Recruitment and retention of physicians in all specialties is a
national challenge, and it is expected to become even more
difficult due to an impending physician shortage. As relative
newcomers to the long line of medical specialists, hospitalists
pose special challenges. What will convince a hospitalist to join
one organization over another? What might prevent a hospitalist
from considering a certain assignment?
Now, recruiters can benefit from the experience of Kenneth G.
Simone, the pioneer who founded the first successful hospitalist
program in Maine. In his new book, Hospitalist Recruitment and
Retention: Building a Hospital Medicine Program, he reveals what
works, what doesn't, and which issues seem to be emerging as the
"deal-makers" and "deal-breakers" with these important
specialists.
"A well-run hospitalist program will support the delivery of
quality care, support patient safety, and support the delivery of
cost effective and efficient care," Dr. Simone explains. "This
should provide the hospital with cost savings. It may also allow
the hospital to capture more monies related to pay-for-performance
initiatives. These are just some of the reasons why recruiting, and
keeping, good hospitalists is essential."
The movement toward evidence-based practice guidelines requires
hospitalists to be aware of current trends in the healthcare
industry, including Joint Commission Core measures, CMS initiatives
(e.g. Pay for Performance, Do Not Pay, Value-Based Purchasing), and
quality and patient safety initiatives by groups such as NQF
(National Quality Forum), Leapfrog, IHI (Institute for Healthcare
Improvement), and AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality). Because hospitalists serve on many of the key hospital
committees that create quality care and patient safety initiatives,
they can drive efficiencies and improved knowledge throughout the
hospital.
Simone's book is the first complete guide to recruiting and
retaining these uniquely-positioned specialists. In addition to
providing all the tools and guidance needed to build a new hospital
medicine program, he shows how to reinvigorate and maintain an
established hospitalist program.
The book explains how to:
- Develop a recruitment plan that attracts the right people and
clearly sets forth expectations
- Hire the best people to meet organizational objectives
- Implement an effective retention plan that keeps high-quality
staff motivated and committed to excellence
It also discusses:
- The significance of current trends in hospital medicine, such
as how location, lifestyle, and practice model may be more
important than salary for some hospitalists, and the impact of the
increasing use of NPCs (Physician Assistants and Nurse
Practitioners)
- Key factors and tips in successful hospitalist recruitment and
retention, such as clearly discussing the vision, values, and
objectives of both the practice and candidate as well as being
transparent about the problems and potential solutions within the
program
- The role of the hospitalist in recruitment, retention, and
stabilization of physicians in their communities
With the hospital industry under enormous pressure to control
costs without sacrificing quality of care, this practical guide
should be mandatory reading for professionals involved in setting
health care policy.
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