The Latest from Vital Signs: Healthcare Recruitment Insights, Physicians Payer Challenges, Rising Healthcare Costs, and More  

Vital Signs is a monthly newsletter from AdvancedMD highlighting the healthcare industry’s top trends and insights. It’s our way of helping you stay informed. 

It’s been a busy few weeks for the healthcare industry. According to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), a majority of practice leaders say that their physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) exceeded their productivity goals last year. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled out updates to its Risk Identification and Site Criticality (RISC) toolkit, and the American Medical Association (AMA) announced an overhaul to medical billing codes for pregnancy services that will go into effect next year.  

Here’s a recap of everything we learned: 

• The 2026 “Payer Scorecard” published by Physicians Practice found that more than 50% of physicians cited low reimbursements as their top payer challenge. 

• A study analyzing telemedicine trends discovered adults over the age of 65 were half as likely to use telemedicine than patients under the age of 40. “The patients who could benefit most from virtual care—older adults, those living far from medical facilities, individuals with complex health conditions—are often the least likely to access it,” writes Medical Economics staff. 

• A report by Medical Economics, covering findings from a survey of more than 100 healthcare talent acquisition leaders, revealed nearly 40% of respondents believe process standardization and automation are more sustainable recruitment solutions than increasing staff with flawed systems in place. 

• An MGMA survey revealed 60% of medical groups say that their physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs) either exceeded or were on target for their 2025 productivity goals. 

• According to Healthcare Dive, the AMA is overhauling how physicians will report and bill pregnancy services next year by replacing the current system of bundled payments with more granular, itemized codes. The new codes will go into effect at the start of 2027.  

• Healthcare Dive covered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updates to its Risk Identification and Site Criticality (RISC) toolkit, highlighting the fact that more than 3,500 healthcare organizations are already using the service. 

• A survey of more than 2,000 patients, all with private health insurance, revealed 60% of respondents say their healthcare costs have increased during the past year. “A deeper look at the data reveals a growing instability in how patients access and pay for care,” according to Medical Economics. 

• Another MGMA survey of medical group owners found that only one in three have a succession plan for leaders at their practice.  

• An American Medical Association (AMA) survey discovered more than 80% of physicians report using augmented intelligence tools to stay on top of medical research, create discharge instructions, document medical visits and more. 

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its ruling on the electronic exchange of claims documentation, aiming to phase out the use of faxes and physical mail. “The final rule comes as the CMS continues to prioritize streamlining the electronic exchange of health data, a long-term challenge for an industry often reliant on old technology,” writes Healthcare Dive staff.  

• Survey findings show that 40% of RNs plan to retire or leave the profession within the next five years, according to Medical Economics: “This ‘experience cliff’ creates a vacuum that must be filled by Millennials and Gen Z, groups with vastly different motivations than their predecessors.” 

• After surveying nearly 300 medical group leaders, MGMA discovered more than 20% do not have a digital fax solution fully integrated with their EHR/PM and workflows.  

Vital Signs is brought to you by AdvancedMD. It’s our way of helping you stay informed on the trends and insights that shape our industry. Each month, we publish a roundup of healthcare headlines so that you are in-the-know when it comes to the topics that matter most to you, your staff, and your patients.