CHG 2026 APP Workforce Report: 92% of Leaders Call Advanced Practice Providers Core Strategy

Bypaulgruensfelder
HIT Consultant / CHG Healthcare August 3, 2026
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AI-Generated Summary

Advanced practice providers (NPs, PAs, and CRNAs) have become core workforce infrastructure, not stopgap coverage: CHG Healthcare’s 2026 Advanced Practice Provider Workforce Trends Report—a national survey of 327 facility leaders conducted in Q4 2025—finds 92% now rate APPs ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ important, up from 89%. Fully 97% plan to maintain or increase APP use in 2026, with only 1% cutting back. Leaders report APPs delivering simultaneous gains: 89% cite positive organizational growth, 85% cost containment, 94% expanded patient access, and 92% better throughput. Recruitment strain is concentrated in CRNAs—the hardest role to fill nationally (30%), rising to 49% in rural facilities where anesthesia coverage underpins surgical revenue.

Why It Matters

For multi-site and rural operators, APP staffing is now an access-and-margin lever rather than a fill-in: the survey shows APPs expanding capacity while containing cost, but a widening urban-rural locum divide and acute CRNA shortages threaten surgical throughput where coverage is thinnest.

advanced practice providers APP workforce CRNA shortage locum tenens rural staffing top-of-license workforce strategy

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Frequently asked questions

How important are advanced practice providers to healthcare workforce strategy in 2026?

92% of healthcare facility leaders now rate APPs as “very” or “extremely” important to overall strategy, up from 89% in the prior wave. 97% plan to maintain (45%) or increase (51%) APP utilization in 2026, while only 1% plan reductions—signaling a shift from pandemic-era expansion to steady operational reliance.

Can advanced practice providers cut costs and expand capacity at the same time?

According to CHG’s survey, yes—89% of leaders report a positive impact on organizational growth alongside 85% reporting positive effects on operating costs, breaking the usual trade-off between cost reduction and volume expansion. Leaders also cite expanded patient access (94%) and improved throughput (92%).

Which advanced practice role is hardest to recruit, and where?

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) are the single hardest APP role to fill nationally at 30%, spiking to 49% in rural facilities where anesthesia coverage is critical to surgical operations. Meanwhile 25% of rural systems plan to cut APP locum usage despite 58% rating APPs “extremely important”—the highest reliance of any region.

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