Healthcare Workforce

Workforce constraints are continuing to surface as a direct care-delivery and access risk for VBC organizations: Rochester Regional’s decision to end pediatric developmental and behavioral health services due to staffing strain underscores how shortages can weaken population health capacity, especially for high-need pediatric and behavioral cohorts. At the same time, stakeholders are looking to expand non-physician workforce models—specialty pharmacy technicians in oncology transitions of care, nurse practitioner fellowships at Oak Street Health, and immigrant health workers’ sizable role in hospitals and long-term care—as practical levers for managing total cost of care and closing access gaps (KFF immigrant workforce brief; Rochester Regional cuts pediatric behavioral health program). Rising hospital executive compensation is also sharpening the affordability and accountability tension for payers, ACOs, and purchasers: as frontline shortages force service reductions, scrutiny of system-level spending priorities may intensify in contract negotiations and value-based partnerships.