By: Mitzi Kent, RN, BSN | mkent@barlowmccarthy.com
Over the last 20 years, the community needs assessment has been at the core of the medical development plan for health systems. But, the days of defining recruitment needs based solely on a market surplus, or shortage, of a particular specialty are long gone – like Marcus Welby, cassette tapes, and pet rocks.
In today’s physician shortage environment, medical staff development planning has evolved into a higher level, strategic function. A good medical staff development plan is an “anchor” resource that enables leaders to set goals and priorities, better direct the team and communicate results more effectively to boards.
In the world of physician recruitment, the medical staff development plan acts as a GPS, guiding the number of new providers in each area of specialty. When the demand/supply analysis is integrated with succession planning and competitor dynamics, the plan provides an efficient road map to recruitment destinations. Medical staff resources can be effectively connected with the organization’s mission and strategy. The plan can even go beyond recruiting assistance and help staff in-house recruitment teams, evaluate the need for onboarding and credentialing support and forecast needs for additional staff.
Good medical staff development plans can also increase physician engagement. By using an outside resource to conduct interviews with your medical staff, you give them a voice on where they see opportunities for growth and to identify needs within the healthcare system. The medical staff becomes part of the solution and more of a partner for your strategic plan.
Including additional components beyond the community needs analysis can bring even greater precision to the final recruitment recommendations. Among these are:
- Physician Alignment: Determining the proportion of practices “owned” by one entity over another. This can be particularly important in highly competitive markets within the primary care specialties.
- Outmigration or “Leakage”: Many organizations are not fully aware of volume that is leaving their market. Claims data can help identify those physicians who are driving the majority of volume out and to which health system it is being directed.
- Mystery Shopping: “Shoppers” gather data that indicates just how available appointments may actually be for the new or returning patients.
Going beyond just supply and demand in determining your medical staff development plan in 2020 can offer a more in-depth understanding of the need to recruit additional physicians and implement a different physician growth strategies to achieve desired results. That can certainly be as valuable as that Rolling Stones cassette tape you have been holding on to for years.