The Medical Equipment Planning Talent Gap Hitting US Healthcare Projects
July 2026Connor Stuart-Woodard4 min read
The Medical Equipment Planning Talent Gap Hitting US Healthcare Projects
Medical equipment planning has become a pressure point in US healthcare project delivery. Hospitals, health systems and consulting firms need specialists who can turn clinical requirements into workable equipment strategies, but the candidate pool is tight.
At LVI Associates, we are seeing more clients look for medical equipment planners who can do more than build equipment lists. Through our medical equipment planning recruitment expertise, we support hospitals, health systems, consulting firms and project teams hiring across equipment planning, project coordination and capital equipment programs.
The issue is simple. Healthcare projects are becoming more technical, but the number of planners who can manage that complexity is limited. When clients hire too late, they carry more risk across design, procurement, installation and operational readiness.
Why the role matters more than it used to
Medical equipment now shapes the room. It can influence structure, layouts, utilities, access routes, digital systems and clinical workflow.
An imaging scanner can affect shielding, cooling, floor loading, power and installation sequencing. A hybrid operating room can influence ceiling coordination, lighting, integration systems and wall panels. ICU, laboratory and ambulatory surgery spaces all bring their own technical requirements.
The scale of US healthcare investment makes this more pressing. Healthcare construction spending was running at about $70.7bn on an annualised basis in April 2026, showing the volume of work moving through hospitals, outpatient facilities and specialist care environments.
When equipment decisions are made too late, the project can face redesign, contractor changes, procurement delays, installation issues, or rooms built but not clinically ready. A medical equipment planner helps connect the clinical brief with the technical and commercial decisions needed to make the space work.
Clients need judgment, not just technical knowledge
A medical equipment planner often sits between clinicians, architects, engineers, contractors, procurement teams, suppliers and client leadership. Each group sees the project differently, so the planner has to turn competing inputs into a clear equipment strategy.
As Connor Stuart-Woodard explains in his article What Clinical Teams Actually Want From Their Medical Equipment Planner, the best planners listen early, communicate clearly, understand clinical reality, raise problems before they grow and stay involved beyond handover.
That clinical connection matters. Equipment planning is about how a room performs under real pressure, during real procedures, with real patients and staff. The strongest planners can move from technical detail to practical use without losing control of either.
What LVI Associates is seeing in the market
At LVI Associates, demand is rising across hospitals, ambulatory care centres, imaging projects, surgical spaces, specialist departments and wider healthcare capital programs. Clients want candidates who can manage schedules, budgets, specifications, vendor input, clinical engagement and technical requirements.
That is a broad brief, and it narrows the candidate pool quickly. Many experienced planners are already tied into long-term healthcare programs, while others sit inside consultancies where they are difficult to move.
As healthcare projects become more technical, clients need access to talent that understands design coordination, building systems and delivery pressure. LVI Associates’ building services recruitment specialists and construction recruitment expertise support clients hiring across the wider built environment, including healthcare and infrastructure projects.
The hiring challenge is not only finding someone with the right job title. It is finding someone who can take ownership, challenge assumptions and keep decisions moving.
A market view from Connor Stuart-Woodard
The salary conversation around medical equipment planning has changed. I would be careful about putting one fixed percentage on the market because the public data is limited, but the client demand we are seeing is clear. Experienced planners who can manage technical detail, stakeholders and project risk are now commanding stronger six-figure packages. Clients who still benchmark this as a support role are likely to miss the talent they actually need.
Salary expectations are moving with the role
Salary expectations have moved because the job has moved. Medical equipment planners are now expected to influence decisions that affect cost, schedule and clinical readiness. They need to understand healthcare operations, infrastructure and project delivery, not only equipment lists or procurement support.
This changes how clients should think about compensation. A planner who can identify missing requirements early may save a project from redesign, delay or commissioning problems. That value is not reflected if the role is benchmarked as support.
For hiring managers, the question should not only be, “What does this person cost?” It should be, “What project risk are we carrying if we do not hire the right person?”
Where demand is strongest in the US
Demand is strongest in US markets where healthcare projects are large, technical and time-sensitive. Public project data supports what LVI Associates is seeing. Definitive Healthcare reported that New York had 243 healthcare construction CONs and RFPs in 2025 year-to-date, followed by Washington DC with 171 and Georgia with 83.
That does not mean demand is limited to those areas. It shows where healthcare construction activity is creating pressure for specialist project talent.
| Market | Demand driver | Candidate profile clients need |
| Texas | Hospital expansion, population growth and phased health system projects | Planners with large campus, acute care, imaging, surgery, ICU and live-environment experience |
| Florida | Ageing demographics, outpatient growth and specialist care investment | Planners with ambulatory care, imaging, surgery centre, and high-volume delivery experience |
| California | Hospital replacement projects, seismic requirements and technical complexity | Senior planners with vendor management, infrastructure planning and stakeholder experience |
| Georgia and the Southeast | New hospital development and investment in emergency, imaging and surgical services | Candidates who can build equipment programs early and support design, procurement and commissioning |
| The Carolinas | Health system expansion, pediatric investment and outpatient growth | Planners with a new hospital, specialist department and clinical user engagement experience |
| New York and the Northeast | Ageing hospital estates, redevelopment projects and academic medical centres | Planners who can manage renovation work, phased delivery and technical schedules |
| Washington DC, Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic | Regulated healthcare environments and hospital modernisation | Candidates with documentation, compliance and multi-stakeholder delivery experience |
These markets are adding equipment-heavy spaces where planning mistakes are expensive. A new imaging suite, hybrid operating room, ICU expansion or ambulatory surgery center cannot be planned through a simple list.
Why does late hiring cost more
Some clients wait until a project has moved forward before hiring a medical equipment planner. That can feel efficient at the time, but it often reduces control later.
Without the right specialist, teams can rely on incomplete schedules, outdated assumptions or supplier-led input. This can leave gaps in the budget, room data, technical requirements and installation planning.
By the time those gaps become visible, the project may already have committed to layouts, service routes or procurement decisions. Fixing the issue then can mean more cost, more meetings and less flexibility.
The best time to hire is before major design decisions are made. After that point, the planner may still add value, but more of their time will be spent solving problems that could have been avoided.
How clients can compete for the best talent
Clients looking to hire medical equipment planners need a focused hiring strategy. Strong candidates will want to understand the project pipeline, level of responsibility, client exposure, team structure and long-term career path.
Salary matters, but it is not the only factor. Candidates also look at influence, visibility and the reason to move. If the brief sounds narrow or the hiring process moves slowly, strong candidates can lose interest.
For clients looking to hire, salary benchmarking, talent mapping and market intelligence can make the difference between securing the right medical equipment planner and losing them to a competitor. LVI Associates’ talent services are designed to support those hiring challenges in specialist markets.
Hiring managers may also need to think beyond exact title matches. Strong candidates can come from healthcare consulting, clinical planning, biomedical engineering, healthcare architecture, vendor coordination, medical equipment procurement or project management.
The key is knowing which skills matter most. Healthcare project exposure, technical coordination ability, stakeholder management and ownership are usually the core requirements. Other skills can often be developed if the candidate has the right foundation.
Ready to hire or explore your next move?
For organisations looking to hire medical equipment planners, timing matters. The right hire can reduce risk across planning, procurement, installation and operational readiness. If you are building a team or need support with a specialist hire, you can request a call back from Connor Stuart-Woodard to discuss the market, salary expectations and the candidate profiles available.
For candidates looking to progress in medical equipment planning, the market is active across healthcare planning, project management, equipment coordination and healthcare activation. If you are considering your next move, take a look at LVI Associates’ current healthcare roles to see live opportunities across the US.