Here are five proven strategies for recruiting physicians to your surgery center or hospital.
1. Make informed decisions. A hospital service line or program won't be successful unless you have quality physicians and medical staff in place. Figure out where services in your community may be lacking and focus on recruiting specialists in that area, says Mickey Bilbrey, vice president of Eastern operations for Quorum Health Resources. However, don't forget about the outstanding physicians and staff you already have. Make sure to take the necessary steps to retain these quality professionals.
From: 8 Points for Freestanding Hospitals on Maintaining Independence
2. Incorporate physicians decision-making and leadership roles. Designate physician leaders to form a leadership council that advises the CEO on strategic issues. Hospital leaders strengthen physician relationships through working jointly on solving the challenges facing the hospital. This requires open dialogue and willingness to bring physicians into the decision-making process about a specific topic or issue.
"The hospitals that have gone the farthest have incorporated physicians into executive roles," says Luke Peterson, a partner with Kurt Salmon's Healthcare Strategy Group. "High impact communication, which is two-way communication, makes sure the organization is successful." Leaders should be willing to say "yes" and "no" to the physicians and then explain the reasoning behind their answers.
From: 4 Tips for Improving Communication Between Hospital Executives and Physicians
3. Look for medical students from the community. Contact medical students who grew up in or near your community and recruit them to return after they've earned their degrees, says B.J. Millar, a director in Quorum Health Resources' physicians services practice. Offer to provide stipends during their time in medical school and throughout their residencies if they agree to return after their training.
The hospital is taking a risk by offering these types of incentive programs because the students are not contractually bound to honor the agreement. However, the program could be beneficial to entice students back who already have links in the community. "It's a long-term project," says Mr. Millar. "But what hospitals hope is that they'll have a solid provider who is tied to the community by a lot more strings than just having a job there."
From: 4 Steps for Successful Orthopedic Surgeon Recruitment
4. Join the local Chamber of Commerce. When Randy Huffman, administrator of Coral Springs (Fla.) Surgical Center, wanted to build case volume at Coral Springs, he started with the Chamber of Commerce.
"I became an active member of the Chamber, and through that, I started meeting a lot of business people in the community," he says. Don't underestimate the power of community connections: If your center is well-known in the community, more surgeons will hear about your recruitment efforts. Join your local Chamber of Commerce and keep up an active membership to make sure business owners are spreading the word about your ASC.
From: 6 Proven Strategies for Physician Recruitment
5. Contact candidates from the employed surgeons' networks. According to Lori Ramirez, founder, president and CEO of Elite Surgical Affiliates, the best way to get interest from physicians is through their peers. She advises ASCs not to waste time cold-calling physicians to increase referrals. "We find physicians that have influence, and we task them with recruiting other physicians when we start the partnership," she said. When you're initially discussing the partnership between a physician and your ASC, ask the physician if he or she is willing to take responsibility for physician referrals.
From: 5 Things to Know About Physician Relationships in the ASC
1. Make informed decisions. A hospital service line or program won't be successful unless you have quality physicians and medical staff in place. Figure out where services in your community may be lacking and focus on recruiting specialists in that area, says Mickey Bilbrey, vice president of Eastern operations for Quorum Health Resources. However, don't forget about the outstanding physicians and staff you already have. Make sure to take the necessary steps to retain these quality professionals.
From: 8 Points for Freestanding Hospitals on Maintaining Independence
2. Incorporate physicians decision-making and leadership roles. Designate physician leaders to form a leadership council that advises the CEO on strategic issues. Hospital leaders strengthen physician relationships through working jointly on solving the challenges facing the hospital. This requires open dialogue and willingness to bring physicians into the decision-making process about a specific topic or issue.
"The hospitals that have gone the farthest have incorporated physicians into executive roles," says Luke Peterson, a partner with Kurt Salmon's Healthcare Strategy Group. "High impact communication, which is two-way communication, makes sure the organization is successful." Leaders should be willing to say "yes" and "no" to the physicians and then explain the reasoning behind their answers.
From: 4 Tips for Improving Communication Between Hospital Executives and Physicians
3. Look for medical students from the community. Contact medical students who grew up in or near your community and recruit them to return after they've earned their degrees, says B.J. Millar, a director in Quorum Health Resources' physicians services practice. Offer to provide stipends during their time in medical school and throughout their residencies if they agree to return after their training.
The hospital is taking a risk by offering these types of incentive programs because the students are not contractually bound to honor the agreement. However, the program could be beneficial to entice students back who already have links in the community. "It's a long-term project," says Mr. Millar. "But what hospitals hope is that they'll have a solid provider who is tied to the community by a lot more strings than just having a job there."
From: 4 Steps for Successful Orthopedic Surgeon Recruitment
4. Join the local Chamber of Commerce. When Randy Huffman, administrator of Coral Springs (Fla.) Surgical Center, wanted to build case volume at Coral Springs, he started with the Chamber of Commerce.
"I became an active member of the Chamber, and through that, I started meeting a lot of business people in the community," he says. Don't underestimate the power of community connections: If your center is well-known in the community, more surgeons will hear about your recruitment efforts. Join your local Chamber of Commerce and keep up an active membership to make sure business owners are spreading the word about your ASC.
From: 6 Proven Strategies for Physician Recruitment
5. Contact candidates from the employed surgeons' networks. According to Lori Ramirez, founder, president and CEO of Elite Surgical Affiliates, the best way to get interest from physicians is through their peers. She advises ASCs not to waste time cold-calling physicians to increase referrals. "We find physicians that have influence, and we task them with recruiting other physicians when we start the partnership," she said. When you're initially discussing the partnership between a physician and your ASC, ask the physician if he or she is willing to take responsibility for physician referrals.
From: 5 Things to Know About Physician Relationships in the ASC