2024 EHR Salary Insights Report: Addressing Workforce Challenges and Building for Success

Hiring and retaining top talent is essential for driving innovation and success within any team.?

At bloomforce , a specialized healthcare IT staffing and recruitment agency, we’ve heard recurring challenges from our clients, prompting us to uncover actionable insights from the field.?

Our inaugural EHR Salary Insights Report dives into key trends shaping the healthcare IT workforce, offering hiring managers valuable data to build better strategies for attracting and retaining top talent.?

Below, we’ve highlighted the key takeaways from the 2024 report, spotlighting the factors that drive—or hinder—employee satisfaction and retention.

FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

Our survey found that 72% of employees are satisfied or very satisfied with their work-life balance. Interestingly, these satisfaction levels showed no significant difference between remote workers and their in-office counterparts. This suggests that flexibility is being upheld beyond the pandemic, with managers recognizing its importance in supporting a balanced approach to work and life.

However, the picture isn’t entirely rosy—62% of remote workers indicated they would seek other remote opportunities if required to return to the office. This highlights the importance of employee preferences, personality types, and work styles when shaping workplace policies.

The key takeaway? Flexibility matters. Nearly 80% of employees ranked flexible working arrangements as the top factor influencing their decision to take a new role or remain in their current position. For organizations looking to attract and retain top talent, prioritizing flexibility is essential. Our survey found that 72% of employees are satisfied or very satisfied with their work-life balance.?

Interestingly, these satisfaction levels showed no significant difference between remote workers and their in-office counterparts. This suggests that flexibility is being upheld beyond the pandemic, with managers recognizing its importance in supporting a balanced approach to work and life.

CAREER PROGRESSION

Many health systems that have been live on their enterprise EHR for a long time face a growing challenge: senior-level analysts feeling capped within their current organizational structures. While some organizations have adapted by creating advanced roles, others have not kept pace.?

As a result, 77% of surveyed participants are either actively seeking new opportunities or planning to within the next year. A key driver appears to be the lack of clear career progression—nearly half of non-leadership respondents report no defined path for upward mobility. This issue is particularly acute among senior analysts, with only 21.4% having a clear understanding of what’s required to advance.

While leadership may not always have the flexibility to create new roles or expand budgets, regular conversations to identify growth areas and outline potential opportunities can provide valuable guidance and mitigate this growing challenge.?

M&As IMPACT

Mergers and acquisitions, while often not immediately disruptive, can lead to significant employee disengagement. Factors such as uncertainty around staff reductions, evolving organizational structures, unclear career paths, and increased workloads from layoffs all contribute to this challenge. Supporting this, our survey found that among the nearly 40% of participants who had experienced an M&A, 80% were actively seeking new opportunities—by choice.

Change management is an essential skill for any leader, but it is particularly critical in healthcare IT, where M&A activity is so prevalent. To foster stability and engagement during transitions, we recommend the following strategies:

Transparent Communication

Keep employees informed with clear and consistent updates throughout the transition. Transparency builds trust, credibility, and a sense of inclusion, helping employees understand the changes and their role in moving the organization forward.

Recognize and Acknowledge

Acknowledge that roles and responsibilities may shift and recognize the challenges change brings. By encouraging an attitude of opportunity and reassuring employees of available support, you can help rebuild morale and confidence during the transition.

Be Available

Visibility is important, but true availability goes further. Hold office hours, increase 1:1 meetings, or create other opportunities for employees to connect and share feedback. Open dialogue is critical for fostering trust and addressing concerns during periods of uncertainty.

These strategies can help leaders navigate the complexities of M&A and create a more stable and supportive environment for their teams.

SALARY

Competitive pay remains a top priority for both candidates and hiring managers. In our survey, 61% of hiring managers identified maintaining competitive salaries and benefits as a major challenge for their departments, while nearly all employees ranked salary as a leading factor in their overall job satisfaction.

However, the picture is more nuanced. While financial incentives are important, only 28% of hiring managers view them as their most effective retention strategy. This suggests that while compensation matters, many employees place increasing value on non-monetary benefits, such as flexible working arrangements, as we highlighted earlier.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Data-driven strategies can make all the difference in strengthening hiring and retention practices. We hope this summary equips you with valuable insights and actionable strategies—whether you're focused on attracting new talent or supporting and retaining the team you've already built.

See the full report, including the detailed salary breakdown, here: https://linktr.ee/bloomforce

If you’re an EHR industry leader or professional interested in sharing your insights in a 5-min survey that will shape our 2025 report, we’d love to hear from you!?

Note:?

Bloomforce 2024 EHR Salary Insights Report was conducted online in October 2023 - December 2023 with 284 participants from diverse U.S. regions and roles within the industry.