Fewer Health Care Workers is Problematic for Patients, Hospitals

December 19, 2025

Hospitals all across the U.S. are experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians and other positions, causing barriers to care for many Americans. The problem is even causing some patients to turn to emergency departments for care, according to a new report by the American Hospital Association.

These longstanding workforce shortages were worsened by the pandemic, an aging population, burnout, and other factors. In addition to physicians, hospitals face vacancies in nursing and allied health, and physical and occupational therapy positions.

The situation is more dire for rural hospitals, resulting in some hospitals having to reduce services or close entirely, the report indicates.

Here are a few key takeaways: 

Help wanted:  Nationally, there are just 1.1 million physicians serving 340 million Americans. Wait times for new appointments now average 26 days. Health care turnover is projected to yield 64,000 fewer nurses by 2030 nationally, according to the report.

Older patients at risk:  Access to care challenges are problematic given that one in six Americans is now older than 65, which is a group that often requires complex care. In addition, 35 percent of Medicare recipients require behavioral health services, an aspect of care that also faces workforce shortages.

Rural challenges:  Rural areas face greater challenges accessing health care due to a widespread shortage of primary care, specialty, dental, and behavioral health workers. The report shows that 66.4 percent of primary care health professional shortage areas were in rural areas, as of March 2025.

Developing solutions:  Hospitals have been utilizing a variety of workforce strategies to combat this ongoing problem, such as upskilling workers, leveraging technologies to reduce stress and paperwork, and redesigning care models to better allocate resources to patient care.

AI input: The report shows that hospitals are implementing artificial intelligence in conjunction with other efforts and have added new positions in digital health, virtual care, cybersecurity, and complex care coordination.

Read the report online.