Modernizing the Bedside: AI and Offshoring Reshape Healthcare Staffing

By Kenneth Walker

OMAHA, Neb. – October 13, 2026 — The business of healthcare is fundamentally a business of people, yet the infrastructure supporting those people has long been constrained by archaic technology and localized bottlenecks. As hospital systems nationwide grapple with sustained margin pressures and an evolving labor market, the staffing agencies that supply their critical workforce are being forced to innovate. At the center of this disruption is Medical Solutions, an Omaha-based healthcare workforce partner currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.

This week, the company's strategic pivot toward automation and globalized support was cast into the spotlight when CEO Rebecca Rogers Tijerino was named to Staffing Industry Analysts' (SIA) 2026 Global Power 150 Women in Staffing list. The annual recognition, which highlights female executives driving business results and technological transformation, underscores a broader narrative in the staffing sector: the traditional model of simply filling open shifts is dead. In its place, a new paradigm of AI-driven recruitment, offshore operational hubs, and comprehensive workforce management is taking root.

Tijerino, who took the helm in January 2024, inherited an organization at a critical juncture. Following a period of unprecedented volatility during the pandemic, the healthcare staffing market has entered a phase of stabilization and intense competition. Her subsequent initiatives offer a compelling case study on how legacy workforce partners are adapting to the modern demands of healthcare commerce.

Navigating the Post-Pandemic Correction

To understand the significance of Medical Solutions' recent operational shifts, one must first look at the financial realities of the broader industry. The U.S. healthcare staffing market, which experienced a massive, unsustainable boom during the height of the COVID-19 crisis, has spent the last few years correcting. In 2025, the market generated an estimated $33 billion in revenue, with industry analysts forecasting a modest, sustainable growth rate of one to two percent through 2027.

In this tightening landscape, market share and operational efficiency are paramount. Medical Solutions currently stands as a dominant player, ranking as the fifth-largest healthcare staffing firm in the United States with an estimated 4.8 percent market share, trailing only a handful of giants like Aya Healthcare and CHG Healthcare Services. It also holds the number two spot globally for travel nursing.

The financial stakes are exceptionally high. Backed by private equity heavyweights Centerbridge Partners and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)—who acquired the firm in a massive $2.2 billion transaction in 2021—the Omaha-based organization operates under a clear mandate to scale efficiently. When private equity capital is deployed at that magnitude, growth cannot rely solely on increasing headcount; it requires systemic innovation. Under Tijerino's leadership, the firm has responded by aggressively modernizing its infrastructure to protect margins while simultaneously improving the experience for both hospital clients and traveling clinicians.

The AI and Offshore Advantage

The most visible manifestations of this modernization are the company's recent investments in artificial intelligence and global operational expansion. In the highly competitive travel nursing sector, the speed at which a clinician can be credentialed, matched, and placed is often the deciding factor in winning their loyalty.

Recognizing this bottleneck, Tijerino spearheaded the launch of an AI-powered recruitment chatbot. While chatbots are not entirely new to the corporate world, their application in the complex, highly regulated field of clinical staffing represents a significant leap forward. The technology is designed to streamline the job search and application process, engaging with traveling clinicians around the clock. By automating initial screenings, answering routine logistical questions, and facilitating faster placements, the AI tool reduces friction at the most critical steps of the candidate journey. Healthcare operations researchers note that such AI deployments can drastically reduce time-to-hire and mitigate the human biases that often slow down traditional recruitment cycles.

However, AI alone cannot handle the nuanced operational demands of a nationwide healthcare workforce. To complement this technological upgrade, Tijerino significantly expanded the company's resource hub in Manila, Philippines.

The Philippines has long been a global powerhouse for business process outsourcing (BPO), but its specific evolution into a clinical intelligence hub is a more recent phenomenon. The country's healthcare information management sector generated an estimated $4.2 billion in 2024, employing nearly 200,000 professionals. By expanding its Manila operations to support recruiting, finance, and back-office operations, Medical Solutions has effectively decoupled its growth from the constraints of the U.S. labor market.

This offshore expansion provides the company with the capacity to serve clients and clinicians 24/7. When a travel nurse in California finishes a night shift and needs immediate support with payroll or credentialing, the Manila hub ensures that a human is available to assist, seamlessly complementing the AI chatbot. Industry analysts point out that leveraging offshore hubs for non-clinical functions can reduce administrative labor costs by up to 70 percent, savings that can be reinvested into competitive clinician pay rates and advanced technology.

Redefining Leadership in High-Stress Sectors

While technological and geographic expansions are critical drivers of business results, Tijerino's inclusion on the SIA Global Power 150 list also highlights her focus on internal corporate culture. The staffing industry is notoriously high-stress, characterized by aggressive quotas and high burnout rates among recruiters.

Tijerino has countered this industry norm by championing leadership coaching and manager development, operating on the philosophy that robust external service is impossible without a strong internal foundation. By investing heavily in the people who lead teams day-to-day, the organization is cultivating a culture where employees feel more connected to the healthcare providers they ultimately serve.

"Rebecca is a thoughtful and driven leader who continues to challenge Medical Solutions to think differently about how we serve healthcare organizations and clinicians," noted Linda Galipeau, Chair of Medical Solutions' Board of Directors. "She has kept the organization focused on innovation, service excellence and, most importantly, creating greater value for the clients and clinicians we serve."

This human-centric approach to leadership is particularly vital in a post-pandemic workforce that places a premium on empathy and professional development. In a sector where the retention of skilled recruiters directly correlates to the retention of high-quality nurses, internal culture is not just a human resources initiative—it is a core business strategy.

The Evolving Workforce Solutions Model

The innovations driven by Tijerino and her executive team reflect a fundamental shift in how hospital systems consume labor. The days of administrators simply calling an agency to fill a weekend shift are fading. Today, healthcare organizations are facing intense margin pressures and complex reimbursement landscapes, prompting a massive pivot toward outsourcing. Recent operational surveys indicate that nearly 70 percent of healthcare organizations now outsource part or all of their revenue cycle operations, and nearly 80 percent are increasing their adoption of workflow automation.

In response, firms like Medical Solutions are evolving from transactional staffing agencies into comprehensive workforce advisory partners. Hospitals now demand sophisticated managed services programs, internal resource pool technology, predictive analytics for labor forecasting, and interim leadership placements. They want partners who can optimize their total labor spend, not just provide temporary bodies.

By integrating AI-driven recruitment, expanding 24/7 global support hubs, and fostering a resilient internal leadership culture, the organization is positioning itself to meet these complex demands head-on. As the healthcare industry continues to navigate the realities of the 21st century, the companies that thrive will be those that successfully blend technological efficiency with human-centric service. The recognition of leaders who champion this dual approach signals a maturing market, one where innovation at the corporate level directly translates to better care at the bedside.