1. Develop a recruitment plan, budget, and team.
   Identify the individuals for the team, selecting a mix of positions and responsibilities to include different viewpoints. The recruitment team should include a recruitment coordinator and someone with the authority to negotiate and close a contract. Decide if a recruitment firm will be used.
   
   
2. Determine the profile of the ideal new physician.
   Will s/he be just out of residency or will s/he have more experience? Besides specialty, determine what other skills, licenses, and certifications the ideal candidate will have. The team should agree on the basic package, salary, and benefits that will be offered to candidates. Team members will also be involved in orienting and mentoring the new physician.
   
   
3. Get to know the candidate.
   

   Conducting a preliminary screening of each candidate saves time and money. Review the candidate’s curriculum vitae and send out your practice’s promotional materials. Use a telephone interview to screen candidates for: Geographic compatibility; Medical interests and strengths; Personal and recreational issues; Adequacy of your compensation package; and Agreement in practice and candidate’s goals.

4. Verify the candidate’s credentials and background.
   

   Have the applicant sign a release of information prior to this check. Confirm his or her education, certification, licensure, work history and hospital affiliations, legal history, credit history, and references. Parts of the reference check may be best conducted by the medical director or managing partner. During the reference check, ask about the candidate’s reliability, clinical competence, relationships with others, personality, malpractice issues, problems affecting his or her work, and whether the reference recommends the candidate.

5. Meet with the candidate.
   

   Bring the candidate and his or her family to the practice for a site visit. This is your opportunity to determine if there’s a match in personality, culture, goals, and skills and needs between the candidate and your practice. This visit must be comprehensive. The candidate’s spouse or partner will play a key role in retention, so it is important to include that person in the interview process. Handle all logistics of airfare, lodging, and ground transportation. Plan for activities the spouse or partner can pursue while the candidate meets with staff. The agenda for the site visit should be full yet allow plenty of opportunity for interaction. During the interview, ask as many open-ended questions as possible. You should also be selling the practice to the candidate – what makes your practice so great to work for and why the community is a great place to live in. Highlight the compensation and benefits package as well as buy-in and partnership opportunities.

6. Develop a budget.
   

   Nick Fabrizio, PhD, FACMPE, senior consultant, MGMA Health Care Consulting Group, recommends that groups develop a yearly recruitment budget. Budget categories should include hotel accommodations for two nights per visit per candidate, food, ground transportation, entertainment expenses, and the cost of bringing the candidate’s spouse or significant other.

7. Close the deal.
   

   If the practice and candidate are in agreement, offer the contract in person, if possible, or via overnight mail. Follow up with a phone call to discuss any questions the candidate may have. To close on the offer: Keep the dialogue continuous, open, and honest during the negotiation; Provide a reasonable time beyond which your offer is void (30 days is typical); Offer a second visit if the contract is unsigned after 30 days; and Consider providing a signing bonus or reimbursing relocation expenses if your practice is in a hard-to-recruit location or the candidate’s specialties are in high demand.

Successful physician recruitment and retention require an investment of time and resources. But the results will be a long and successful relationship between physician and practice.

Sources:

Billy D. Adkisson and Seven Bjelich, “Maximizing Physician Recruitment Programs,” Healthcare Executive, V. 19, No. 5, September/October 2004.

“For a New Physician, Hold the Salary and Give an Incentive,” Group Practice Solutions, November 2003.

Lisa H. Schneck, “The Art of Physician Recruitment and Retention,” MGM Update, V. 39, No. 11, June 2000.

Carol Westfall, “Retaining Physicians,” Click, October 2003.

A CLOSER LOOK . . .

Compensation for Recently Hired Physicians

In years past, practices typically offered a guaranteed salary for the first year or two. This prevented the new physician from worrying about producing enough while still learning about the practice and developing a patient base. In recent years, practices have been steering away from a 100 percent salary guarantee and toward plans that provide incentives. Today, many practices use a combination of a base salary and production incentive. As the new physician’s collections increase, the salary increases. If collections don’t reach the targets, the base pay drops. This plan still requires base salary guarantees during an extended orientation period and setting realistic targets for collections.

Source: “For a New Physician, Hold the Salary and Give an Incentive,” Group Practice Solutions, November 2003.

A CLOSER LOOK . . .

Steps to take before recruiting

• Document the reasons for hiring;
• Determine the profile of the ideal candidate;
• Provide adequate resources for recruitment;
• Promote the open position in print ads, on Internet sites, at medical schools, and in other ways;
• Prepare a list of interview questions;
• Anticipate candidates’ questions;
• Develop promotional materials for the practice;
• Have a contract in place; and
• In addition to traditional recruitment techniques, such as print ads, direct mail, and networking, investigate new ways to recruit candidates, such as through Internet ads and e-mail.
  

Important Note

Arrangement of the 101 questions is by competency domain as identified in the Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management, developed by The American College of Medical Practice Executives, the certification body of MGMA. The domains are: Business and Clinical Operations; Financial Management; Governance and Organizational Dynamics; Human Resources Management; Information Management; Planning and Marketing; Professional Responsibility; and Risk Management.

Every medical practice executive will find answers to some very pressing and frequently asked questions of their colleagues. Executives will also glean knowledge and resources from this title, either for help with an existing issue in the practice or for a problem that might soon require a response.