specialty programs. To operate at scale, they need an enterprise approach that unifies clinical workflows, intelligently routes cases, and aligns specialist capacity with real-time demand.
Rather than adding more clinicians or launching siloed solutions, health systems are redesigning how coverage works—treating workforce optimization as an enterprise coordination challenge.
Key takeaways from leading health systems
Across the health systems featured in the report, a consistent challenge emerges: specialist demand is rising while physician capacity remains constrained. The case studies show how organizations are responding with enterprise models that improve coordination, standardize workflows, and better align capacity with demand.
Memorial Hermann Health System
- Physician shortages and burnout accelerated workforce pressure across the system
- Workforce attrition reduced staffing levels by roughly 10%, even as demand for care continued to grow
- Traditional staffing models were no longer sufficient, requiring workforce redesign rather than incremental hiring
Memorial Hermann implemented a coordinated strategy focused on improving clinician efficiency and extending specialty expertise through virtual care and automation
AdventHealth Redmond
- Specialist shortages created risk for sustaining complex, high-acuity services and maintaining full service line coverage
- Virtual specialty coverage helped preserve critical services that could have otherwise been disrupted
- By embedding virtual specialists into inpatient and ED workflows, the organization reduced unnecessary transfers and supported bedside teams with timely consults
MUSC Health
- Rural and community hospitals faced persistent shortages across key specialty areas
- MUSC built a centralized inpatient telespecialty model to expand access and reduce unnecessary transfers
- Virtual specialists were integrated into daily operations to reinforce local care teams and keep patients in their home communities whenever clinically appropriate
