Barry Tanner, president and CEO of Physicians Endoscopy in Doylestown, Pa., discusses how ASC leaders can prepare for the inevitable departure of their older physicians.
1. Ask physicians for retirement notice one year in advance. According to Mr. Tanner, the best set of circumstances for physician retirement arises when a provider gives plenty of advanced notice to his or her practice and surgery center. "A physician might let the practice know that he or she is going to retire for example at age 67," he says. " It is common practice for the physician to say something about one to two years in advance so that it's not a surprise to anybody."
Mr. Tanner says that physician practices and surgery centers need this time to recruit a new provider.. Since hospital employment and physician shortages are making recruitment more difficult, surgery center leaders should expect at least one year of advanced notice so that there is ample time to recruit and to make any other temporary adjustments that may be necessary.
2. Transition a new provider into the surgery center as the retiring physician departs. As physicians get close to the end of their career, they tend to reduce their case volume and use less block time in a surgery center, Mr. Tanner says. "The retiring physician often begins to cut back on office time and procedure time as part of a planned transition. Assuming that there is a new physician who is about to or has recently joined the retiring physician's practice, this transition can be accommodated relatively smoothly."
As the retiring physician reduces his or her block time at the surgery center, the new physician can increase block time, allowing surgery center staff to get to know the new physician as the retiring physician winds down . This gradual transition allows the new provider to get used to the practice, the staff and the surgery center and to build his or her patient base over time, which generally results in the smoothest possible transition. .
3. Look for physicians coming out of hospital employment. Mr. Tanner says he has seen hospital employment — one of the biggest challenges for surgery centers dependent on recruiting new providers — slow down in the past 6-8 months. "I'm even getting some minor indications that it might be swinging back in the other direction [toward private practice]," he says. "If that's true, employed physicians might have to move out of the area to break away from employment because of the hospital's non-compete policies." He says this may create an opportunity for certain practice and surgery centers to hire physicians who have left hospital employment and are looking for a new place to practice.
"These trends may mimic what we've seen historically over the years," Mr. Tanner says. "Physicians sort of get disenchanted with being a hospital employee, and they receive too much direction in terms of how they're supposed to practice medicine." He says more and more hospitals are experiencing financial challenges that jeopardize their ability to offer physicians a competitive work and economic environment . "It's scary to someone who's dependent on the hospital for a job and a salary," he says. "Those two dynamics alone may be driving some minority of physicians to rethink the hospital employment model."
4. Keep in touch with specialty fellows in your area. Mr. Tanner says Physicians Endoscopy tries to keep in touch with as many GI specialty fellows as they can to make sure the fellows know about recruitment opportunities. "We try to make the fellows aware of opportunities in our network or out of it," he says. "I think in the GI world right now, there are more physicians who are either at or close to retirement age than there are fellows coming out of school."
This shortage means fellows have the opportunity to pick and choose from a number of practices. While GI may be facing harsher shortages than some other specialties, most physician specialties are suffering from a dwindling pool of potential providers . Make sure to keep in touch with fellows at teaching hospitals and publicize the openings at your center.
5. Publicize positions in national publications. Mr. Tanner says his company is able to publicize its recruitment opportunities through EndoEconomics, the magazine put out by Physicians Endoscopy. Most physician practices and surgery centers don't have the ability to publish a magazine, but that doesn't mean that you can't take advantage of local and national publications. "We try to assist our affiliated physician practices in any way we can by helping them to design/develop marketing materials or making space available for them to do recruitment in EndoEconomics or within our kiosk at a national show," he says.
If your surgery center is looking for physicians nationally, take advantage of industry trade magazines that allow surgery centers to post investment opportunities. If you are concentrating on the local community, advertise in your local paper or distribute a newsletter to local providers.
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1. Ask physicians for retirement notice one year in advance. According to Mr. Tanner, the best set of circumstances for physician retirement arises when a provider gives plenty of advanced notice to his or her practice and surgery center. "A physician might let the practice know that he or she is going to retire for example at age 67," he says. " It is common practice for the physician to say something about one to two years in advance so that it's not a surprise to anybody."
Mr. Tanner says that physician practices and surgery centers need this time to recruit a new provider.. Since hospital employment and physician shortages are making recruitment more difficult, surgery center leaders should expect at least one year of advanced notice so that there is ample time to recruit and to make any other temporary adjustments that may be necessary.
2. Transition a new provider into the surgery center as the retiring physician departs. As physicians get close to the end of their career, they tend to reduce their case volume and use less block time in a surgery center, Mr. Tanner says. "The retiring physician often begins to cut back on office time and procedure time as part of a planned transition. Assuming that there is a new physician who is about to or has recently joined the retiring physician's practice, this transition can be accommodated relatively smoothly."
As the retiring physician reduces his or her block time at the surgery center, the new physician can increase block time, allowing surgery center staff to get to know the new physician as the retiring physician winds down . This gradual transition allows the new provider to get used to the practice, the staff and the surgery center and to build his or her patient base over time, which generally results in the smoothest possible transition. .
3. Look for physicians coming out of hospital employment. Mr. Tanner says he has seen hospital employment — one of the biggest challenges for surgery centers dependent on recruiting new providers — slow down in the past 6-8 months. "I'm even getting some minor indications that it might be swinging back in the other direction [toward private practice]," he says. "If that's true, employed physicians might have to move out of the area to break away from employment because of the hospital's non-compete policies." He says this may create an opportunity for certain practice and surgery centers to hire physicians who have left hospital employment and are looking for a new place to practice.
"These trends may mimic what we've seen historically over the years," Mr. Tanner says. "Physicians sort of get disenchanted with being a hospital employee, and they receive too much direction in terms of how they're supposed to practice medicine." He says more and more hospitals are experiencing financial challenges that jeopardize their ability to offer physicians a competitive work and economic environment . "It's scary to someone who's dependent on the hospital for a job and a salary," he says. "Those two dynamics alone may be driving some minority of physicians to rethink the hospital employment model."
4. Keep in touch with specialty fellows in your area. Mr. Tanner says Physicians Endoscopy tries to keep in touch with as many GI specialty fellows as they can to make sure the fellows know about recruitment opportunities. "We try to make the fellows aware of opportunities in our network or out of it," he says. "I think in the GI world right now, there are more physicians who are either at or close to retirement age than there are fellows coming out of school."
This shortage means fellows have the opportunity to pick and choose from a number of practices. While GI may be facing harsher shortages than some other specialties, most physician specialties are suffering from a dwindling pool of potential providers . Make sure to keep in touch with fellows at teaching hospitals and publicize the openings at your center.
5. Publicize positions in national publications. Mr. Tanner says his company is able to publicize its recruitment opportunities through EndoEconomics, the magazine put out by Physicians Endoscopy. Most physician practices and surgery centers don't have the ability to publish a magazine, but that doesn't mean that you can't take advantage of local and national publications. "We try to assist our affiliated physician practices in any way we can by helping them to design/develop marketing materials or making space available for them to do recruitment in EndoEconomics or within our kiosk at a national show," he says.
If your surgery center is looking for physicians nationally, take advantage of industry trade magazines that allow surgery centers to post investment opportunities. If you are concentrating on the local community, advertise in your local paper or distribute a newsletter to local providers.
Related Articles on Surgery Center Physicians:
5 Ways Medical Professionals Can Benefit From Coaching
Physicians Question Federal Panel's Recommendation on Prostate Screening Tests