Locums Digest #142 | Jackson Healthcare Names Group President, Locum Tenens Coverage for ASCs, Locum APPs Bridge the Gap & More

Editor’s Note

Surgery is moving outside hospitals across the US, and surgeons are in short supply. Outpatient procedure volumes are projected to grow 20% over the next decade, while 2027 forecasts point to shortages across several medical specialties. Those competing pressures are shaping workforce planning across healthcare.

The challenges extend beyond patient care. When a rural hospital closes a unit, patients travel farther for care they used to find close to home. Recruiting is shifting too, with in-house recruiters managing more responsibilities on shrinking budgets as health systems centralize their teams. At the same time, many early-career physicians are weighing part-time work. In each case, organizations that plan ahead are better positioned than those that react once a gap opens.

As demand and supply pull further apart, staffing firms are preparing for what comes next. This edition of Locums Digest also covers a leadership change at a major healthcare staffing organization and how advanced practice providers fit into long-term staffing strategies. Together, these stories show what agencies and their clients are preparing for, and where starting sooner can help.

– The Locumpedia Editorial Team

Lead Story

Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Market Growth, Workforce Pressures, and Operational Demands

October 29, 2026 | Medicus Healthcare Solutions

Surgery is shifting from hospitals to outpatient settings. About 10,900 ambulatory surgery centers operate in the US, handling roughly 35.7 million procedures over the past year. More than 80% of surgeries are now performed in these settings, and overall outpatient volumes are projected to grow 20% from 2026 to 2036.

Gastroenterology and ophthalmology lead in procedure volume, and about 90% of centers have some physician ownership. Workforce projections point to 2027 shortages in these specialties, along with anesthesiology, cardiology, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery. Shortages of anesthesiologists and CRNAs also threaten surgical capacity.

As outpatient surgery volumes grow, staffing needs are expected to increase across several specialties. Clients in these settings may ask about anesthesia, GI, and other procedural coverage earlier. Locum tenens agencies should have credentialed candidates in these specialties ready before demand arrives.

La Vida Locum

How NPs and PAs Help Health Systems Address Physician Shortages

October 27, 2026 | Jackson and Coker

As physician shortages continue to challenge facilities’ staffing plans, many organizations are turning to APPs to fill gaps. They typically bring in nurse practitioners and physician assistants only after vacancies are already causing issues. At the same time, healthcare organizations face mounting pressure to increase access, maintain continuity of care, and support growth.

Facilities should include NPs and PAs in their long-term healthcare staffing plans. Proactively integrating them can expand team capacity, increase access, and support long-term growth. Recruiters and staffing leaders should discuss APP integration with clients as part of a strategic approach, not only when vacancies appear.

2027 Healthcare Staffing Trends: What’s Reshaping Workforce Planning

October 26, 2026 | VISTA Staffing

Locum tenens use is expected to expand in 2027, and it’s increasingly treated as part of workforce design instead of a stopgap. Nearly 90% of US hospitals and medical groups already use locum physicians, and clinician shortages and rising demand in surgery and aging-related specialties are cited as the drivers. Healthcare employers are also expected to plan contingent staffing and blend permanent staff, locums, and virtual nurses into one model.

This means clients may bring agencies into workforce conversations earlier, before a vacancy opens. It also raises the bar on specialty expertise, since staffing plans are expected to be tailored to specific service lines. Staffing firms that can deliver qualified clinicians across high-demand specialties will be better positioned to meet clients’ evolving staffing needs.

Locum Leaders

• Jackson Healthcare named Chris Franklin group president of physician and advanced practice, who will oversee six companies that each keep their operational autonomy.
• SIA’s 2026 Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list includes several leaders in locum tenens staffing. Among the honorees are Brooke Bowers of CompHealth, Tammy Browning of TotalMed, Janet Elkin of IMN Enterprises, Cary Grace of AMN Healthcare, April Hansen of Barton Associates, Emily Hazen of Aya Healthcare, Leslie Kurtz of Jackson Healthcare, Natasha Lee of Floyd Lee Locums, Jan Ross of Ingenovis Health, and Leslie Snavely of CHG Healthcare.

Hire Power

The State of the Industry: Why Relationships Are the Only Lifeline

October 26, 2026 | Alumni Healthcare Staffing

In-house physician recruiters are facing pressure from several directions. Health systems are consolidating, and local recruiting teams are being pulled into centralized corporate HR structures. These professionals report heavier workloads, less autonomy, and shrinking budgets while handling median pipelines of nearly 40 active, hard-to-fill searches.

Recruiters with heavier loads have less patience for generic vendor pitches. Locum tenens agencies that listen first, acknowledge the challenges, and help head off problems before pushing candidates give clients a reason to keep calling. Earning their trust is critical before asking them to consider candidates.

Which Physicians Are Considering Part-Time Work?

October 27, 2026 | AMA

A survey of 710 physicians who finished residency or fellowship between 2015 and 2024 looked at who considers working part-time. Interest was highest among women and nonsurgeons, and about 71% of female nonsurgeons were considering it at the 10-year mark. Parents and physicians further from training were more likely to actually work part-time, though a significant gap remains between considering it and doing it.

It suggests that many doctors want reduced schedules but aren’t getting them. Provider shortages, training debt, and cultural stigma are named as possible barriers. Agencies recruiting early-career clinicians should highlight the freedom of locum tenens work and expect flexible schedules as a normal request.

Making the Rounds

A New Owner Took Over Central Missouri Hospital. Nine Days Later, It Cut Labor and Delivery

October 8, 2026 | The Beacon

A hospital in Marshall, Missouri, announced it would end labor and delivery services nine days after a new owner took over. The town’s only hospital filed for bankruptcy protection in April, and the sale closed in early September. The unit delivered 252 babies in 2025, and patients now face a trip of more than an hour to the nearest alternatives, up from about 30 minutes.

A sale can change which services a hospital offers within days. A University of Georgia study found acquired rural hospitals were 11% less likely to offer obstetric care five years later, though it doesn’t prove an acquisition causes a closure. Locum tenens agencies should check which departments are still open at a hospital that has changed hands before confirming a start date.

Hospital Beds for the Nation’s Sickest Kids Are Disappearing

October 28, 2026 | KFF Health News

Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana, ended pediatric intensive care in October, and similar units closed in Oregon and Missouri over the past year. The hospital cited low patient volume and staffing, with about two children a month needing intensive care and no pediatric critical care physician living in the town since the last one retired eight years ago. The nearest pediatric intensive care unit is now in Kalispell, roughly 150 miles away.

Rural hospitals across the US are facing low volumes and a thin pool of pediatric subspecialists, making these units hard to keep open. Hospitals that lose them stabilize the sickest children and transfer them out, potentially delaying critical care. Rotating specialist coverage can help facilities maintain services, and agencies with pediatric clinicians may help fill the gap.