At Healthforce Center, our research on the health care workforce offers timely analysis and guidance for providers, policymakers and funders in addressing critical delivery and improvement challenges. We have a team of nationally recognized research experts who work to define issues and support health policy change with rigorous analysis, high-quality data and actionable recommendations.
Our expertise covers the entire health workforce — the full range of licensed professions, credentialed occupations, and emerging roles such as community health workers and peer providers, and across all types of settings from acute to long-term care. We specialize in examining evolving trends in care models, care team composition, and promising new models for the delivery of high-quality health care.
Committed to Improving Health Equity
Our commitment to improving health equity and ensuring a diverse health workforce translates into research that emphasizes expanding cultural competence and language concordance, promoting workforce diversity through education and development programs, and evaluating care models that ensure health equity.
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This study, which was published in Health Affairs, was the first major data analysis of hospital palliative care programs’ workforce. The growing field of palliative care, which affects nearly all Americans, focuses on improving quality of life for patients with serious illnesses – including...
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A 2015 study published in JAMA found that the wage gap persists in nursing, with male nurses making $5,100 more on average per year than female colleagues in similar positions. This latest study aims to uncover the root causes of the gender pay discrepancy in nursing. Specifically, the study set...
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The Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program was established as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to increase the number of primary care physicians serving people in medically underserved areas of the US. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded...
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A survey of Arizona health care employers was conducted by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the spring of 2016. The survey captured responses from 59 percent of the community health centers (CHCs) in Maricopa County. This is the first survey of Maricopa County CHC employers and...
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UCSF conducted the Survey of Health Care Employers in Arizona: Home Health Agencies, 2015 in the summer and fall of 2015. The survey elicited 25 unique responses, representing 11.4% of the total number of home health agencies in Arizona. Yuma, Gila, and Pinal Counties were not represented in this...
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This report summarizes the findings from a survey of long-term care employers in Arizona conducted from the summer to the fall of 2015. This is the first survey of long-term care (LTC) employers in Arizona and provides an opportunity to evaluate overall demand for health care workers in the state....
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This report presents findings from interviews with health care leaders across Arizona regarding the trends they are observing and their expectations for future health workforce needs. Sixteen health care leaders were interviewed to assess their plans in the face of health care delivery changes and...
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Despite improvements in overall health of the American population, disparities persist, particularly for minority women. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers the potential to reduce disparities through expanded insurance coverage, greater access to high-quality care, and bolstered prevention...
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This report summarizes findings from a first of its kind survey of hospital employers in Arizona conducted from summer to fall of 2015. The survey collected information specific to the hiring and training of newly graduated nurses because they are at particular risk for unemployment during a weak...
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This study, which summarizes findings from a survey of general acute care hospital employers, was conducted in collaboration with the Hospital Association of Southern California and HealthImpact. This is the sixth annual survey of hospital registered nurse (RN) employers, and the survey results...
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This survey of recently-graduated California registered nurses (RNs) was intended to gather information about their experiences with simulation-based education, and how such education has or has not prepared them for nursing practice. Most respondents believed that simulation experiences were...
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How will the Affordable Care Act impact demand for health care workers and their wages? The answer could mean good news for physicians and registered nurses, but bad news for health consumers: Increased wages will drive up insurance premiums and reduce the affordability of health insurance....
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The 2010 Institute of Medicine report, "The Future of Nursing: Leading Change,Advancing Health," advocated for nurses to innovate in their practice, research, and education. However, little is known about the innovative behavior of registered nurses or whether there are differences in innovative...
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In 2011, the Institute of Medicine released a report calling for the creation of infrastructure to collect and analyze inter professional health workforce data to ensure that the US has an adequate workforce to meet future health care needs. But, very little progress has been made in the five years...
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The Affordable Care Act is projected to result in nearly three-quarters of a million additional insured people in rural regions of the U.S. These newly insured are expected to generate 1.39 million rural primary care office visits. At a national level it would require 345 full-time equivalent...
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As the Baby Boomer Generation ages into long-term care (LTC) facilities, the number of individuals requiring dental care will rise, but these systems are not set up to adequately meet their needs. The supply of dentists is projected to increase; however, enormous barriers to dental care continue to...
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Despite state and federal efforts to encourage physician assistants (PAs) to help fill primary care gaps, the proportion of PAs practicing in primary care continues to decline. Using job posting data from a leading labor analytics firm, this study finds that the decline could be due to a lack of...
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As the population ages and the Affordable Care Act increases demand for primary care, nurse practitioners (NPs) could help fill the gap, especially in rural areas. This analysis of nationally representative survey data is the first to examine the practice and satisfaction of rural NPs across types...
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This is the first study to examine dental provider attitudes toward the implementation of CDS tools incorporated within an electronic health record. Provider attitudes toward CDS tools can shape the entire implementation process for better or worse. This study contributes to the literature by...
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These are graphic representations of measurable goals that the Campaign for Action has selected to evaluate its efforts in support of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) landmark report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. Full Publication