Back to BlogFrom bedside to broadband: What telehealth means for your contingent workforce strategy
From virtual appointments with family doctors in Victoria to remote therapy in rural Canada, telehealth has gone from a niche offering to a foundational part of care delivery.
For patients, it means faster access to healthcare. For healthcare systems, it means offering new models of service delivery that are more flexible, scalable, and location-agnostic. But for healthcare leaders, it presents a new question: how do you build a workforce that can keep up?
This guide explores how organisations can adapt—using contingent staffing, remote credentialing, and Employer of Record (EOR) services—to build a workforce that’s agile, compliant, and ready for virtual care.
The telehealth revolution and its workforce impact
The rapid adoption of telehealth has revolutionised the delivery of healthcare across Australia and North America. What began as a pandemic-era solution has evolved into a long-term strategy for improving access, reducing wait times, and increasing patient satisfaction.
How telehealth is transforming healthcare delivery
Traditional in-person care models are giving way to hybrid systems. These blend physical visits with virtual consultations, remote monitoring, and app-based follow-ups. These models are particularly impactful in rural and underserved communities, where brick-and-mortar clinics often fall short.
Without geographic barriers, telehealth helps address workforce shortages too. Clinics no longer need to rely solely on local staff as they can engage remote professionals to plug critical gaps in care. This expanded access benefits both patients and stretched clinical teams.
Expanding opportunities for contingent healthcare professionals
Telehealth’s flexibility opens new pathways for contingent staff, particularly remote locum tenens, virtual specialists, and telenurses. These roles enable professionals to support patients from any location, offering greater scheduling flexibility and a broader range of assignments.
This shift has also directly supported recruitment and retention:
- A 2024 report found that 45% of locum tenens physicians would consider returning to permanent roles if greater flexibility—such as telehealth options—were available.
- Similarly, Health eCareers’ 2024 Job Seeker Trends Report shows many clinicians are willing to switch employers for better hours and work conditions—reinforcing the appeal of contract-based models that support work-life balance and reduce burnout.
Rethinking skills and roles in a digital healthcare ecosystem
As virtual care becomes more common, the necessary skills to deliver it are also changing. Clinical excellence remains essential—but it must now be paired with digital literacy, adaptability, and the ability to connect with patients through a screen.
What to look for in telehealth-ready professionals
Healthcare leaders should prioritise candidates who are confident using telehealth platforms, electronic medical records (EMRs), and secure messaging tools. Clear virtual communication, professionalism on video calls, and the ability to explain diagnoses or care plans without physical examination are now essential skills in remote settings.
Adaptability is also critical. For example, a telenurse working across multiple Australian states or U.S. regions may need to switch between different EMR systems, follow varying clinical protocols, and comply with region-specific privacy laws. Other examples include:
- In the U.S., this might include navigating differing state telehealth regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- In Australia, compliance must align with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and any relevant state health legislation. These clinicians must also uphold strict standards for documentation, virtual patient triage, and escalation to ensure care quality remains consistent across locations.
Enhancing access to specialised care virtually
As mentioned earlier, one of telehealth’s key strengths is its ability to transcend geography. This becomes especially valuable when delivering specialised care. Rather than relying solely on local talent, healthcare organisations can use contingent staff to fill high-demand, niche roles across regions.
For example, a regional hospital in Western Australia may use a contingent paediatric neurologist based in Sydney to conduct virtual assessments. Similarly, a U.S.-based behavioural health clinic might bring in licensed teletherapists from other states to meet rising demand, especially where mental health professionals are scarce.
Building flexible, responsive staffing models
You already know telehealth allows for greater flexibility, but how do you actually build a staffing model that takes advantage of it?
Moving beyond location-based hiring
Since geography is no longer a constraint, healthcare organisations can build staffing models around availability, skill set, and patient demand. This means they can scale teams more quickly, fill shifts across multiple time zones, and adjust rosters based on real-time care needs.
For example, a GP based in Queensland can support a clinic in Victoria remotely, or a U.S.-based nurse in Texas can provide overnight coverage for a provider in New York.
This setup also supports contingent clinicians in more practical ways. They can accept short-term contracts during lower-risk periods, work part-time while managing personal commitments, or take on roles with lighter caseloads when needed. As mentioned earlier, these options help reduce burnout and enable clinicians to stay in the workforce longer without compromising their well-being.
Reducing labour costs with smart contingent strategies
Aside from no longer having to consider geography when building rosters, telehealth helps reduce both direct and indirect labour costs. Organisations can avoid the long-term expense of permanent hires, such as fixed salaries and paid leave, by bringing in contingent clinicians only when needed. For instance, instead of employing a full-time specialist, a regional health service might engage a virtual psychiatrist for weekend consults.
It also eliminates typical expenses associated with on-site roles, such as relocation packages, travel allowances, or accommodation for rural placements, resulting in a leaner, more responsive workforce model.
Credentialing, compliance, and cross-border complexity
While removing geographic barriers is one of telehealth’s biggest advantages, it also brings regulatory challenges. Hiring across states or borders involves navigating multiple licensing systems, credentialing bodies, and compliance standards. Organisations must ensure their contingent staff are fully authorised to practise, regardless of where they’re located or where their patients are.
Navigating licensing and regulatory hurdles
We touched on licensing and regulations earlier, but here’s where it gets more complicated.
- In Australia, clinicians must be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), the national body responsible for overseeing licensing and professional standards for healthcare workers. Depending on the care setting or role, additional state-based requirements may also apply.
- In the U.S. and Canada, licensure requirements vary even more. Most states and provinces require that clinicians be licensed in the same location as the patient—which means a telenurse seeing patients in five states may need five active licences.
- Some jurisdictions participate in licensure compacts, like the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) or the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), which simplify cross-state work—but not all regions are covered, and eligibility can vary. Additionally, different areas have varying prescribing rules, consent policies, and documentation standards.
To manage, organisations need centralised systems for credential tracking, expiry alerts, and jurisdiction-specific compliance rules. Without it, they risk legal exposure, service gaps, or delays in patient care, especially when scaling quickly.
How Employer of Record (EOR) services help
Given the complexity of licensing, documentation, and jurisdictional compliance, managing remote contingent staff directly can become a logistical burden—especially when working across borders or multiple states. This is where an Employer of Record (EOR) service—like the one we provide at CXC— becomes a strategic advantage.
An EOR acts as the legal employer on your behalf, handling employment contracts, payroll, tax obligations, benefits, and compliance with local labour laws. It eliminates the need to establish separate legal entities in every region, while ensuring clinicians remain properly employed and fully compliant.
For example, a Canadian clinic engaging U.S.-based nurses could utilise an EOR to manage the employment relationship, ensuring compliance with all federal and state-level requirements, including tax registration, healthcare regulations, and cross-border employment laws.
At the same time, an Australian telehealth provider expanding into multiple states could rely on an EOR to manage the different labour regulations, award conditions, and healthcare-specific compliance rules, without needing to establish separate legal entities or risk falling short of local requirements.
Effective onboarding and training for remote-ready clinicians
Once clinicians are onboarded—whether directly or through an employment organisation (EOR)—they need to be equipped to deliver care confidently from the start. Without in-person orientation, organisations must rethink training for a fully remote, tech-enabled environment.
Preparing contingent staff for digital care settings
Effective onboarding for contingent telehealth clinicians needs to go beyond a login and a checklist. It should include guided platform walkthroughs, privacy protocols (like HIPAA or APPs), and short-form simulations that reflect real consultation scenarios, especially when physical escalation isn’t an option.
For example, a telenurse onboarding for weekend mental health triage should practise handling a dropped video call during a crisis consult, with clear escalation steps built into the training flow. Clinicians must be comfortable with the exact EMR and telehealth tools they’ll use, as well as protocols for urgent tech failures. Simulated case reviews, mock consults, and upfront clarity on support channels help ensure they can operate independently with minimal ramp-up time.
Keeping remote teams aligned and engaged
One problem with having remote clinicians is that they can feel like outsiders—disconnected from team culture and daily operations. Keeping them aligned with team goals and connected to the broader organisation requires a more intentional approach.
How to integrate contingent telehealth staff into core teams
Maintaining company culture is just as important with contingent clinicians as it is with full-time staff. The key is to create deliberate touchpoints that help them feel included, informed, and valued.
- Assign a mentor or team liaison to provide context, guidance, and a point of contact. Include contingent staff in virtual huddles, performance updates, and team-wide messages—not just clinical briefings.
- Create space for informal connection too, whether through virtual coffee chats or non-work channels.
- Most importantly, recognise their contributions during team calls or shared forums, so they feel seen and appreciated, even if they’re only with you for a few weeks.
These simple efforts help reinforce a sense of belonging, which directly impacts motivation, accountability, and the quality of care delivered remotely.
Technology infrastructure for a scalable telehealth workforce
Running a telehealth workforce isn’t just about having a video call platform. Organisations need tools to track credentials, assign shifts, monitor performance, and stay compliant across different states, countries, and contract types.
Tools that power remote workforce management
Key systems that are built specifically for healthcare operations include:
- Credentialing platforms help track license status, expiry dates, and multi-state approvals. Medallion, for instance, allows teams to manage clinician credentials centrally and avoid regulatory lapses.
- Scheduling tools align clinician availability with patient demand, helping reduce gaps in coverage.
- Secure communication apps enable remote teams to coordinate care, hand off cases, and share updates in real time.
- Compliance dashboards, such as CXC Comply, provide HR and legal teams with visibility into onboarding progress, documentation gaps, and region-specific requirements.
CXC Health: Future-proofing telehealth staffing
Having the right tools is only part of the solution—healthcare organisations also need the right partner to bring everything together at scale. Here’s where CXC Health comes in.
Workforce strategy from a trusted global partner
With CXC Health, organisations gain:
- Access to vetted contingent clinicians worldwide
- EOR support across states, provinces, and countries
- Credentialing systems tailored to healthcare standards
- Seamless onboarding that accelerates time-to-productivity
We work with healthcare providers across Australia and North America to deliver flexible, compliant workforce solutions tailored to the demands of telehealth. That includes support for rapid workforce mobilisation, digital health training, and global talent sourcing—all backed by years of experience in healthcare staffing.
We’re proud to support organisations that value quality, agility, and care. Our clients stay focused on delivering outcomes—while we handle the complexity behind the scenes.
Final thoughts: A strategic imperative for healthcare leaders
Virtual care is no longer a stopgap—it’s the future of healthcare delivery. To keep pace with rising demand and evolving patient expectations, healthcare leaders must rethink how they source, support, and scale their workforces.
Summary and call to action
Contingent staffing, telehealth-ready onboarding, remote compliance, and EOR services aren’t just operational tools—they’re levers for transformation. Together, they enable healthcare organisations to build resilient, scalable, and patient-focused systems.
Now’s the time to assess your workforce agility. If you’re still relying on static rosters or outdated admin processes, you’re not set up for success.
Partnering with experts like CXC Health ensures you can scale virtual care without the growing pains. The future of healthcare is distributed, and your workforce needs to be ready. Get in touch with us today to explore how we can support your workforce transformation.
