Journal of Healthcare Management Study Uncovers Critical Gaps in Hospital Employee Surveys Used to Assess Risk of Clinician Turnover, Unveiling Need for Atalan Platform

Data found 12 times higher risk of turnover among nonresponding clinicians, revealing how nonresponse bias distorts survey results and emphasizing the need for objective data solutions

Study co-authored by world-renowned labor economist and Harvard University professor Richard B. Freeman, Ph.D.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atalan, the first Clinician Retention Intelligence (CRI) platform, today announced groundbreaking findings from a recent study that analyzed nonresponse bias in hospitals’ clinician employee surveys, published in the Journal of Healthcare Management.

Health systems often conduct employee surveys to assess burnout, as they are often blindsided by surprise resignations. The study reveals how traditional survey methods fail to capture insights from the clinicians who are most at-risk of resigning, leading to skewed workforce assessments and potentially ineffective interventions.

“Given hospitals’ concerns with surprise resignations, they often rely on employee surveys to assess the severity of the problem. But the results of this study confirm a significant blind spot – relying solely on surveys fails to capture the experiences of the most vulnerable clinicians,” said Tiffany Chan, CEO & Founder of Atalan. “Our predictive machine learning models show that those at the highest risk of resigning are the least likely to respond, which means hospitals may be missing crucial warning signs. Tackling these challenges requires more than surveys. We need integrated data solutions to provide a complete, accurate picture of clinician wellbeing and drive informed decision-making.”

The study, titled “Who’s Not Talking? Nonresponse Bias in Healthcare Employee Surveys,” examined data from 346 physicians and 143 advanced practitioners (e.g. physician assistants, nurse practitioners) to objectively compare survey respondents and nonrespondents. Study researchers collected data from electronic health records (EHR) and human resources information systems (HRIS) to provide a comprehensive view of employee wellbeing, productivity, and turnover.

The findings were stark, underscoring the significant disparity between respondents and nonrespondents. Notably, advanced practitioner nonrespondents below retirement age exhibited a staggering 12 times higher risk of resigning, and physician nonrespondents demonstrated a five-fold increased risk. Nonrespondents also consistently showed lower productivity, measured by relative value units (RVU).

Atalan is a Clinician Retention Intelligence (CRI) platform that helps health systems predict and prevent surprise clinician resignations up to 12 months in advance. Leveraging hospitals’ EHR and HRIS data, Atalan’s platform identifies which clinicians are at risk of resigning, why, and what interventions are needed. In this way, health systems are able to protect their revenue and continuity of care.

This study underscores the need for the platform as a more comprehensive approach to workforce analytics – one that integrates objective data to identify trends and implement proactive strategies to mitigate turnover.

About Atalan
Atalan is the first Clinician Retention Intelligence (CRI) platform, helping health systems predict and prevent surprise clinician resignations up to 12 months in advance.

Using real-time, objective data that health systems already have, Atalan’s machine learning models pinpoint at-risk clinicians, uncover the causes, tailor proactive interventions, and evaluate program impact.

The outcome: financial loss prevention, stronger margins, and uninterrupted, high-quality patient care.

To learn more, visit www.atalantech.com.

Media Contact:
Sharon Golubchik
RAYNZ
sharon@raynzhealth.com

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