At Barlow/McCarthy, we spend our days in strategy rooms and out in the field with healthcare leaders facing real challenges and chasing real opportunities. In this post, we’ve asked our team to share quick takeaways—what’s working, what’s shifting, and what we’re hearing most often from the organizations we support.
Think of this as a peek behind the curtain. These bite-sized reflections come straight from our work in the trenches—no fluff, just insights you can use.
ED Patient Discharges: A Missed Opportunity or a Growth Engine?
By: Tricia Anderson | tanderson@barlowmccarthy.com
Conference season always gives me a boost—and HMPS and AAPL didn’t disappoint!
One topic that kept coming up? Keepage. Specifically, how much volume is quietly leaking out between access points—especially from the Emergency Department.
I had some great conversations with growth leaders who are looking for fresh, innovative ways to drive volume—and ED leakage is a big concern.
Too often, patients leave the ED without a clear next step. No referral. No follow-up plan. Just… gone. That’s lost revenue, lost relationships, and fragmented care.
A few questions to consider:
- How many patients leave your ED needing follow-up with a PCP or specialist?
- What’s in place to keep them in your network?
- Are you actively re-engaging them—or leaving it to chance?
- And what would a small improvement in retention—just a few percentage points—mean for your bottom line?
If you’re ready to think differently about patient transitions, we’re ready to help.
A smart, targeted ED Discharge Patient Retention Strategy might be the game-changer you need.
The Missed Referral That Sparked a Bigger Question
By: Susan Boydell | sboydell@barlowmccarthy.com
In a recent onsite strategy session, a client’s executive champion shared a moment that stuck with all of us. While reviewing call center activity, she came across a voicemail—left three days earlier—from a referring physician practice. They were trying to schedule with one of the system’s key specialists.
The message had gone unanswered.
Her frustration wasn’t aimed at the call center team—they were skilled, committed, and doing their best. It was aimed at the lack of process. A critical referral opportunity fell through the cracks because no one owned the handoff.
This story is not an outlier.
Even with the best field teams and strong physician relationships, referrals get lost. And more leaders are starting to ask the right, and sometimes uncomfortable, questions:
- Who owns the referral journey in our organization?
- Where are we still flying blind?
- Where are we helping referring physicians—and where are we making them chase us?
The systems that are getting serious about referral growth aren’t just asking how to drive more volume. They’re asking how to make every referral count.
So…
Is anyone having that conversation in your organization?
4 Essentials for Better Delegation and Accountability
By: Allison McCarthy, MBA | amccarthy@barlowmccarthy.com
Several of my coaching clients who lead physician recruitment and onboarding programs are balancing large strategic initiatives with the realities of bringing new team members up to speed. A common theme in our work has been improving delegation and strengthening accountability. These two areas are deeply connected—and when they falter, so does progress. If you’re feeling the pressure of delivering big outcomes while developing your team, consider these essential principles:
- Leading from the middle is a high-pressure zone. Whether you’re overseeing physician relations, recruitment programs, medical practices, or clinical teams, you’re expected to deliver on the executive agenda through your team’s performance.
- Leaders who haven’t mastered the art of delegation face real consequences: burnout, bottlenecks, stagnation, and siloed vision.
- Delegation requires a plan: Who will do what, by when, where it fits in the workflow, and how it will be accomplished.
- Clarify expectations. This is where many delegation efforts fall short. A strong assignment includes clear success criteria and a shared understanding of priorities, timelines, and accountability.
Strengthening your delegation and accountability practices isn’t just a leadership skill—it’s a strategic advantage. If this is an area you’re working on, let’s talk. I’d be glad to explore how coaching can support you and your team.
Pressure to Expand the Target Market
By: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA | kbarlow@barlowmccarthy.com
Increased primary care alignment is a good news, bad news challenge for the physician relations teams that we support. As more practices align, the splitter audience is shrinking. A client recently used claims data to update territories and add segmentation categories. Guess what, the splitter group (physicians who refer between 45% and 75%) was previously too large to manage with their existing FTEs. Now, its size has reduced by half the number from just a few years ago. It forced them to take a fresh look.
Have you recently considered your primary care referral growth strategy? How do you ensure your field team is making a measurable impact? Here are some questions to guide a little introspection.
- Are we spending more time on retention and/or with our employed practices? It may be a good option, but is it enough and how do you measure impact?
- Can you shift to more niche targeting? This is a great strategy, but do you have the data and really important, field skills/technique to grow in this way?
- Is there an opportunity to expand the prospect pool to include those who are unknown to you? A relook at data exposes new audiences that might be worth a visit. Is the team equipped with the right message and a good process to get results here? Have you done the research to know if you can earn it?
Teams are exploring all these options, how about you? Reach out if you’d like to schedule a conversation
Standing Out in a Competitive Recruitment Market
By: Mitzi Kent, RN, BSN | mkent@barlowmccarthy.com
While recruitment is of course always changing there are certain elements that remain the same. Physician shortages remain a challenge and it is up to us as recruiters to fill our positions. Here are a few suggestions to help you fill your roles and give you an edge:
- Changing the traditional job post with job descriptions: When using online job boards, differentiate your job postings to stand out. Craft subject lines that captivate and engage potential candidates.
- Leveraging Networking and Referrals: Encourage referrals, as they are significantly more effective. Remember, referrals make up only 2% of applicants but result in 11% of hires. Tap into this powerful resource.
- Embracing Data-Driven Recruitment: Utilize analytics to spot trends and anticipate hiring needs. Develop a comprehensive recruitment plan annually to optimize your team’s resources strategically.
- Maximize Virtual Recruitment Events: Host virtual events and follow up with targeted campaigns. Use surveys to understand attendees’ needs and preferences, tailoring your approach to attract the right talent.
No matter how the landscape shifts, a proactive, intentional approach will always give you an edge in recruitment. If you’re looking for ways to sharpen your strategy or get fresh ideas, we’d love to connect—just reach out and let’s start the conversation.
Closing
If there’s a topic you’d like us to tackle in a future edition, drop us a note at info@barlowmccarthy.com. And if your team could use a fresh set of eyes or extra horsepower to move your referral or recruitment strategy forward, we’re always happy to chat just send us an email at info@barlowmccarthy.com and we will be in touch.