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AMA and Atalan Launch Collaboration to Advance Physician Retention Research
CHICAGO, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Medical Association (AMA) and Atalan today announced a new research collaboration focused on advancing understanding of the factors that influence physician retention across U.S. health systems.
The two organizations have agreed to combine resources and launch the PROGRESS Study (Physician Retention, Optimization, and Growth: Real-world Evidence and Sentiment Synthesis), a multi-site research initiative aimed at helping health systems better understand the conditions that support physician retention, workforce stability, and organizational success.
The study will combine physician-reported data collected through the AMA Organizational Biopsy® – an assessment framework and suite of services that helps organizations strengthen culture, support physician well-being, and improve practice environments – with workforce and practice data contributed by participating organizations. Using Atalan’s Clinician Retention Intelligence (CRI) platform, researchers will examine how physician perceptions align, or diverge, from day-to-day practice realities and identify factors associated with retention, patient access, and team performance.
“Physician retention is one of the most pressing challenges facing health systems today,” said Tiffany Chan, CEO and Founder of Atalan. “This collaboration creates an opportunity to generate meaningful evidence on how physician experience relates to workforce retention and organizational performance at scale.”
“Health systems increasingly recognize that physician well-being, workforce stability, patient access, and organizational performance are closely connected,” said AMA President Willie Underwood III, MD, MSc, MPH. “By bringing together physician perspectives and objective practice data, the PROGRESS Study aims to deepen understanding of the factors that shape the physician experience and influence long-term organizational success.”
The stakes for improving physician retention are high. Physician burnout remains a significant driver of turnover, creating challenges for patient access, workforce stability, and organizational performance. The AMA estimates that physician turnover can cost organizations between $500,000 and more than $1 million per physician when recruitment, onboarding, lost productivity, and related costs are considered.
Through the PROGRESS Study, the AMA and Atalan aim to generate evidence to better understand the drivers of physician retention and inform how health organizations support their clinical workforce.
To learn more about the PROGRESS study, visit: atalantech.com/ama-and-atalan-research-collaboration.
Media Contacts:
American Medical Association
Robert Mills
Email: robert.mills@ama-assn.org
Phone: (312) 464-4430
Atalan
Sharon Golubchik, RAYNZ
Email: sharon@raynzhealth.com
Phone: (609) 418-0058
About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
About Atalan
Atalan is the leading Clinician Retention Intelligence (CRI) platform, enabling health systems to identify retention risks up to 12 months in advance. Powered by predictive workforce intelligence and objective operational data, Atalan helps leaders understand where clinician retention risk exists, what factors are driving it, and which actions are most likely to improve outcomes.
The platform prioritizes clinicians, departments, and operating units that may require attention. It uncovers both risk factors and protective factors, helping organizations reduce workforce disruption while strengthening clinician experience. The result is a more stable workforce, protected clinical capacity, stronger patient experience, and improved financial performance.
To learn more, visit www.atalantech.com.
