AI is crashing the healthcare party, and OpenAI wants to be the one setting house rules.
Welcome to Locums Digest, Locumpedia’s free bi-weekly roundup of industry news and trends that helps locum tenens agencies and healthcare facilities make informed business decisions.
In this issue: OpenAI just dropped HealthBench, a new open-source benchmark that aims to bring some order to the chaos of AI in healthcare. With the current market feeling more Wild West than well-regulated, OpenAI is stepping in with a tool designed to measure whether large language models are safe, accurate, and clinically useful or just tech hype in a lab coat.
Also in this edition of Digest: We share the specialties hospitals can’t get enough of, Barton Associates goes all-in on locum tenens, and how advanced practice providers are quietly reshaping the system.. We’re also diving into what Gen Z and Millennial physicians really care about (spoiler: it’s not fancy titles), plus what new policies could mean for rural care and telehealth coverage.
OpenAI Launches HealthBench to Set a New Standard in Healthcare AI Evaluation
May 13 | Fierce Healthcare
OpenAI has just attempted to raise the bar for evaluating large language models in healthcare. With its new open-source benchmark, HealthBench, the company aims to assess how well AI performs in real-world medical scenarios, far beyond multiple-choice exam questions. Built in collaboration with 262 physicians across 60 countries, the tool grades AI-generated responses across more than 48,000 criteria, factoring in safety, communication, accuracy, and clinical appropriateness. The goal? Give researchers and healthcare organizations clear, evidence-based insights into how AI tools can be safely deployed in clinical settings.
HealthBench matters because the AI healthcare staffers recommend, support, or deploy is increasingly part of clinical workflows. Generative AI is already used in hospitals, sometimes without proper oversight. HealthBench offers a rigorous way to vet the tools clinicians are using (or being asked to use), helping your agency or partners steer clear of risky tech and stick to what’s proven to work.
This also signals a shift in how staffing firms may need to consider AI literacy among clinicians. As tech like ChatGPT gets integrated into everything from bedside care to admin support, providers will need clinical expertise and confidence to integrate AI safely. HealthBench might help set the standard, but it’s up to staffing pros to ensure their talent pool is prepared for what’s coming next.
La Vida Locum
Top 6 Locum Tenens Specialties to Watch in 2025
April 9 | AllMedical Personnel
With hospitals facing mounting provider shortages, locum tenens demand is ramping up, and smart staffing firms are paying attention. In 2025, specialties like family medicine, emergency medicine, psychiatry, and CRNA are leading the charge, driven by surging mental health needs, anesthesia coverage gaps, and an aging patient population. These roles are critical, but they’re also lucrative opportunities for agencies to place top talent where it’s needed most.
Family medicine continues to be a backbone specialty, especially in rural markets. Emergency physicians are in demand nationwide as EDs look for relief. CRNAs are stepping in where anesthesiologists are scarce, and psychiatrists remain vital in closing mental health care gaps. Add in the rising demand for nurse practitioners and dentists, particularly in underserved areas, and you’ve got a staffing landscape full of high-value placements.
For agencies, these trends are more than just market signals. They’re a chance to boost placement volume, strengthen client partnerships, and offer providers roles that deliver income and impact.
How Locum Tenens Providers Are the Backbone of Modern Healthcare
May 6 | MPLT Healthcare
Locum tenens providers aren’t just filling healthcare gaps anymore but anchoring the system. As staffing shortages and burnout persist, facilities are leaning on locums not as backup plans but as critical players in care delivery. For staffing firms, that shift is a significant opportunity. Locum roles redefine how providers want to work and how hospitals stay operational.
Take Dr. Mora, MPLT Healthcare’s 2024 Physician of the Year. His locum assignments have helped underserved communities and allowed him to shape a career on his terms. Stories like his are becoming more common, resonating with a new generation of clinicians who want autonomy, variety, and meaningful impact without the burnout of full-time roles.
For agencies, the message is clear: locum work is no longer niche. It’s a core part of workforce strategy. The best locum providers bring fresh perspectives, improve workflow, and stabilize teams in crisis, all of which your clients are actively searching for. If your firm can deliver skilled, adaptable clinicians ready to meet the moment, you’re not just staffing facilities. You’re helping reshape healthcare from the inside out.
Why Locum Tenens May Be the Lifeline Cancer Care Needs
May 15 | Hayes Locums
Cancer care demand continues to climb, but the number of available oncologists isn’t keeping pace. Rural communities are especially strained, as 66% of rural counties don’t have a single oncologist, leaving over 32 million patients without local access to critical care. Despite lower incidence rates, cancer mortality is higher in these areas, highlighting the urgent need for staffing solutions that reach beyond traditional models. The result is a system stretched thin and facilities scrambling to maintain continuity of care.
This shortage is wearing down more than just patient access. According to the American Society for Clinical Oncology, nearly 60% of oncologists report burnout, often linked to inadequate staffing and excessive workloads. Recruiting subspecialists like hematology and radiation oncologists becomes even harder when facilities can’t maintain core coverage. It’s a domino effect that leaves entire departments vulnerable to instability and makes long-term planning nearly impossible.
Agencies that understand the unique needs of oncology departments can play a crucial role in stabilizing these programs. The key is pairing skilled locum providers with facilities needing more than a warm body. Instead, they need professionals who can quickly carry the load and build trust. As cancer care continues to evolve, staffing firms that bring proactive, flexible solutions will be the ones clients turn to first.
Locum Leaders
Alumni Staffing Taps Industry Leader Jessica Calzaretta for Board Seat
May 6 | PR Newswire
Alumni Staffing has added serious firepower to its Board of Directors with the appointment of Jessica Calzaretta, President of Insight Global Health. A well-known figure in the staffing world, Calzaretta launched Insight Global’s healthcare division in 2021 and brings deep expertise in leadership, growth strategy, and healthcare delivery. She’s also a Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation member, adding even more weight to her already impressive resume.
CEO John Pannucci called Calzaretta’s appointment a game-changer, citing her dual focus on client experience and internal development as exactly what the firm needs to keep its growth momentum going. Alumni has built its reputation on responsiveness and results, and Calzaretta’s background aligns tightly with the company’s mission to raise the bar in locum tenens staffing.
Calzaretta says joining the board was an easy decision because of the company’s culture, commitment to service, and rapid rise in the industry. Her addition comes at a key moment for Alumni, which has expanded quickly since its founding in 2016. With demand for locum providers rising and clients seeking trusted partners, Alumni’s leadership team is stacking the deck to deliver on both fronts.
A Different View on Healthcare Lobbying
April 27 | MD Spots
Staffing firms know clinicians advocate for patients daily, but what about when policies threaten access to care before a patient walks through the door? Anesthesia leader Luc Corriveau argues that lobbying is more than politics. It’s how healthcare professionals scale their advocacy beyond the bedside. Whether it’s pushing for rural hospital funding, fighting for telehealth reimbursement, or protecting access to affordable medications, policy decisions directly impact your providers, your clients, and your bottom line.
Corriveau urges clinicians to drop the outdated notion that lobbying is shady or “not their job.” The pandemic laid bare just how political healthcare is, from PPE shortages to staffing mandates. And when healthcare professionals sit out of the policy conversation, bad rules win by default. If we want a system that values access, safety, and equity, providers and the staffing partners who support them need a voice in the rooms where decisions are made.
For staffing firms, this is a call to action. Advocacy is part of staying relevant and future-proofing your business, so encourage your providers to share their stories. Partner with associations leading the charge. Advocate for fair policies that support flexible staffing models, telehealth, and clinician well-being. Lobbying might not be on your service menu, but when you show up for the people you place, you’re shaping the future of care.
GHR Healthcare Acquires Barton Healthcare Staffing, Doubling Down on Allied and Nursing
May 8 | GHR Healthcare
GHR Healthcare has expanded its staffing reach in a big way. The company has officially acquired Barton Healthcare Staffing, the nursing and allied health arm of Barton Associates. The move brings Barton’s clients and clinicians under GHR’s wing, bolstering GHR’s ability to deliver flexible, high-touch workforce solutions across the country. The deal closed on May 3, 2025, and both companies call it a win for quality care and long-term collaboration.
For Barton Associates, the deal signals a strategic shift. By handing off its nurse and allied operations, Barton is sharpening its focus on its booming locum tenens business. CEO April Hansen said the move would let Barton double down on physician and advanced practice staffing, which is the firm’s bread and butter. Meanwhile, Barton Healthcare Staffing’s legacy will continue under GHR’s leadership, bringing decades of workforce management experience and a service model built around responsiveness.
GHR CEO John Quirk called the acquisition a natural fit, pointing to the shared values of quality and service. With this deal, GHR reinforces its position as a go-to partner for scalable, client-first staffing across disciplines. Both firms say they plan to work together closely to meet evolving staffing demands and keep providers where they’re needed most.
Hire Power
2025 AAPA Salary Report Shows Pay Bump for PAs and Reinforces Their Growing Influence
April 30 | American Academy of Physician Associates
The American Academy of Physician Associates released its 2025 Salary Report, and the message is loud and clear: PAs are in demand and getting paid accordingly. Median compensation jumped 5.5% to $134,000, with hourly wages climbing to $75. These gains reflect PAs’ growing role in meeting patient demand, primarily as systems work to close care gaps and manage stretched clinical teams.
Telehealth adoption is another major shift. Nearly half of all PAs used telemedicine in the last year, a massive increase from pre-pandemic levels. In primary care, 76% of PAs now use telehealth, reinforcing its role as a key patient access point. The report also digs into geographic pay variations. While coastal states still top the charts on raw income, adjusted figures show that states like Oklahoma and Michigan offer the most bang for a PA’s buck.
For staffing firms, this data confirms what many already suspected. With 59% of PAs under age 40 and more providers heading into rural and primary care roles, the opportunity to match them with high-need facilities is strong. Rising pay, flexible modalities like telehealth, and a rapidly growing talent pool mean PAs are not just part of the solution. They are central to it. Make sure your pipeline and client conversations reflect that.
Emergency Medicine is at a Breaking Point. Can Workforce Strategy Save It?
May 18 | Medicus Healthcare Solutions
Emergency departments were designed for chaos, but now operate in a near-constant state of overload. Hospitals are struggling to keep pace with more than 140 million annual visits and fewer inpatient beds than before the pandemic. Median boarding times have hit over six hours when occupancy exceeds 85%. In the District of Columbia, patients wait more than five hours just to be seen. The system is no longer just stretched but strained to its core.
Emergency physicians are paying the price. Burnout rates are at 56%, with another 25% experiencing depression. Many even say they would trade pay for a better work-life balance. The equation is clear: insufficient staff plus higher acuity leads to provider exhaustion and real risks to patient care. Health systems looking to survive the pressure need more than stopgap coverage. They need a long-term workforce strategy that works.
That is where locum tenens delivers. What was once a short-term fix is now a key part of sustainable staffing. Locum physicians and APPs provide essential relief, maintain coverage during peak times, and give exhausted teams the support they need. Locums become a strategic advantage when paired with real-time demand planning, flexible scheduling, and smart APP integration. The old normal is gone, but emergency departments do not have to break. Staffing firms that offer scalable, flexible solutions will be the partners that health systems cannot do without.
Certified Nurse Midwives Are Stepping Up, So Why Aren’t We Letting Them Lead?
May 15 | LocumTenens.com
CNMs are more qualified and in demand than ever. With a 27% jump in need and a projected 32% workforce increase by 2030, CNMs are positioned to be a vital solution to the country’s OBGYN shortage. Yet outdated laws and misconceptions are holding them back. Only 27 states and the District of Columbia grant CNMs full practice authority, limiting access to high-quality, cost-effective maternal care when needed most.
In areas where CNMs are fully integrated, outcomes improve. Patients see fewer cesarean births, less intervention, and higher satisfaction. And in maternity care deserts, where 36% of US counties lack adequate OB coverage, CNMs often fill critical gaps. Still, over 60% of US counties don’t have any CNMs. That’s a missed opportunity, especially in rural areas where nearly 58% of counties have no obstetric clinician.
CNMs aren’t a substitute for OBGYNs but a key part of the solution. As access to women’s health services continues to shrink, CNMs, along with NPs and PAs, are essential to ensuring patients get the care they need before, during, and after pregnancy. LocumTenens.com is teaming up with March of Dimes to tackle these issues head-on with an educational series to expand access to maternity care. With over 14,000 CNMs currently practicing in the US, it’s time to stop underutilizing them and start seeing them as the maternal care leaders they are.
The Secret to Building High-Performing Teams That Stay
May 15 | Winston Resources
Landing top talent is a win, but keeping them is the real test, and it takes more than good pay and a slick benefits sheet. According to Winston Resources, the secret to long-term retention is simple: align technical skills with company values, and build a culture where people feel genuinely supported. When staff feel seen, heard, and empowered, they stay. And that kind of loyalty starts with leadership that prioritizes empathy and growth.
This is a reminder for staffing professionals that culture matters just as much as credentials. High-pressure healthcare environments benefit from flexible onboarding, mentorship, and open communication. Agencies that understand how to match not just the resume, but the personality and purpose of each candidate, create real value for clients and reduce costly turnover.
The takeaway is clear. Retention starts at the recruiting table. Whether you’re helping a rural hospital hire a specialist or placing APPs in fast-paced systems, the right cultural fit makes all the difference. The best staffing partners aren’t just filling jobs. They’re helping clients build resilient, high-performing teams one placement at a time.
Gen Z and Millennials Are Chasing Purpose, Pay, and Peace of Mind
May 19 | Staffing Industry Analysts
A new Deloitte Global survey reveals that younger workers aren’t interested in climbing the corporate ladder just for the view. Gen Z and Millennials, expected to make up nearly three-quarters of the global workforce by 2030, prioritize a career trifecta: financial security, meaningful work, and personal well-being. Just 6% of Gen Z respondents say a senior leadership role is their top goal. Instead, they’re looking for growth opportunities, balance, purpose-driven work, and managers who will mentor them. So far, only a third feel they’re getting that support.
These generations have been shaped by economic and global shocks, from the 2008 financial crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now they’re adapting again as generative AI transforms the workplace. Most believe AI will impact their roles in the next year, and many are already using it regularly. While they credit AI with boosting productivity and improving work-life balance, over 60% worry it could threaten job stability. As a result, they’re gravitating toward roles they see as future-proof.
The report also points to rising financial stress: nearly half of Gen Zers and Millennials say they feel financially insecure, a sharp jump from 2024. Yet despite the money concerns, over 90% say purpose is critical to job satisfaction. Employers and staffing firms must invest in mentorship, flexibility, and meaningful work environments that prioritize personal growth and long-term stability.
Making the Rounds
Physician Burnout Is Finally Dropping, But Not Evenly Across Specialties
May 13 | American Medical Association
After years of climbing, burnout among physicians is finally starting to dip. New data from the AMA’s 2024 Organizational Biopsy shows that 43% of physicians reported at least one symptom of burnout, down from nearly 50% in 2023. While that’s progress, the AMA stresses that no specialty is in the clear. Emergency medicine still tops the burnout list at 52%, followed by family medicine, OBGYN, pediatrics, internal medicine, and hospital medicine. All six fields saw burnout rates decline, but the stress is far from gone.
Physicians in these high-burnout specialties face long hours, relentless administrative loads, and high patient demands. Still, there’s good news: job satisfaction is rising. OB-GYNs reported the highest satisfaction (80%), followed closely by pediatricians and hospitalists. When support systems improve, from wellness programs and flexible scheduling to embedded behavioral health, it’s clear that so does morale. Organizations investing in specialty-specific solutions are helping move the needle, but sustained change will take more than surface fixes.
Doctors interviewed by the AMA point to systemic improvements that have made a difference: peer support groups, tele-behavioral health, integrated case management, and even concierge services for work-life balance. These interventions help, but lasting relief will require targeted resources for each specialty. Burnout may be easing, but the message is clear: Progress is fragile, and continued investment in physician well-being is non-negotiable.
Telehealth Policy Is Holding Steady (For Now), But Staffing Firms Should Stay Ready
May 7 | Telehealth.org
For staffing professionals placing telehealth clinicians, 2025 brings a mix of stability and uncertainty. The DEA has extended pandemic-era prescribing waivers through the end of the year, allowing clinicians to continue prescribing controlled substances remotely without an in-person visit. However, the final rules are still in limbo, and the proposed registration requirements are on hold following public pushback. This gives your clients time to prepare, but also means you’ll need to keep talent informed and ready to adapt heading into 2026.
On the Medicare front, telehealth coverage has been extended through September 30, 2025, which is good news for rural and federally qualified health centers, mental health services, and expanded provider types. However, some benefits didn’t make the cut, including virtual diabetes prevention and first-dollar HSA coverage. Staffing firms should anticipate continued client questions about reimbursement, eligibility, and clinician placement as these policies evolve.
Leadership shakeups at CMS and the DEA could also shift the landscape. As clients and clinicians seek clarity, your team’s ability to track policy changes and advocate for stability will be essential to navigating the telehealth market in the months ahead.
Medicaid Cuts Could Deepen Rural Health Crises and Disrupt Staffing Along the Way
May 9 | Managed Healthcare Executive
As Congress weighs Medicaid budget cuts, staffing leaders should brace for ripple effects in already-vulnerable rural communities. Marcel Botha, CEO of 10XBeta, warns that reduced funding combined with federal agency cuts under the DOGE initiative could cripple rural hospitals and clinics, especially in states with high Medicaid enrollment like Kentucky, Mississippi, and West Virginia. With over 66 million Americans relying on Medicaid, these cuts could widen healthcare deserts and undermine demand for both permanent and locum coverage in high-need areas.
Staffing challenges in rural healthcare are nothing new. Hospital closures, provider shortages, and limited access have long shaped the landscape. But Botha sees a path forward: mobile care fleets, rugged diagnostic tools, and public-private innovation partnerships. In collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and others under the ARPA-H initiative, his team is building a mobile, digital-first rural healthcare model. That model hinges on tech and human connection, and staffing partners must be ready to support it with qualified, community-oriented clinicians.
For staffing firms, the message is clear: follow the funding. As telehealth and mobile models expand, demand for flexible, mission-driven providers will grow. However, Medicaid or telehealth reimbursement cuts could stall progress and strain recruitment. Advocating for smart reimbursement reforms and investing in rural-ready clinicians now will be critical to sustaining access and securing your agency’s role in shaping what comes next.
Sponsored Content
Boost Retention and Recruiting by Adding Financial Perks Your Locums Need
May 13 | The Doctor’s CPA
In the competitive world of locum tenens staffing, financial support isn’t a bonus; it’s a smart recruitment strategy. Partnering with a CPA specializing in 1099 physician finances can give your agency a serious edge. Locum providers face complex tax obligations, self-employment logistics, and long-term planning hurdles. Offering access to The Doctor’s CPA helps physicians manage those challenges, keep more of what they earn, and see your agency as more than just a job placement service.
Specialized CPA support means providers can get help from estimating taxes and optimizing deductions to forming S-Corps and setting up retirement accounts. That’s the kind of value-add that builds trust and loyalty. And because the CPA works directly with your physicians, there’s no extra admin burden on your team. You stay focused on staffing, while your locums stay focused on delivering care, with less financial stress in the mix.
Financial peace of mind is a retention tool. When you offer services beyond standard perks, like tailored tax advice and retirement planning, you signal to your providers that you understand their reality and care about their future. That makes your agency more attractive to top-tier talent and more likely to keep them returning for their next assignment.
