Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/197073
Executive Briefing: The New Physician Workforce 35 Sponsored by: 3 Steps to Ensure Physician Alignment, Performance and Career Satisfaction By Bryan Warren, Manager, Healthcare Solutions, Select International New expectations The business of medicine, the relationship between physicians and hospitals and the demands on physicians are changing at an unprecedented rate. Hospitals are often disappointed with the degree of alignment with their medical staff and with the performance of employed physicians. Physicians struggle to succeed and find career satisfaction. Having been trained in a model of professional autonomy and a culture of expertise and competition, physicians are now asked to function as part of multidisciplinary teams. They are facing rapid advancements in diagnostic treatment and information technology, and facing increasing complexity in managing a private practice. There is uncertainty about the role and function of the independent medical staff and the employment trend challenges the traditional sense of professional autonomy. New payment methodologies and an emphasis on patient expectations and satisfaction are forcing them to rethink how they practice. At the same time, hospitals and health systems need to expect more from physicians. An emphasis on value-driven care assumes a new level of collaboration between physicians and hospitals, and a new set of physician behavioral skills, including: • Adaptability • Innovation • Collaboration • Patient-Focus • Business Acumen • Leadership • Emotional intelligence Additionally, expectations have changed in two other important areas. Physicians are faced with a new emphasis on performance metrics. Bonuses are tied to productivity and patient outcomes. After negotiating what seems to be a fair bonus structure, though, physicians often discover that operational efficiencies make those goals unattainable. There is less patience with disruptive behavior. It is costly. It can de-rail a career and impacts organizational success and the quality of patient care. There is plenty of discussion about managing disruptive behavior but little about how to prevent it. Disruptive physicians often share common personality traits that tend to manifest themselves under pressure. This pressure is often cre- ated by unrealistic or poorly aligned expectations, particularly in the face of insufficient operational support. A failing approach Little has been done to prepare and develop physicians to succeed. Physicians are poorly equipped to handle the changes Most physicians begin their career unprepared for all they'll face outside of the exam room or operating suite. They have little training on how to function within an organization, to work in teams, to lead, communicate with patients, how a hospital or practice operates and how our healthcare system operates around them, or how to take charge of their own career. Older physicians struggle to adapt to a changing world, while younger physicians have unrealistic expectations and a poor understanding of the variables that determine success. An out-dated approach to recruiting and turnover Physician recruiting remains a numbers game. The hospital is looking for physicians to build its network. Recruiters are trying to meet their "time-to-fill" goals. The physician candidate is unaware of what he or she needs to succeed and knows nothing about the infrastructure and support necessary to meet his or her goals. Physician turnover is increasing, and the bulk of it takes place in the first few years of practice. Surveys show that the early turnover is almost always about a poor fit or a failure to meet the physician's expectations. Losing a single physician costs a hospital as much as $1 million. Yet, with every loss, they return to the same approach and start the cycle all over again. Hospitals assume that employment ensures alignment Alignment is as important with employed physicians as it is with independent staff. Signing an employment agreement does nothing to ensure that a physician's goals are aligned with yours or that he or she is collaborative, adaptable and patient-focused. A new approach: 3 simple steps Every physician is a valuable resource and needs to assume, to some degree, a leadership role. Physician behavioral skills should be systematically evaluated and developed. We can do this without sacrificing the special nature of medicine. Rather than de-valuing physicians, this approach acknowledges that physicians aren't merely clinical commodities but the driving force behind success.