One of the drivers of a high quality hospital specialty program is the physicians. The people who directly care for patients are those who can significantly affect key quality metrics, such as infection, readmission and mortality rates. Hospitals therefore have a vested interest in recruiting the most skilled physicians. Joshua Yedvab, vice president of network development at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, N.Y., explains how hospitals can invest in their specialty clinical programs and service lines to recruit the top physicians in the field.
Quality
"Top clinical specialists want to be aligned with hospitals that have a reputation for offering high quality clinical programs," Mr. Yedvab says. From South Nassau's point of view, he says, "We want to differentiate ourselves based on the high quality of care we deliver and align with physician partners who share that same vision." To improve the quality of a specialty program, hospitals have to invest capital to provide the appropriate equipment, staff and other resources that contribute to enhancing patient care. These investments are crucial to attracting top-tier specialists. "Letting [the specialists] know they would be coming to work in a high quality organization that is willing to make investments in their program is a key strategy to success," Mr. Yedvab says.
Investing in clinical programs
Investments should target not only the facility or specialty equipment, but the entire program to demonstrate to specialists that they will be supported in their work. For example, many hospitals focus on a program's technology to recruit physicians. While technology is an important consideration for specialists and essential for a strong program, an approach based only on capital equipment can be shortsighted, according to Mr. Yedvab. He says investing in all aspects of the program across the continuum of care creates a comprehensive service that facilitates the advancement of medicine and attracts top physicians.
For instance, hospitals should ensure physician extenders such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants are of the highest quality so the specialist feels comfortable relying on them to help provide complete care to the patient. In addition to physician extenders, specialty nursing is equally, if not more, important for the success of a hospital-based clinical program, according to Mr. Yedvab. "Medical- and surgical-based services need highly skilled and specialty trained nurses for continuity of care and to ensure clinical quality, which leads to improved patient outcomes," he says. A program that includes these nurses may thus be more likely to attract top specialists.
"A very specific strategy in recruiting a specialist is being able to say, 'If you [come] here, not only are we invested in developing and maintaining a high quality program from a clinical perspective, but we [also] made the right investments so you're supported by having the right people, the right facilities and the right equipment to support you and your practice of medicine," Mr. Yedvab says.
Involving in-house top physicians
Having skilled physicians in a hospital program is important in recruiting other top physicians not only because they can provide reliable support for an incoming physician, but also because they can be a helpful resource in recommending and connecting with other top physicians. "By speaking with other physicians that are already part of the hospital, you often find you have the best recruiters in-house," Mr. Yedvab says. "Doctors know doctors, and often candidates are identified by their colleagues and peers. You have a better chance at bringing someone into the organization when they already know someone at the hospital. Take advantage of having a strong and loyal medical staff — they too want to continue to make the hospital they work at the best it can be."
Research
In addition to creating a program with high quality equipment, facilities and staff, hospitals can recruit highly skilled physicians by strengthening their research or academic opportunities for physicians. "Most physicians, [including] top specialists, have an interest in research and academics," Mr. Yedvab says. "Teaching opportunities with residents and fellows and having programs in place to allow physicians to try to advance [medicine] and introduce novel therapies and new techniques, in terms of treating patients, is very attractive." Developing a program that values innovation, encourages medical education and focuses on the physicians' development as care providers is an important factor in engaging highly sought-after physicians. "[Making] smart investments in wanting to advance medicine is an important strategy," Mr. Yedvab says. "Certainly, a top specialist doesn't want to work in a somewhat stagnant program. Everyone wants to play on a winning team"
Compensation
Hospitals looking to recruit a top specialist will also need to offer a competitive compensation package. Hospital leaders should determine a reasonable offer by studying compensation benchmarks for the desired specialty. If the hospital employs the specialist, Mr. Yedvab suggests offering a plan with a salary and variable pay, so the physician can be rewarded for meeting established quality and performance outcomes.
Culture
Beyond equipment, research and compensation, however, often what will truly win a high-demand specialist over is a more abstract aspect of the hospital — the culture. "A lot of times it boils down to a physician feeling comfortable with an organization, feeling part of something," Mr. Yedvab says. "Spend time getting to know the physician you are trying to recruit; person-to-person contact helps show the true culture of your organization and it will help to attract the best physicians."
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Quality
"Top clinical specialists want to be aligned with hospitals that have a reputation for offering high quality clinical programs," Mr. Yedvab says. From South Nassau's point of view, he says, "We want to differentiate ourselves based on the high quality of care we deliver and align with physician partners who share that same vision." To improve the quality of a specialty program, hospitals have to invest capital to provide the appropriate equipment, staff and other resources that contribute to enhancing patient care. These investments are crucial to attracting top-tier specialists. "Letting [the specialists] know they would be coming to work in a high quality organization that is willing to make investments in their program is a key strategy to success," Mr. Yedvab says.
Investing in clinical programs
Investments should target not only the facility or specialty equipment, but the entire program to demonstrate to specialists that they will be supported in their work. For example, many hospitals focus on a program's technology to recruit physicians. While technology is an important consideration for specialists and essential for a strong program, an approach based only on capital equipment can be shortsighted, according to Mr. Yedvab. He says investing in all aspects of the program across the continuum of care creates a comprehensive service that facilitates the advancement of medicine and attracts top physicians.
For instance, hospitals should ensure physician extenders such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants are of the highest quality so the specialist feels comfortable relying on them to help provide complete care to the patient. In addition to physician extenders, specialty nursing is equally, if not more, important for the success of a hospital-based clinical program, according to Mr. Yedvab. "Medical- and surgical-based services need highly skilled and specialty trained nurses for continuity of care and to ensure clinical quality, which leads to improved patient outcomes," he says. A program that includes these nurses may thus be more likely to attract top specialists.
"A very specific strategy in recruiting a specialist is being able to say, 'If you [come] here, not only are we invested in developing and maintaining a high quality program from a clinical perspective, but we [also] made the right investments so you're supported by having the right people, the right facilities and the right equipment to support you and your practice of medicine," Mr. Yedvab says.
Involving in-house top physicians
Having skilled physicians in a hospital program is important in recruiting other top physicians not only because they can provide reliable support for an incoming physician, but also because they can be a helpful resource in recommending and connecting with other top physicians. "By speaking with other physicians that are already part of the hospital, you often find you have the best recruiters in-house," Mr. Yedvab says. "Doctors know doctors, and often candidates are identified by their colleagues and peers. You have a better chance at bringing someone into the organization when they already know someone at the hospital. Take advantage of having a strong and loyal medical staff — they too want to continue to make the hospital they work at the best it can be."
Research
In addition to creating a program with high quality equipment, facilities and staff, hospitals can recruit highly skilled physicians by strengthening their research or academic opportunities for physicians. "Most physicians, [including] top specialists, have an interest in research and academics," Mr. Yedvab says. "Teaching opportunities with residents and fellows and having programs in place to allow physicians to try to advance [medicine] and introduce novel therapies and new techniques, in terms of treating patients, is very attractive." Developing a program that values innovation, encourages medical education and focuses on the physicians' development as care providers is an important factor in engaging highly sought-after physicians. "[Making] smart investments in wanting to advance medicine is an important strategy," Mr. Yedvab says. "Certainly, a top specialist doesn't want to work in a somewhat stagnant program. Everyone wants to play on a winning team"
Compensation
Hospitals looking to recruit a top specialist will also need to offer a competitive compensation package. Hospital leaders should determine a reasonable offer by studying compensation benchmarks for the desired specialty. If the hospital employs the specialist, Mr. Yedvab suggests offering a plan with a salary and variable pay, so the physician can be rewarded for meeting established quality and performance outcomes.
Culture
Beyond equipment, research and compensation, however, often what will truly win a high-demand specialist over is a more abstract aspect of the hospital — the culture. "A lot of times it boils down to a physician feeling comfortable with an organization, feeling part of something," Mr. Yedvab says. "Spend time getting to know the physician you are trying to recruit; person-to-person contact helps show the true culture of your organization and it will help to attract the best physicians."
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