Recruiting physicians that recently completed residency or fellowship training for hospital specialty programs can benefit hospitals by building a new generation of specialists and ensuring the continuation of successful clinical programs. As Baby Boomer physicians retire, hospitals will need to look to younger physicians to take on more responsibility. According to data from the Lewin Group, by 2019 the number of physicians reaching retirement age will be more than double the number for 2009. Jacob DeLaRosa, MD, chief of cardiac and endovascular surgery at Idaho State University, Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho, says "The most important factor in recruiting new candidates [to a cardiac program] is having cutting edge technology." Technology is particularly important for recruiting graduates, because they are accustomed to using the latest equipment and technologies. Dr. DeLaRosa shares three top technologies that hospitals should offer to attract young specialists to a hospital cardiac program.
1. Hybrid operating room. Hybrid operating rooms are appealing to specialists because they have both traditional surgery and catheterization abilities, allowing for more flexibility in the type of procedures that can be performed. For example, the hybrid room can accommodate percutaneous heart valves, which are placed through the groin in the femoral artery, versus an open chest. In addition, complex aortic endovascular work can be done in hybrid rooms. "If you're young, you want to have this technology available as the field of cardiovascular surgery continues to evolve," Dr. DeLaRosa says.
2. Peripheral vascular center. "Be able to have a peripheral vascular center established or be willing to participate in that type of technology," Dr. DeLaRosa says. Technologies such as endovenous radiofrequency ablation, endovascular renal artery ablation and laser ablation, for instance, can attract young physicians seeking another outlet for treating patients and can increase their remuneration.
3. 3-D echocardiogram and nuclear imaging. Three-dimensional echocardiogram and nuclear imaging are new technologies that hospitals should also have available for physician recruits, according to Dr. DeLaRosa. "If you're a young person finishing training, you don't want to go some place that's not modern or current," he says. He suggests that hospitals that don't have some of the top technologies yet and want to modernize should plan a timeline for acquiring this technology and include it in the physician's contract or in the recruitment package. For example, the hospital can agree to acquire 3-D echocardiogram equipment within 180 days of the physician signing the contract. "This way, the hospital is not on the hook paying for this equipment while it sits idle waiting for a physician to use the new technology," Dr. DeLaRosa says.
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1. Hybrid operating room. Hybrid operating rooms are appealing to specialists because they have both traditional surgery and catheterization abilities, allowing for more flexibility in the type of procedures that can be performed. For example, the hybrid room can accommodate percutaneous heart valves, which are placed through the groin in the femoral artery, versus an open chest. In addition, complex aortic endovascular work can be done in hybrid rooms. "If you're young, you want to have this technology available as the field of cardiovascular surgery continues to evolve," Dr. DeLaRosa says.
2. Peripheral vascular center. "Be able to have a peripheral vascular center established or be willing to participate in that type of technology," Dr. DeLaRosa says. Technologies such as endovenous radiofrequency ablation, endovascular renal artery ablation and laser ablation, for instance, can attract young physicians seeking another outlet for treating patients and can increase their remuneration.
3. 3-D echocardiogram and nuclear imaging. Three-dimensional echocardiogram and nuclear imaging are new technologies that hospitals should also have available for physician recruits, according to Dr. DeLaRosa. "If you're a young person finishing training, you don't want to go some place that's not modern or current," he says. He suggests that hospitals that don't have some of the top technologies yet and want to modernize should plan a timeline for acquiring this technology and include it in the physician's contract or in the recruitment package. For example, the hospital can agree to acquire 3-D echocardiogram equipment within 180 days of the physician signing the contract. "This way, the hospital is not on the hook paying for this equipment while it sits idle waiting for a physician to use the new technology," Dr. DeLaRosa says.
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