Here are six strategies to recruit additional physicians for an ambulatory surgery center in 2012 with Reed Martin, COO of Surgical Management Professionals.
1. Talk to existing partners. Mr. Martin says during regular member meetings, talking about possible physician recruits should be one of the items on the agenda. He says the current physicians, staff and hospital partners are asked about possible physician recruits. The local administration staff at the center should also watch newspapers for announcements of new physicians coming to the area.
2. Create a one-page fact sheet. One of the things that SMP does with their facilities is to ensure possible recruits have accurate and up-to-date information on the ASC. Administrators should create one-page fact sheets with the help of the corporate marketing department. These sheets contain general information about the center as well as competitive advantages such as state-of-the-art equipment, awards, block time availability, turnover times, and the possibility of investment opportunities, if applicable.
3. Have the physicians visit the center. Having the physician recruits visit the ASC is a great way for them to get a feel for the staff and the way the center runs. "The best opportunity is when they tour our facility and see our staff and equipment and meet with some of our surgeons," Mr. Martin says.
Ideally, the physician would be able to meet with a surgeon in the same specialty to discuss advantages of the facility for that specialty. Mr. Martin suggests giving the surgeons at the center a heads up a few days before the visit so they have time to prepare.
4. Be persistent. Mr. Martin says persistence pays off. Even if a physician is not interested after the site visit, he has the ASC's executive director or administrator touch base with the physician monthly or quarterly to see if there have been any changes. "Sometimes persistence is effective in bringing that physician to the center," he says.
5. Talk about future investment opportunities. Mr. Martin says on a return visit to the center, he would usually talk to the physician about future investment opportunities. At this meeting, Mr. Martin would talk to the physician about the current share valuation and what returns or distributions have looked like in the past. "The meeting is really to discuss future opportunity, not to get into too much detail," he says. "It's important to set up expectations properly to discuss how this is a long term investment opportunity."
Trying the facility for a period of time before investment allows both the physician and the facility staff and physicians to determine if the relationship is a fit. "It's best if both parties have a waiting period before an offer is made," Mr. Martin says.
6. Enhance direct marketing. Mr. Martin says SMP has recently started enhancing the website of its centers and also strives to increase community awareness with press releases and community education. While most marketing efforts are geared toward physicians, some are aimed at the general public. Mr. Martin says the idea behind this is to make patients more aware of the ASC so they begin to ask their physicians for more information.
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