Health Care Workforce

To prevent Washington state’s health care workforce shortages from continuing to worsen, we must act with urgency to implement short- and long-term solutions.

In broad terms, our current workforce challenges derive from low recruitment rates into health care professions and high turnover rates in those professions.

WSMA Workforce Work Group

During the summer of 2023, the WSMA convened a group of stakeholders to explore and offer a multipronged approach to address these challenges. Members of this workforce work group included:

• Garrett Jeffrey, DO, FAAFP, PeaceHealth
• Mark Mantei, BBA, MHSA, CEO at Vancouver Clinic
• Amber Pedersen, RN, MBA, FACMPE, Providence Medical Group
• Brett Vandenburg, CMPE, CEO at Allegro Pediatrics
• Sean Graham, director of government affairs at the WSMA
• Alex Wehinger, associate director of legislative advocacy at the WSMA

WSMA Director of Policy Jeb Shepard and Policy Analyst Hillary Norris, JD, MPH, provided staffing support, conducted research, and consulted with various Washington state health care workforce experts.

Special Report: Revitalizing Washington State’s Health Care Workforce

The consensus findings of the work group were published in a special report, “Revitalizing Washington State’s Health Care Workforce,” in November 2023, and distributed to health care employers, state agencies, and the Legislature. The recommendations in the report are a playbook to help Washington’s policymakers and health care employers understand the important roles they can play in shoring up Washington’s health care workforce.

“We must leverage our resources to support physicians in providing day-to-day care with fewer barriers, whether that is with AI scribes, telehealth advances, or by reducing administrative burdens. Physicians have to be able to spend more time caring for patients and less time caring for an inefficient system.

We all have a part to play in creating the change we want to see. These recommendations, thoughtfully curated in close collaboration with stakeholders and other experts in the health care workforce space, address the Legislature, health care employers, and other health care stakeholders. While not exhaustive, the recommendations are intended to serve as a jumping-off point to inspire future interventions to address Washington’s mounting workforce challenges.” - Nariman Heshmati, MD, WSMA President, 2023-2024

Download the Revitalizing Washington State’s Health Care Workforce special report.

The WSMA would like to extend a special thanks to the Washington State Medical Group Management Association for its expertise and partnership on this report.