Healthcare has a huge problem. Solving it begins with putting our data to work.
Health systems are facing unprecedented clinician shortages, rising turnover, and tightening margins. The data is clear – and completely aligned with what health systems are experiencing. The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) projects a deficit of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034. Frontline feedback echoes this: nearly half of nurses and physicians are already considered “at risk” of leaving their organizations. And when they do leave, the financial impact is staggering – physician turnover can cost between $800,000 and $2.3 million per departure, depending on specialty.
Losing clinicians impacts throughput, patient access, quality metrics, care continuity, staff morale, and the overall stability of any service line. Leaders live this reality every day – recruiting harder, stretching existing teams further, and navigating constant operational strain. Despite the investment in engagement platforms, wellness programs, and surveys, the gaps remain. These tools help, but only up to a point: they provide snapshots rather than continuous visibility, sentiment rather than signal.
Most importantly, our current systems remain largely reactive, flagging problems only once a clinician has already disengaged or left. By then, care has been disrupted, teams are scrambling, and the financial hit is already locked in. Too little. Too late.
Introducing Clinician Retention Intelligence:
Healthcare’s Category-Defining Moment
Clinician Retention Intelligence (CRI) introduces a new category of technology designed specifically for hospitals and health systems. CRI solutions anticipate which clinicians are most at risk of leaving, surface the actual drivers behind those risks, and guide leaders toward the interventions that meaningfully move the needle – before care teams feel the impact.
Unlike traditional HR or workforce tools, CRI turns a health system’s own operational and clinical data into proactive insight: the kind that protects patients, stabilizes teams, and preserves organizational and financial performance.
When the Status Quo Does – and Doesn’t – Work
First, it’s important to acknowledge that pieces of the status quo do have a purpose. Engagement surveys surface cultural trends. Wellness programs support resilience. HR dashboards help track workforce patterns. Many systems rely on these tools because they have real value and are often the only instruments available.
But the reality is that they’re not built to solve the retention challenge at the level leaders now need. Health systems tell us this all the time: the tools are helpful, but they don’t go far enough.
Here’s where they fall short:
- They’re reactive. Surveys and annual engagement cycles tend to capture sentiment long after it has shifted. By the time leaders review the results, run them through committees, and develop action plans, the clinician in question may already have resigned or have one foot out the door.
- They rely on subjective self-reporting. The clinicians most at risk often don’t complete surveys or raise their hands. These silent sufferers create blind spots that leave leaders with an incomplete – and sometimes misleading – picture. In fact, in a study published in the Journal of Healthcare Management, advanced practitioners who did not respond to hospital surveys exhibited a staggering 12 times higher risk of resigning, and physician nonrespondents demonstrated a five-fold increased risk.
- Anonymity obscures who actually needs help. Anonymous surveys encourage participation, but that same anonymity makes it nearly impossible to identify and support at-risk individuals. Without clinician-level insight, leaders are left guessing which interventions will matter and where to apply them.
Why CRI Changes the Game
- Predictive. Atalan’s CRI platform identifies at-risk clinicians up to 12 months in advance, enabling leaders to intervene early, before turnover destabilizes the unit or service line.
- Data-driven, objective, and grounded in reality. By tapping into EHR and HR data already embedded in the system’s workflows, Atalan uncovers dozens of addressable departure triggers that surveys simply can’t access.
- Guidance that’s specific and customized. Atalan goes beyond analyzing the data. It provides clinician-specific, specialty-aware recommendations, equipping frontline leaders with actionable, targeted next steps, far beyond one-size-fits-all programs.
- Designed for financial, operational, and clinical impact. Retention affects margin, safety, quality, patient experience, and access. CRI connects the dots that leaders are already accountable for.
For too long, health systems have treated clinician turnover as an inevitable cost of doing business. But it doesn’t have to be. Losing one clinician alone carries a significant financial burden. With CRI, retention becomes a strategic, data-driven discipline, one that strengthens teams, supports clinicians, and delivers measurable improvements across the enterprise.
Atalan is defining a new category at a pivotal moment in healthcare, as CRI becomes as essential as throughput dashboards, quality metrics, and revenue cycle intelligence. As adoption grows, health systems can shift from reactive crisis management to proactive workforce stability, recognizing that clinician turnover isn’t a fixed cost but a solvable, preventable challenge. This is healthcare’s moment to change the narrative and build systems where clinicians stay, patients thrive, and organizations succeed.
Reach out to explore how Atalan can help your organization lead the CRI movement.