Healthcare organizations are no strangers to change. But today’s staffing transitions — driven by workforce shortages, rising subsidies, expiring contracts, and evolving care models — are happening with unprecedented frequency and intensity. For medical practice leaders, these moments represent more than operational inconvenience; they are high‑risk inflection points that can disrupt patient access, strain finances, and erode staff morale if not handled intentionally.

That challenge was the focus of a recent episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, hosted by Daniel Williams, senior editor at MGMA. Williams was joined by Amy Otto, director of business development for enterprise solutions, and Kyle Hadley, senior vice president of anesthesia, both with LocumTenens.com, to explore how transition management can help organizations maintain continuity of care while navigating staffing change.

Their message to MGMA members was clear: Disruption does not have to mean instability — but continuity does not happen by accident.

Why Transitions are at a Critical Risk Moment

“Transitions are occurring all across healthcare right now,” Hadley said. “At the intersection of every transition, you have patient care, workforce stability, and financial performance.”

Whether the change involves a clinical group exiting a contract, rising subsidy demands, or leadership realignment, healthcare organizations have very little margin for error. Patient volumes do not pause. Regulatory requirements do not relax. And uncertainty often fuels staff fatigue and burnout.

Otto noted that many transition conversations begin when leaders voice frustration around loss of control and rising costs, particularly in critical service lines like anesthesia and radiology.

“These are services the hospital can’t function without,” she said. “When leaders feel trapped by outsourcing arrangements or lack transparency into decision‑making, that’s often when they start asking whether there’s a more sustainable model.”

The Cost of Reactive Change

One of the most consistent themes throughout the conversation was the danger of waiting too long to act.

“When transitions aren’t proactively managed, what you typically see are reactive responses,” Hadley explained. “That leads to higher costs, more turnover, less productivity, and more inefficiencies — all while teams are trying to learn new processes on the fly.”

Hadley shared a real‑world example of a Midwest hospital that waited until the final weeks of a contract to explore options after a subsidy increase of more than 100 percent. With limited time, leadership renewed the agreement. Two years later, facing another increase but armed with more time, the organization pursued a transition strategy — ultimately saving approximately $26 million over four years.

“Acting early isn’t a sign of weakness,” Hadley said. “It’s a sign of responsible governance.”

What Effective Transition Management Looks Like

At its core, transition management is about structure, coordination, and intention — especially during moments that feel chaotic.

“In healthcare, working fast without structure creates risk,” Otto said. “The right transition management approach gives organizations a playbook.”

That playbook includes aligning leadership, clinicians, operations, contracting, credentialing, and scheduling — without allowing decisions to happen in silos. Instead of layering complexity onto already‑stressed teams, effective transition management centralizes oversight and creates clear accountability.

Hadley emphasized the importance of the discovery phase, which many organizations underestimate.

“You have to understand your current staffing model, coverage requirements, credentialing status, contracts, and scheduling workflows,” he said. “And you have to identify who will be impacted early — not at the eleventh hour.”

Stabilization Without Disruption to Care

Once a transition is underway, the focus shifts from planning to stabilization. The goal is not simply filling open shifts, but supporting seamless integration.

“It’s not just about coverage,” Otto said. “It’s about onboarding, culture, communication, and making sure clinicians show up prepared and supported.”

Behind the scenes, that work includes coordinating licensing, payer enrollment, scheduling, orientation, and ongoing communication — all so on‑site teams can focus on patient care rather than firefighting.

“Our role is to put out the fires,” Otto said. “So frontline teams can do the work they love — caring for patients.”

Using Data to Build Trust

During transitions, uncertainty can drive anxiety. Data helps counter it.

“Solid data builds trust,” Otto said. “When teams can see that coverage is stable, schedules are filled, patients are being seen, and outcomes aren’t slipping, anxiety decreases.”

Key performance indicators often include coverage and fill rates, patient access measures, quality and safety markers, financial performance, and provider engagement. While metrics vary by organization, transparency remains essential.

“Data turns chaos into clarity,” Otto added. “It reassures everyone that the transition is being handled intentionally.”

Defining Success on the Other Side

So what does success look like after the dust settles?

“Success is continuity without disruption,” Hadley said. “Reliable staffing, stabilized finances, restored staff confidence, and no daily crisis mode.”

Importantly, transition management is not meant to create permanent reliance on temporary staffing.

“Our goal is to help organizations emerge stronger,” Hadley said. “Support them through change, then step back once stability is achieved.”

Otto summed it up more simply: “When we’ve done it right, the patients haven’t noticed anything changed,” she said. “That’s the best outcome of all.”

Transition Management Is Becoming a Core Capability

Looking ahead, both guests agreed that transition management will become less of a crisis tool and more of a core operational strategy.

“Change is no longer the exception — it’s the norm,” Hadley said. “Organizations that develop repeatable, scalable transition processes will be far better positioned than those that are always reacting.”

MGMA members dealing with workforce uncertainty can turn staffing transitions from moments of risk into opportunities for long‑term stability with proactive planning, intentional structure, and the right partnerships. 

Resources 

• LocumTenens.com – Transition management and clinician staffing solutions
• Contact Amy Otto on LinkedIn
• Contact Kyle Hadley on LinkedIn
• Locum Tenens Physician Staffing Playbook (MGMA)