Tom Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of MedHQ, an HR management company for ASCs, shared his insights on ASC management and staffing challenges.
Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
Question: What do ASC administrators often overlook when staffing their practices?
Tom Jacobs: There are lots of different ways to staff, and every administrator has their strengths and weaknesses. Many administrators are very well trained in how to interview, and not everybody is as experienced at it. It's one of those things where if you feel uncomfortable or unsure, to know that there are people you can turn to for coaching or education can be helpful. I think there's a lot to learn from one another. I was talking with a gentleman the other day about the shortage that's happening now with OR nurses. Finding creative ways to deal with that shortage, including finding folks within your organization that want to take on that role, because it can take six to nine months to train a good OR nurse.
Q: What are some ways ASCs can attract top talent in light of the physician shortage?
TJ: For surgery centers, the staff is historically more experienced because they're developed by a doctor group and other highly trained individuals. Now that the industry has matured a little more, I think there needs to be more than just the traditional word of mouth hiring. Thinking outside the box like appointing an OR manager who is more of a technician can be beneficial for ASCs when hiring. That may free up an OR nurse to do that type of work instead. There are many ways to go about [hiring], but knowing the situation you have is a good way to get started.
Q: Often at surgery centers, employees are asked to wear multiple hats. How does that play into hiring decisions?
TJ: A surgery center is not like a hospital that has 1,000 employees. An ASC may have just 30 or 50 employees. There is a need for individuals within the center to go outside a typical role and additional responsibilities. You see a lot of surgery centers applying the strategy of cross training around a lot of positions both on the clinical side and in the business office.
Q: What are some of the ways ASCs can retain employees?
TJ: The "golden nugget" so to speak of retaining employees is having a great culture. That's not always easy to obtain for a variety of reasons. [An ASC] is an environment where one person can make a big difference. Making sure you have a good process to address problems as soon as they come about and not letting them fester is an important way to have a work environment that is positive for your people. Maybe 15 percent of your staff are very high performers, and maybe 10 percent aren't, and then there's 75 percent in the middle. The people in the middle will gravitate to toward the stronger personalities. It's a good practice to have measures in place to handle cases that come about over a long period of time where it may not be a culture fit for an individual.
Q: What are some strategies administrators can use to manage and motivate employees in an effective way?
TJ: Many administrators who come into a surgery center have the mindset that they want to do their job well. Where it can get difficult is when there's a lot of disruption and people are having trouble performing the essential functions of their jobs. One of the challenges of a surgery center that doesn't have a large staff and can't afford an internal human resources person is that they don't have someone skilled at helping managers navigate these issues. Having a good relationship with an outsourced human resources provider is one way to help solve those issues.
Q: What would you say the biggest staffing mistakes to avoid are?
TJ: One of the biggest mistakes is falling in love with a resume. You can see somebody who looks good on paper and get through multiple interviews, but taking into consideration how someone might be a good fit within your culture is a big deal.
If a facility is going through a turnaround, one thing to consider is having an outside organization handling payroll and benefits. If those things aren't done well, it can disrupt turning around your organization into a positive direction. If you can hand off those responsibilities to someone who does it well, then your management team, owners and executives can keep their eye on improving their organization.