ARMONK, N.Y., October 7, 2026 - Providence, one of the largest health systems in the United States with 119,000 caregivers, faced a challenge familiar to many large organizations – hiring had become too complex. Managers worked across multiple systems and navigated manual approvals, caregivers struggled to move internally, and workflows slowed staffing decisions critical to patient care.
New Efforts Went Beyond Faster Hiring
Providence worked with IBM (NYSE: IBM) Consulting to rethink how people move into new roles. With the help of AI and automation, hiring managers reduced administrative effort by 90%, while internal caregivers now start their new roles on average 12 days sooner. Providence also lowered transfer costs by 60% and improved process accuracy by up to 70%.
Managers now spend less time navigating systems and more time supporting their teams, while caregivers can pursue internal opportunities more easily across the organization without disrupting patient care.
Nearly half of Providence’s annual hiring activity comes from internal transfers, yet the process had become so cumbersome that some caregivers found it easier to leave the organization and reapply as external candidates than to transfer internally. By simplifying the experience, Providence strengthened internal mobility and improved its ability to retain talent in a highly competitive healthcare labor market.
“At Providence, we took a step back and asked how we could make it easier for our caregivers to grow their careers within our organization. We saw an opportunity to use AI in a way that could remove barriers, simplify work and better support our caregivers and our mission,” said Carol McDaniel, Vice President, Talent Acquisition, Providence.