Who Leads Onboarding?
The departments responsible for coordination of onboarding activities has diversified in recent years. While the survey found medical staff services departments lead onboarding coordination more than any other department, its role declined to 38 % in 2025 from 44 % in 2024. This has declined from 49 % in 2020. There has been an increase in human resources and department-led coordination, which are up 19 % and 16 %, respectively.
What individual / department is most responsible for coordination of onboarding activities?( n = 488)
These results may reflect a growing trend among organizations to establish dedicated provider onboarding roles – such as coordinators, navigators, or concierges. These positions help ensure a consistent, streamlined onboarding experience by serving as a single point of contact, improving communication, and enhancing the overall provider experience with a strong first impression.
The primary objective of these roles is to reduce onboarding time. As a result, it is expected that the number of medical staff services departments directly managing onboarding will decline as responsibilities shift to these specialized positions.
35 30
38 % Time to Revenue
25 |
|
|
|
|
Understanding how long it takes to onboard providers |
|
20
15
10
5
|
14 % |
14 % |
19 % |
16 % |
is critical to shaping a positive initial experience and driving provider satisfaction. When onboarding, credentialing, and enrollment processes are not aligned, delays can lead to lost revenue, missed start dates, or even providers choosing to join other |
0 |
Medical staff / |
Recruitment |
Navigator program – i. e., |
credentialing department / office |
individuals whose primary role |
is facilitating / |
onboarding |
new providers |
|
HR |
Each impacted department is on its own – program is not coordinated |
organizations. In cases where a provider’ s contract has a fixed start date but credentialing or enrollment lags behind, organizations may be forced to pay providers who are unable to work or risk being unable to bill for their services. |
2025 TRENDS IN MEDICAL STAFF CREDENTIALING- DRIVING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE THROUGH STREAMLINED PROVIDER ONBOARDING 27