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The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is redefining recruitment to retention and is the only professional organization where physician and provider recruitment leaders and others who influence recruitment, onboarding and retention can connect, learn and advance their careers.
Congress is about two weeks away from adjourning for its August recess, and lawmakers are hoping to address several outstanding items before leaving Washington. When they return in September, they will have less than a month in session before attention shifts again to the midterm elections. While there are some areas of bipartisanship, there are also points of intraparty tension, particularly between the House and Senate. The key question is whether Congress can come together to fund the government by September 30, likely through a continuing resolution that extends beyond the midterms and avoids another painful government shutdown.
Last month, AAPPR leaders took to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to discuss key issues impacting provider recruitment and retention. We met with over 50 congressional offices across the political spectrum to highlight four pieces of bipartisan legislation that would meaningful address many of the challenges faced by healthcare employers, providers, and importantly, patients. These included addressing Medicare reimbursement issues, investing in Graduate Medical Education (GME), exempting healthcare workers from the $100,000 H-1B fee, and reauthorizing the Conrad 30 program.
This was a great opportunity to raise awareness about physician recruitment and other provider issues, and to begin building relationships with offices where our members live and work. There will be more exciting opportunities like this in the future an we encourage you to get involved.
The bipartisan Patients First Act was introduced by Reps. John Joyce (R-OH), Greg Murphy (R-NC), and Kim Schrier (D-WA), the respective chairs of the Republican and Democratic Doctors Caucuses in Congress, as an effort to update Medicare physician payment policy and strengthen access to care. The bill is especially relevant because it addresses some of the financial and administrative pressures that can make it harder for physicians to remain in practice, particularly in independent, rural, and underserved settings.
The proposal would tie physician payment more closely to the cost of providing care, invest in primary care, simplify quality reporting, and support participation in value-based care models. AAPPR is closely reviewing the legislation and will follow up with more details and potential next steps.
The Trump Administration recently issued a final rule replacing the long-standing “duration of status” framework for certain visa holders, including J-1 exchange visitors, with fixed periods of admission and a formal extension process through federal immigration authorities. While the rule is framed by DHS as a way to increase oversight, medical and recruitment organizations have raised concerns about what it could mean for the physician workforce, especially for international medical graduates who train and practice in the United States.
From a recruitment and retention perspective, the concern is that new extension requirements during residency or fellowship could add uncertainty, paperwork, and possible interruptions in training or clinical service, making it harder for programs to attract and keep the physicians their patients rely on. AAPPR is reviewing the final rule and will follow up with additional information. Please reach out if you have any questions.
On June 25, 2026, 38 AAPPR member volunteers brought their expertise where it matters most – directly to Congress. In a series of meetings across House and Senate offices, physician and provider recruitment professionals made the case that workforce policy is patient access policy, and that AAPPR members are the experts policymakers need to know.
AAPPR members are directly involved in ensuring patients can access care by helping health care organizations recruit and retain the physicians and providers their communities need.
Advocacy Day was designed to elevate AAPPR’s voice at the federal level and to position our members as credible, on-the-ground resources for congressional offices navigating some of the most consequential health care workforce decisions in years.
Members didn’t just arrive with policy priorities. They arrived with stories: unfilled positions, recruitment pipelines that work, communities still waiting for the specialists they need. That specificity is what makes AAPPR’s voice distinct.
Across the day, members held 55 congressional meetings – a collective effort that put physician workforce issues in front of a broad cross-section of legislators.
Conversations were grounded in the real barriers members face every day:
By the end of each meeting, AAPPR’s goal was for congressional staff to leave knowing four things:
Advocacy Day is the beginning of an ongoing commitment. The relationships built on June 25 will be cultivated over time, and AAPPR will continue to serve as a resource to policymakers as they shape the future of health care delivery.
If you attended – thank you. If you didn’t, stay engaged. Follow AAPPR’s advocacy updates and look for future opportunities to add your voice to the issues that define this profession.
Stay connected with AAPPR’s advocacy efforts at aappr.org/government-affairs/.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) has released its 2026 Recruitment Team Professional Compensation Benchmarking Report, revealing significant gains in compensation and retention among physician and provider recruitment professionals, and making a compelling case for why hospital and health system leaders should be doubling down on their in-house recruitment teams, not replacing them with technology.
According to the report, median recruiter compensation increased 10.4% in 2025 to $100,420 – the highest level reported since AAPPR began tracking the data. Recruiter turnover also fell to an average of 12.1% in 2025, down from approximately 20% in recent years, suggesting that institutional knowledge is being built and retained inside organizations that are choosing to invest in their people. These findings are further supported by AAPPR’s The Heart Behind the Hire report, which found that 87% of in-house physician recruiters feel genuinely called to do this work. That statistic underscores that recruitment is not a transactional function technology can replicate, but a relationship-driven profession rooted in purpose.
“Physician and provider recruitment professionals play a vital role in helping healthcare organizations ensure patients have access to care,” said Carey Goryl, CEO of AAPPR. “As demand for physicians and advanced practice providers continues to outpace supply in many communities, recruitment teams are being asked to do increasingly complex and important work. AI can support a recruiter’s workflow, but it cannot replicate the trust a recruiter builds with a physician candidate over months, or the deep community knowledge that comes from years inside an organization. Health system leaders who want to win the physician recruitment challenge need to focus on building their teams, pouring into their teams, and giving them the right tools and compensation to succeed. This year’s findings suggest organizations are doing exactly that – and it’s working.
The report includes two chapters highlighting survey results related to physician recruitment profiles and compensation levels. The first chapter, “Recruitment Professional Profile,” provides data on demographic information, including recruitment professionals’ roles, education levels, years of experience, work arrangements and responsibilities. A total of 428 internal physician and provider recruitment professionals participated in this survey.
The second chapter, “Recruitment Professional Compensation,” examines compensation levels of recruitment professionals by their role, experience, education level, location desirability and remote work status. Of the 428 participants, 396 provided compensation data.
Some notable findings include:
The industry-level data in AAPPR’s benchmarking surveys helps recruitment professionals and departments establish target productivity levels, set goals and expectations, evaluate compensation competitiveness and grow their teams.
Organizations that participate in annual surveys gain free access to AAPPR’s Benchmarking Portal, where they can run custom benchmark comparisons to organizations and departments similar to their own. The Benchmarking Portal includes time to fill and compensation calculators and enables users to compare a range of data, including organizational profiles, search information, recruiter profile data and recruiter compensation figures, helping them make more informed decisions.
The complete 2026 AAPPR Recruitment Team Professional Compensation Benchmarking Report is available to organizations for sale online. To order, visit https://aappr.org/research/benchmarking/. The Heart Behind the Hire Report is also available online, free of charge at: https://aappr.org/research/surveys-reports/
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is the mission-aligned authority on addressing clinical workforce shortages and expanding access to care. For more than 30 years, AAPPR has connected and supported physician and provider recruitment professionals who serve as strategic partners within hospitals and health systems nationwide. Today, AAPPR represents over 2,700 members. Fully integrated into their organizations, AAPPR members lead the full recruitment continuum, designing hiring, onboarding, and retention strategies that mitigate vacancy impacts and strengthen care delivery. Guided by our RECRUIT values – Respect, Equity, Collaboration, Responsibility, Understanding, Inclusion, and Trust – AAPPR and its members cultivate a diverse, data-informed workforce dedicated to ensuring equitable access to care. To learn more or to become an organizational member of AAPPR, please visit https://aappr.org/join-now.
This month’s update highlights ongoing uncertainty around the $100,000 H-1B fee, which was struck down in court but remains temporarily in effect during appeal. It also covers potential changes to graduate loan caps, particularly for nursing programs, and new bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding physician placement in underserved areas. Additionally, Congress continues to support key workforce programs that strengthen healthcare access and provider training nationwide.
On June 8, a federal district court in Massachusetts vacated the federal policy implementing the $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions, finding that the fee exceeded executive authority and was unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act. The decision was a significant development for health care employers, physician and provider recruitment teams, and international medical graduates because the fee had created a major cost barrier for H-1B sponsorship in an already constrained workforce environment.
However, the practical effect of that ruling is now temporarily on hold. On June 12, the Massachusetts district court temporarily stayed its June 8 order while the First Circuit Court of Appeals considers the government’s expected request to keep the fee in place during the appeal.The government must file its stay request with the First Circuit by June 18 for the district court’s pause to remain in effect.
For now, USCIS may still require the $100,000 fee for approval of H-1B petitions that are filed. The next key milestone is the First Circuit’s decision on whether USCIS may continue collecting the fee while the government’s appeal proceeds.
AAPPR will continue to closely monitor this case and support efforts to permanently exempt health care professionals from the $100,000 H-1B fee so health care employers can recruit the physicians, IMGs, and other providers their communities need.
As you may know from last month’s update, the Education Department finalized a rule that caps most graduate borrowing at $20,500 annually and ends Grad PLUS in July. A recent House budget amendment could give advanced nursing programs a path back to higher federal borrowing limits by requiring the department to treat them as professional degree programs. If enacted, master’s- and doctoral-level nursing students could borrow up to $50,000 annually.
This would be a potential course correction for the nursing workforce, hospitals, and other organizations, but it is not final. The provision still must clear the House, Senate, and be signed into law, and it would not take effect until October 1 at the earliest. That means students and schools may still face several months of uncertainty, and financial aid offices could need to adjust midyear. Recruiters should stay engaged with nursing schools, especially in rural and underserved areas where workforce pipelines are already strained. AAPPR will continue tracking developments as the budget process moves forward.
AAPPR is supporting the bipartisan Physician Workforce Optimization Act, introduced by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), to strengthen the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program and help more communities access the physicians they need.
The bill would expand flex waivers from 10 to 15 per state and create a national secondary match portal to better connect J-1 physicians with states that have unused waiver slots. These updates would give states and healthcare organizations more flexibility to place physicians in rural and underserved communities where recruitment needs remain urgent.
For AAPPR members, this legislation is a practical step toward improving physician placement, supporting workforce planning, and strengthening access to care nationwide. AAPPR appreciates Sen. Cramer and Sen. Klobuchar’s bipartisan leadership and looks forward to continued work on policies that advance physician recruitment.
The House Appropriations Committee’s approval of the FY 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill marks an important step in the annual federal funding process. Although the bill reduces overall HHS funding from last year’s enacted level, it continues to support key HRSA health workforce programs that help train clinicians and expand access to care. These include the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program, the National Health Service Corps, and Title VII and Title VIII workforce programs.
At a high level, these programs help ensure that communities have access to the health professionals they need. CHGME supports the pediatric workforce by helping children’s hospitals train doctors and dentists. The National Health Service Corps helps bring primary care, dental, and behavioral health providers to communities with provider shortages. Together with Title VII and VIII programs, continued funding for these efforts would support the next generation of health professionals and help improve access to care nationwide, especially in rural and underserved areas.
The most important investment you can make in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape is in yourself. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately—not as a tagline, but as something I’ve had to genuinely remind myself of throughout my career in physician and provider recruitment. Having spent years in HR, immigration, and healthcare management before stepping fully into Clinician Recruitment, I’ve experienced firsthand just how quickly this landscape can shift.
There have been moments when I felt completely on top of my game—clear on strategy, confident in the room, grounded in the data. And there have also been moments—usually when the industry moved faster than I expected or when a peer introduced an approach I’d never encountered—when I had to ask myself: am I keeping up?
That tension isn’t a weakness. It’s a signal that you care about doing this work well—and it’s exactly what makes professional development essential.
Recruitment has never been static, but the pace and complexity of change today are something else entirely.
We are facing intensified competition for physician and advanced practice clinician (APP) talent, persistent financial pressures, and leadership turnover that require us to constantly rebuild relationships and reestablish trust. Increasingly, the ability to effectively recruit and retain both physicians and APPs has become a true differentiator for health systems—impacting access, care delivery models, and long-term sustainability.
For those of us in academic healthcare, the environment is even more complex.
Shifts in clinical reimbursement, cost containment pressures, and ongoing uncertainty around clinical research funding are shaping how organizations make hiring decisions. Academic institutions, in particular, are navigating difficult tradeoffs—balancing clinical productivity with research missions, aligning recruitment with funding realities, and making strategic choices about where to invest.
For Clinician recruitment professionals, that means our work sits at the intersection of competing priorities:
– Clinical demand vs. research investment
– Physician hiring vs. APP workforce optimization
– Growth goals vs. financial constraints
These dynamics influence not just how we recruit, but how we position opportunities, advise leaders, and guide candidates through increasingly complex decisions. Add in the continued evolution of AI and technology, and it becomes even clearer: the recruiter role today is not transactional. It is strategic.
When we talk about professional development, it’s easy to think in terms of certifications or continuing education credits. Those matter—but the real value is deeper.
When I’ve invested intentionally in my own development. The biggest shift wasn’t just knowledge. It was how I showed up. I became:
– Less reactive and more strategic
– Better able to connect workforce data, funding realities, and clinician needs
– More confident advising leadership—not just executing requests
This is especially important as clinician recruitment becomes central to organizational strategy. How we recruit and deploy physicians and APPs directly impacts access to care, financial performance, and the patient experience.
That shift from execution to influence is where career acceleration happens. And it’s built over time through consistent investment.
In my experience, growth happens most effectively in three areas:
The strongest recruiters anticipate change. Developing skills in workforce planning, data interpretation, and care model strategy allows you to lead conversations rather than react to them.
The most effective recruiters remain deeply curious—about compensation trends, specialty shortages, APP utilization, and evolving healthcare funding. That curiosity is what keeps you relevant and informed.
Whether leadership roles, committee involvement, or strategic initiatives—tend to go to those who have already invested in their growth. Preparation creates visibility.
One of the reasons I pursued board service is that I strongly believe in AAPPR’s strategic goal for the Clinician Recruitment Industry. The resources are practical, relevant, and directly aligned to the skills needed in today’s clinician recruitment environment. The CPRP credential provides a comprehensive framework grounded in AAPPR’s competency model. It strengthens your ability to navigate the full recruitment lifecycle—from sourcing to onboarding to retention—while elevating your credibility and confidence.
For many, the challenge isn’t understanding the value of professional development—it’s making space for it.
One way to approach this is to align development with organizational priorities. A strong recruitment function directly impacts:
– Days-to-fill for critical physician and APP roles
– Access to care and patient outcomes
– Provider retention and engagement
– Financial performance tied to clinician productivity
And it doesn’t have to start big. A webinar. A conversation. A mentorship cohort. Small, consistent steps matter. The challenges we’re facing—financial pressures, evolving care models, shifting research funding, and the growing importance of team-based care—are reshaping our profession. Those who will lead in this environment are the ones who continue to learn, stay curious, and invest in their own development. APPR gives us the tools, the community, and the structure to do exactly that. The next step is deciding to take advantage of it.
I’m grateful for what this organization has given me as both a professional and a leader. I hope you’ll lean into everything it offers—and I’d love to hear how you’re investing in your own growth. Let’s keep learning together.
Last Updated: June 10, 2026
On June 8th, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated the $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions, ruling it exceeded executive authority and violated the Administrative Procedure Act. This is a welcome but potentially temporary development. As appeal is expected and recruitment teams should stand by and consult with your immigration counsel before changing filing strategies.
In September 2025, a presidential proclamation imposed a $100,000 payment requirement on new H-1B visa petitions filed on or after September 21, 2025. The fee was a one-time charge at filing for those not currently in country, with potential for exceptions if deemed in the national interest, which the Administration never exercised. It did not apply to renewals, previously filed petitions, or current H-1B holders. You can read previous updates on the H-1B policy here.
International medical graduates (IMGs) make up about one in four U.S. physicians and disproportionately serve underserved communities. The American Hospital Association found that more than 70% of hospitals expected the fee to impact patient care, 64% planned to pause or limit H-1B recruitment, and 57% of affected positions were clinical roles. For many rural and safety net facilities, H-1B sponsorship is essential for maintaining access to primary care and specialty services.
U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin sided with 20 states, finding the fee constituted a tax on H-1B petitions not directed by Congress. The court vacated the policy as exceeding executive authority and violating the APA.
While the ruling is a significant development, the policy landscape remains unsettled. The federal government is expected to appeal the Massachusetts decision, and other litigation over the $100,000 H-1B fee remains pending in different federal courts.
AAPPR continues to support the bipartisan H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act, which would exempt health care professionals from the $100,000 fee. Legislative action remains essential to provide meaningful relief regardless of litigation outcomes. Recruitment teams should continue to monitor this space closely, preserve documentation of any pending applications or fees paid, and monitor DHS/USCIS for guidance and court developments.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), the leading authority on physician recruitment, onboarding and retention, today announced its support for the Physician Workforce Optimization Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to strengthen the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program and expand access to care in underserved communities.
The Conrad 30 Program allows states to request waivers of the two-year home residency requirement for J-1 visa physicians in exchange for at least three years of full-time service in health professional shortage areas. Each state receives up to 30 waivers annually, including flex waivers for physicians serving underserved patient populations outside designated shortage areas. However, states frequently exhaust their flex waiver allocations while other Conrad waiver slots remain unused, a structural imbalance that disproportionately affects smaller and rural states that depend on flex waivers to deliver care to their communities. Additionally, physicians who apply to states where waiver slots fill quickly have no structured pathway to connect with states that have unfilled slots.
The Physician Workforce Optimization Act addresses these challenges by increasing the number of flex waivers available to each state from 10 to 15 and establishing a national secondary physician match portal. The portal would allow physicians who were not selected or unable to apply in their preferred state to be matched with states that have unused waiver slots, improving physician placement efficiency in medically underserved areas.
“AAPPR strongly supports the Physician Workforce Optimization Act,” said Carey Goryl, AAPPR CEO. “By expanding flex waiver capacity and creating a structured secondary match portal, this legislation provides a practical solution for smaller states that have historically struggled to attract applicants or fully utilize their programs. AAPPR is committed to ensuring that every community has access to the physician workforce it needs, and this bill is a meaningful step toward strengthening healthcare access nationwide.”
AAPPR thanks Sen. Cramer and Sen. Klobuchar for their bipartisan leadership on this issue and looks forward to working with Congress to advance policies that strengthen physician recruitment and ensure every community can access the healthcare providers it needs.
For more information about AAPPR and its advocacy efforts, visit aappr.org/government-affairs/.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is the mission-aligned authority on addressing clinical workforce shortages and expanding access to care. For more than 30 years, AAPPR has connected and supported physician and provider recruitment professionals who serve as strategic partners within hospitals and health systems nationwide. Today, AAPPR represents over 2,700 members. Fully integrated into their organizations, AAPPR members lead the full recruitment continuum, designing hiring, onboarding, and retention strategies that mitigate vacancy impacts and strengthen care delivery. Guided by our RECRUIT values – Respect, Equity, Collaboration, Responsibility, Understanding, Inclusion, and Trust – AAPPR and its members cultivate a diverse, data-informed workforce dedicated to ensuring equitable access to care. To learn more or to become an organizational member of AAPPR, please visit https://aappr.org/join-now.
Alexis Schuchert
Franco
aschuchert@franco.com
Alysia Gradney
AAPPR
agradney@aappr.org
We are thrilled to announce that Russ Peal, CPRP, CMSR, has been named President-Elect for the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) Board of Directors. This two-year appointed term, once complete, will transition to Board President for 2027 – 2028. Both he and the current Board President, Allan Cacanindin, CPRP-DEI, will work closely with the board, CEO and staff to ensure a strategic direction for the Association.
In his employed role, Russ is the Director of Workforce Recruitment and Retention for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Russ Peal is the Director of Workforce Recruitment and Retention for the VHA, the largest integrated health care system in the US. In his role, Russ provides strategic direction and executive oversight for the agency’s national efforts to recruit, retain, and develop its most critical clinical occupations. He is credited with establishing VHA’s first in-house physician/provider recruitment operation and led the largest specialty recruitment and hiring initiative in its history. He has more than 30 years of direct experience in the profession – including both the public and private sectors.
Russ is a native Chicagoan, graduate of Eastern Illinois University, and a proud Air Force Veteran. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and an Excellence in Government Fellow with the Partnership for Public Service.
Please join us in congratulating Russ Peal on this remarkable achievement by connecting with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/russp/.
AAPPR is proud to announce Russ Peal as its incoming President-Elect. Current Board President Allan Cacanindin, CPRP, CDR, shared the following message on Russ’s leadership and impact:
“Russ Peal’s leadership reflects what is possible when workforce strategy is elevated to a national priority. His dedication to strengthening recruitment, retention, and clinician support across one of the nation’s largest healthcare systems continues to help advance conversations that impact veterans, communities, and healthcare organizations across America.”
Several health workforce pipeline issues are actively moving in both Congress and the Administration, even as Congressional Republicans focus on a reconciliation package addressing immigration and FY27 appropriations negotiations remain underway. With roughly six weeks of legislative session before the July 4th recess and a compressed calendar through November, the window to shape these measures and other issues requires sustained engagement.
Earlier this month, the Trump Administration quietly reversed policy permitting foreign doctors to receive visas to practice in the United States. A Department of Homeland Security policy stemming from a travel ban that was put in place in January had frozen decisions on visa extensions, work permits and green cards for citizens of 39 countries. Some physicians were subsequently placed on administrative leave by hospitals, and many others faced the imminent threat of being forced to stop working. Foreign physicians make up 25 percent of all doctors working in the United States, and more than 60 percent practice primary care.
While international medical graduates from the 39 affected countries should be able to move forward with visa processing, it may take a few weeks for the Administration to clear those backlogs. Please reach out if you are experiencing delays for impacted physicians or have any questions.
The Education Department issued a final rule last week that limits how much graduate students can borrow each year. Graduate nursing students will be capped at $20,500 annually, while medical students can access up to $50,000. The Grad PLUS program, which lets students borrow up to the full cost of attendance, ends in July.
Why this matters: Health systems are already facing shortages. Tighter borrowing limits may make it harder for future nurses, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives to pay for school, which could slow the pipeline, especially in rural and underserved areas. Recruiters should watch for enrollment shifts and consider whether scholarships, tuition support, or partnerships can help keep candidates on track. AAPPR will continue tracking the impact on the workforce in the months ahead.
Support is growing for the bipartisan H 1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act (H.R. 7961), which would exempt physicians and other health professionals from the $100,000 H 1B filing fee. International medical graduates are often the backbone of care in rural and underserved communities, filling primary care and specialty gaps where recruitment is hardest. Slapping a $100,000 H 1B filing fee onto each new hire would strain hospital and practice budgets, leading to fewer hires, longer wait times, and deeper shortages for patients who already face limited access.
Reps. Mike Lawler (R NY), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D GA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R FL), and Yvette Clarke (D NY) are leading the House effort, with a bipartisan Senate introduction expected soon.
Last week’s webinar gave a high-level walkthrough of the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB), its biggest Medicaid and care-delivery changes, key implementation timelines, and what healthcare recruiters need to know now. We covered how BBB will shape workforce needs and recruitment strategies over the next several years, with practical guidance to prepare organizations for these changes. You can view the webinar by clicking here.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR), the leading authority on physician recruitment, onboarding and retention, joined over 40 national medical associations and patient advocacy groups this month as cosigners of a coalition letter in support of H.R. 7961, the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. The bipartisan legislation is in response to the Trump Administration’s September 2025 proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on each new H-1B visa application, which is disproportionately harming the healthcare industry.
The recruitment of physicians and other healthcare workers is a time- and resource-intensive process often spanning over a year for a single candidate. Healthcare employers recruit from a broad pool of candidates, including international medical graduates (IMG), since they are more likely to serve in rural and underserved areas.
The fee, increased by 1900% ,is causing employers to pause or move away from recruiting IMGs despite the urgent need and limited pool of available candidates, especially in fields like oncology, OB/GYN and nephrology, specialties with high days to fill, an AAPPR metric that measures the time from opening a physician search to securing a signed contract.
To address this, the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act would exempt physicians and other health professionals from the new $100,000 H-1B fee, ensuring employers can continue to fill critical access gaps. The legislation drew international attention, from the New York Times to the Times of India, highlighting the urgency around this issue. As the coalition letter notes, the bill ensures that “physicians and other essential health care providers are not unnecessarily swept into a fee structure designed to address other workforce sectors.”
“The $100,000 H-1B filing fee on health care entities poses a serious challenge to provider recruitment at a time when demand for physicians and other health care professionals continues to grow,” said Carey Goryl, CEO, Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment. “Hospitals, health systems and practices across the country rely on international physicians and health care professionals to meet patient needs. This fee could slow recruitment efforts and make it harder for employers to bring on the providers their communities depend on. AAPPR supports the H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act and applauds Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Sanford D. Bishop (D-GA), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) for their bipartisan leadership on this issue.”
As AAPPR and healthcare recruitment professionals celebrate Physician and Provider Recruitment Professionals Week, April 20-26, this legislation underscores the vital role recruitment professionals play in ensuring communities across the country have access to the healthcare providers they need.
For more information about AAPPR and its advocacy efforts, visit https://aappr.org/.
The Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) is a nationally recognized leader in health care provider recruitment, onboarding, and retention. For more than 30 years, AAPPR has empowered physician and advanced practice provider recruitment leaders to transform care delivery in their communities by providing best-in-class practices, up-to-date industry knowledge, and evolving innovative approaches for hiring, onboarding, and retaining exceptional clinical talent. To learn more or to become an organizational member of AAPPR, please visit https://aappr.org/join-now.
Alexis Schuchert
Franco
aschuchert@franco.com
Alysia Gradney
AAPPR
agradney@aappr.org
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