Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/898981
FINDING THE BEST PHYSICIAN TO FILL A VACANCY IS FAR EASIER WHEN A COMMIT TED, WELL«ORGANIZED RECRUITMENT TEAM IS IN PL ACE, ACCORDING TO TILLER«HEWIT T HEALTHCARE STRATEGIES. A NUMBER OF factors contribute to developing a team that can successfully recruit physicians, the company notes on its website. Some of these are: + Diversity. A ll sta keholders in the organization should be represented, and that should include people with di‰ erent points of view. + Urgency. No one should want a recruitment process that fosters uninformed, hasty decisions. However, all members of the onboarding team should be aware of their responsibility to keep the process moving. + Improvement. It is impossible to know in advance whether a physicia n prospect will be satisf ied a nd stay with a n orga nization over the long haul. Therefore, it is essential to have measures in place to evaluate how recently recruited physicians perceived the process — and to act on those fi ndings to make the process better. + Rea lity. Successful recruitment ca nnot be judged merely by whether a hea lthca re orga nization la nds a g reat new prov ider. Physicia n turnover is exceeding ly ex pensive. Hospita ls a nd physicia n g roups that keep a n eye on long- term retention, rather tha n cong ratulate themselves on recr u it ment succes ses a lone, w i l l be at a si g n i f ica nt competitive adva ntage. ■ Assemble the RIGHT TEAM for Physician Onboarding BY STEVE BARRETT 1 8P R A C T I C E M A N A G E M E N T ONLY ABOUT HALF OF ALL NE W BUSINESSES L A ST FIVE YE ARS, ACCORDING TO THE U.S. BURE AU OF L ABOR STATISTICS. THEREFORE, SOME TREPIDATION IS NATUR AL IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING OPENING A MEDICAL PR ACTICE. AVOIDING ERRORS E ARLY ON ca n keep your practice out of the business section of the dustbin of histor y. A mong those errors, according to Arizona-based telehea lth company eVisit: + Fa i ling to compa r ison-shop for loa ns. If you need f ina ncia l help to get the practice off the ground, seek out a minimum of three options so you ca n get optima l interest rates, fees a nd other terms. + Not weighing costs against benef its. You may not need the most adva nced sof twa re or equipment. In fact, it may be a f ina ncia l dra g relative to the va lue it produces. Be sure to qua ntif y the revenue or savings you sta nd to ga in with each investment. + Hiring unenthusiastic personnel. Steer clea r of would- be sta ff who seem unmotivated to help the practice ta ke f lig ht . If your v ision does not sti r t hem before t hey 're on the pay roll, that is unlikely to cha nge once they 're in the position. + Expecting the world to work on your timetable. Let us enter a la nd of ma ke-believe in which vendors, attorneys, rea l estate agents a nd others involved in the project a re as excited about your new practice a s you a re. Even in that my thica l situation, the process of opening the practice ta kes a cer ta in a mount of time as ever yone does his or her pa r t. Sta r t pla nning ea rlier tha n you think is necessa r y. ■ BY STEVE BARRETT BYPASSING the Startup Blues