Top 2026 Healthcare Challenges and How We Can Work Toward Emerging Stronger, More Resilient

Key Insights:

• Healthcare organizations today face numerous challenges, from continued worker shortages (amid increased patient demands) to keeping up with regulatory changes and technological advances.
• Providing staff with access to upskilling and training programs can help organizations support the development of a stronger and more resilient team to face these challenges.
• Nasium Training offers tailored upskilling and reskilling programs for healthcare organizations interested in developing their top talent.

Some look at healthcare challenges as obstacles. At Nasium Training, we take a different approach. We view challenges as opportunities to learn how to help both individual organizations and the entire industry become stronger and more resilient.

To do this, we must analyze strategies that have been tried in the past, assess which ones might work better in the future, and identify areas that need a complete overhaul. With these goals in mind, let's look at the top problems in healthcare in 2026.

Continuing Staffing Shortages

Healthcare employment is expected to grow rapidly between 2024 and 2034, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which anticipates roughly 1.9 million openings industry-wide each year during this period.¹

At the same time, many states are projected to experience significant labor shortages due to the demand for healthcare workers outpacing supply.² An aging population and increased chronic disease prevalence are factors contributing to the increased need for medical services.³

Declining Mental Health

A study conducted by Harvard researchers revealed a significant rise in the number of adult Americans reporting poor mental health from 2011 to 2022 in all three national surveys:

• The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
• The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
• The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)⁴

Our nation's healthcare workers aren't immune to mental distress, chronic stress, and burnout. In one survey recorded from September 2022 to May 2023, 26% reported mental health symptoms at levels high enough to be diagnosed, yet only 20% had sought care during the preceding year.⁵

Rising Costs

Another issue in healthcare today is elevated costs. The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) indicated that 90% of medical practices reported increased operating costs in 2025 over the year before.⁶ The American Hospital Association's Costs of Caring report adds that, in 2025:

• Labor accounted for about 60% of facilities' total expenses.
• Expenses grew at twice the rate of prices.
• Claim denials and evolving billing and coverage rules are among several factors that contributed to payment collection costs of $43 billion.⁷

Changing Requirements

Healthcare organizations must abide by numerous industry regulations. In 2025, many states developed or tightened privacy laws, HHS issued a stern warning that information blocking would be enforced, and the DOJ implemented restrictions on transferring Americans' health data to international entities.⁸

Although individual regulations may not change often, even one change per year across multiple rules and guidelines can quickly add up, especially when they must be communicated to — and require action by — the healthcare workers they impact.⁹

Advancing Technology

Advances in virtual reality, telemedicine, wearable medical devices, and regenerative medicine can enable healthcare practitioners to provide patients with more personalized care. But not all advancements are welcomed with open arms.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is riddled with controversy, particularly when it comes to the protection of sensitive information. Data privacy and security concerns have some questioning whether the advantages of these advances are worth the risk.¹⁰

How Can We Respond to Healthcare Challenges to Become Stronger and More Resilient?

Certainly, the healthcare industry faces numerous challenges each year, across a wide range of areas. This helps highlight the notion that there's no quick fix. Instead, we must look for potential solutions that add value. One is to upskill and reskill the healthcare workforce.

The value of upskilling and reskilling

Preparing workers with the education and skills needed to perform their duties efficiently can help reduce on-the-job stress by helping them handle their workload. More efficient completion of certain job processes can also leave more time to handle other duties with more involved processes, therefore requiring more time.

Additional benefits of healthcare worker upskilling and reskilling can include:

• Efficient technology use. Upskilling can help healthcare professionals learn how to operate technologically advanced devices. This enables them to stay current in their roles while offering patients access to technology that may help offer a higher quality of life.
• Increased coverage. Preparing workers with the education and skills needed to perform new roles (reskilling) can help healthcare facilities overcome staffing challenges. If you face a medical assistant shortage, for example, medical administrative assistants can be reskilled to fill these positions. Reskilling may also help reduce mental health strain related to workers feeling overworked and understaffed.
• Improved retention. Offering healthcare workers access to upskilling and reskilling may have another advantage: better retention. In a 2025 survey of job seekers, 86% said they'd stay with their employer if offered training routinely, and 26% have resigned from jobs in the past due to a lack of opportunity to develop their skills.¹¹

Nasium Training Offers Healthcare Upskilling and Reskilling Programs

Nasium Training offers upskilling and reskilling training programs for healthcare employers, large and small. These programs can be tailored based on your organization's specific needs and skills gaps, providing a more personalized solution.

Nasium Training programs are designed to help our partners face today's healthcare workforce challenges through both clinical and non-clinical training. Several courses are offered completely online or have online components, offering flexibility for the working learner.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help you with the healthcare challenges you face. We look forward to building a partnership that promotes a stronger, more resilient workforce.