“We’re One Perfusionist Away from Canceling Cases”: How to Build a More Resilient Coverage Model 

A proactive staffing strategy can protect patient access, support clinicians, and give cardiac programs room to grow. 

By Chip Dahl, Business Development Manager at Altamar Cardiovascular Services  

A proactive perfusion staffing strategy can protect patient access, support clinicians, and give cardiac programs room to grow. 

Across the country, cardiac programs are feeling the strain of fragile perfusion coverage. One unexpected absence, an extended ECMO run, or a surge in case volume can leave a hospital uncomfortably close to delaying or canceling procedures. In one recent conversation, a perfusionist described working 15 consecutive days, covering overnight ECMO, sleeping only briefly, and returning to pump a morning CABG case. 

That is more than a scheduling challenge. It is a warning that the coverage model may lack the resilience required to support patient care, clinician sustainability, and service-line growth. The right question is not simply, “Who can cover tomorrow?” It is, “How do we build a perfusion staffing model that remains dependable under pressure?” 

Why Common Staffing Fixes Often Fall Short 

Hire more perfusionists. This may be the right long-term answer, but only if the contract, budget, recruiting timeline, and local talent market support it. In a highly specialized workforce, an urgent vacancy cannot always be filled quickly or with the right clinical and cultural fit. 

Increase compensation. Competitive, market-aligned pay is essential for recruitment and retention. However, compensation alone cannot correct chronic call burden, inconsistent scheduling, limited backup coverage, or a staffing model that has not kept pace with program growth. 

Borrow coverage from neighboring programs. Cross-coverage may solve an immediate need, but repeated reliance on clinicians who rotate among multiple hospitals can reduce continuity and make it harder to build the trust and familiarity that high-performing surgical teams depend on. 

Use travelers or temporary clinicians. Flexible staffing can be indispensable during vacancies, leaves, volume spikes, and program transitions. But temporary coverage works best as part of a deliberate workforce strategy, not as a permanent substitute for a stable core team. 

The takeaway is not that any one of these approaches is wrong. The problem is relying on a single staffing fix when the underlying coverage model needs to be more resilient. For cardiac programs, the strongest solution may combine permanent recruitment, flexible coverage, backup resources, and long-term workforce planning.

Four Foundations for a Resilient Perfusion Program 

1. Start with partnership, not placement 

Before assigning a clinician or designing a schedule, a staffing partner should understand the hospital’s clinical priorities, operational constraints, and growth plans. What case-volume changes are expected? Is an additional cardiac OR planned? Are ECMO, NRP, transplant, structural heart, or non-cardiac autotransfusion services on the roadmap? What are the surgeons and administrators experiencing today, and what does success look like in the next two to three years? 

Listening first allows the staffing model to be built around the program, not forced into a one-size-fits-all template. 

That requires more than just general healthcare staffing knowledge. A cardiovascular staffing partner should understand the clinical environment, the demands placed on perfusionists and ECMO teams, and the operational realities that can make one coverage model work for one program but fail for another. Specialized cardiovascular expertise makes that conversation more productive from the start. 

2. Plan for demand, disruption, and growth 

A resilient model accounts for more than the average weekly case count. It considers vacations, education, illness, recruitment lead time, extended ECMO support, simultaneous cases, call requirements, and future service expansion. The goal is to establish the right core team, the right backup resources, and clear escalation pathways before a coverage gap becomes a crisis. 

For hospital leaders, this means planning for the coverage you need today while anticipating what the cardiovascular program may require tomorrow. A cardiac program adding an OR, expanding ECMO capabilities, increasing case volume, or launching another advanced service may need a different perfusion staffing strategy six months or two years from now. 

Flexible staffing can play an important role in that planning. Rather than treating temporary clinicians as a last-minute solution, programs can use flexible coverage strategically during vacancies, leaves, volume spikes, recruitment periods, or service-line transitions.

3. Make costs and service expectations transparent 

Hospital leaders need a clear view of the relationship between staffing levels, service scope, coverage commitments, and cost. A strong partner explains pricing, identifies the operational tradeoffs of each option, and helps leaders compare the near-term expense of added coverage with the broader impact of canceled cases, clinician turnover, and constrained growth. 

Transparent contracts should minimize surprises, avoid unnecessary add-on fees, and give both parties a shared understanding of how the program will respond as needs change. 

This level of transparency is especially important when evaluating the cost of flexible perfusion coverage. The most obvious comparison may be the cost of an additional clinician or temporary coverage, but leaders should also consider the operational cost of an uncovered shift, delayed case, excessive call burden, clinician burnout, or an inability to expand services when demand increases. 

4. Choose a clinical partner who can also serve as a strategic advisor 

Effective perfusion staffing isn’t just about filling shifts. Hospitals benefit from a partner who understands compensation trends, geographic recruiting challenges, credentialing, equipment and supply considerations, regulatory requirements, emerging technologies, and evolving clinical services. 

That expertise can help hospital leaders anticipate workforce risks, optimize resources, and make informed decisions that align clinical quality with financial stewardship. 

This is where specialized cardiovascular staffing expertise can create a meaningful difference. A partner who understands perfusion and ECMO can bring a more informed perspective to workforce decisions while also understanding the relationships, communication, and continuity that high-performing cardiovascular programs depend on. 

At Altamar Cardiovascular Services, our focus on cardiovascular staffing means we understand the specialty and the professionals who work within it. Our team brings specialized knowledge of perfusion and ECMO, along with relationships across leading cardiovascular programs, to help hospitals think beyond an immediate coverage gap and toward a more sustainable staffing strategy. 

From Fragile Coverage to a Scalable Clinical Partnership 

The strongest perfusion programs feel integrated. Surgeons, anesthesia teams, administrators, and staff know who will be supporting each case. Perfusionists understand the hospital’s protocols and culture. Backup plans are defined, communication is direct, and staffing can scale without sacrificing consistency. 

That consistency matters. Perfusionists and other cardiovascular clinicians are not interchangeable resources. Their clinical expertise, familiarity with a program, and ability to work effectively alongside surgeons, anesthesia teams, and other members of the care team all contribute to the strength of the overall program. 

Hospitals should not have to wait for a vacancy, burnout event, or canceled case to evaluate whether their coverage model is sustainable. A proactive perfusion staffing strategy creates operational resilience today while building capacity for tomorrow. 

The goal is to create a coverage model that can withstand disruption, support clinicians, and give cardiovascular leaders the flexibility to grow their programs without constantly operating at the edge of capacity. 

That is the difference between transactional staffing and a true clinical staffing partnership. 

Is your program one absence away from a coverage crisis? A structured staffing assessment can identify vulnerabilities, clarify options, and create a practical path toward consistent coverage, clinician stability, and sustainable service-line growth. 

Altamar Cardiovascular Services can help you evaluate where your current perfusion staffing model is vulnerable and what a more resilient approach could look like. Our team combines cardiovascular staffing expertise, specialized perfusion and ECMO knowledge, and a high-touch approach to help programs build coverage around their actual clinical and operational needs. Connect with our team today to discover how you can build a more resilient perfusion staffing strategy.

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