Staffing issues have been a consistent obstacle for ASC leaders, who face high labor costs and shortages of providers across several ASC specialties.
Here’s 10 things to know about ASCs’ staffing crisis:
1. According to Medscape’s “Feeling the Impact of the Physician Shortage: Medscape Report 2025,” released Aug. 22, the majority of physicians — 63% — said that they have seen a shortage of qualified applicants for positions in their local market, compared to 23% who said they did not see a shortage and 13% who were unsure.
2. About 4 in 10 respondents said unfilled physician roles at their organizations impacted their work life. When it came to their patient count, schedule and total work hours, physicians more often reported increased impacts than little to no increase.
3. Most physicians said that their workplace was hiring at least part-time, with only 24% of respondents saying their workplace was not hiring at all.
4. The Northern region had the highest percentage of workplaces looking to hire physicians, at 71%.
5. By 2036, the U.S. is expected to be facing a shortage of 6,300 anesthesiologists nationwide, according to a white paper from Medicus Healthcare Solutions published May 21.
6. CRNAs represent more than 80% of anesthesia providers in rural counties and administer more than 50 million anesthetics to patients each year in the U.S. By 2033, the U.S. is projected to face a shortage of about 12,500 CRNAs, nearly 22% of the current workforce.
7. According to a survey cited by the American College of Cardiology, wait times for a general cardiovascular visit went up 26% from 2017 to 2022 due to workforce shortages.
8. According to projections from the ACC, the American Heart Association and MedAxiom, the ratio of cardiovascular patients per cardiologist is expected to increase from 1 for every 1,087 patients in 2025 to 1 for every 1,700 patients by 2035.
9. The American Association of Colleagues of Nursing predicts a shortage of 78,610 full-time registered nurses in 2026.
10. Staffing challenges overall, regardless of role or specialty, represent one of the biggest areas of concern for ASC leaders.
“The single greatest obstacle we are preparing for in 2026 is the continued compression between rising operational costs and stagnant reimbursement,” Sean Gipson, CEO and ASC division president of Remedy Surgery Center in Houston, told Becker’s. “This pressure challenges every aspect of ASC performance; from staffing and supply chain stability to our ability to invest in innovation and growth.”
