Becker's Hospital Review

60 Executive Briefing How Analytics and Smart Technology Can Help Hospitals Recruit and Retain Top-Tier Talent T he growing gap between supply and demand in the clinician work- force has prompted hospital ad- ministrators to recognize their medical staff services and credentialing depart- ments as strategic business units. How- ever, many hospitals are realizing the manual processes they have traditionally relied on are impairing their ability to at- tract and retain the best talent and com- ply with heightened regulatory standards, ultimately hurting their bottom line. The industry trend toward healthcare con- solidation has transformed many hospitals from solitary organizations into expansive healthcare networks offering a wide range of patient care services. This means human resources and medical staff services per- sonnel are tasked with filling an increasing number of clinical positions while ensur- ing compliance with changing certification standards and medical board require- ments enforced by state governments. Soft Skills Gain New Significance As Medicare dollars have been tied to HCAHPS scores, a measurement of patient experience, and consumer-driven plans have taken hold, soft skills such as commu- nication and empathy are all the more valu- able to healthcare recruiters when scouting clinical talent. Recruiters' top three sought- for attributes in physician candidates in- clude a team-oriented attitude (78 percent), a clear motivation by quality incentives (68 percent) and an evidence-based approach to medical care (60 percent), according to a 2012 Medicus survey. "Where once [healthcare] recruiters fo- cused on a physician's pedigree such as what schools they attended, their resi- dency programs or their ability to man- age a large volume of patients, today's hiring process is also centered around how you assess for good people skills," says Ray Bixler, president and CEO of technology firm SkillSurvey. The Hiring Process Becomes High Tech The challenges of physician recruitment are compounded by the ongoing U.S. physician shortage, which will reach 20,000 providers by 2020, according to HHS estimates. At the same time, the de- mand for healthcare services is predicted to swell in the next 10 years as an aging baby boomer population drives patient volume upward. The number of Amer- icans age 65 and up is expected to be twice what it was in 2000 by 2030, accord- ing to Pew Research Center. The difficulty of obtaining new physician talent means hospital systems cannot risk poor clinician retention. Physicians' deci- sions to accept employment or leave their jobs are directly influenced by their level of engagement, according to a 2014 sur- vey by Cejka Search. Successful retention depends on making the right hiring deci- sions combined with strong engagement throughout the physician career cycle, starting with recruitment and onboarding. With physicians in high demand, hos- pitals' recruitment and credentialing teams must adopt new strategies to at- tract the best talent and meet evolving organizational needs. On the recruiting side, online reference checking can have a dramatic impact, pro- viding ease of use, plus a structured format for detailed feedback from five references typically in less than two days. One physi- cian recruiter had this to say of the process: "Previously I was able to go back to my hiring managers with a list of who the ref- erences were and very basic information. Now I can deliver a whole report with quan- titative and qualitative details about what a candidate's strengths and weaknesses are. This is very powerful in the decision-making process, and also has implications for our longer-term development strategy." "Using Pre-Hire 360 allows me to get qual- ified candidates scheduled more quickly, and ultimately to plan more effective site vis- its. Overall, I've been scheduling more visits with the best candidates." As an added bonus, the process offers a terrific branding opportunity as referenc- es can be invited to join your organiza- tion's talent pool providing a high-quality source of potential job candidates. Sophisticated analytics technology can also improve retention by helping recruit- ers find the best suited candidate for hos- pital culture. Clients who used SkillSur- vey's online reference checking solution recorded a 35 percent reduction, on av- erage, in first-year turnover rates. "We've been able to study post-hire results and have found that use of Pre-Hire 360 deliv- ers reduced turnover and better post-hire performance," Mr. Bixler says. Credentialing Shifts to a More Engag- ing Experience In a competitive talent market, the hiring and credentialing process significantly influences physicians' perceptions of op- erations and the institution more broadly. The traditional credentialing process typi- cally requires physician candidates to com- plete dense paper applications by hand and submit relevant documentation to the medical staff office (MSO) via fax, snail mail or email if they can scan their documents. The documents are then uploaded into a credentialing database and reviewed man- ually by MSO staff. As part of the applica- tion process, hospital staff also request references from multiple professional sources, which involves more steps for the physician — downloading, printing and filling out reference documents, then up- loading them and sending the documents back to credentialing staff. Oftentimes a drawn out back-and-forth correspondence develops between the physician applicant, peers and the credentialer to correct inac- curacies and request outstanding informa- tion. This process is time consuming and often frustrating for both ends, but also a critical one to the facility. Mr. Bixler noted three primary setbacks with the current process. 1. Manual processes can delay creden- tialing and hurt physician satisfaction Disparate documentation, lack of process standardization and lack of coordination between medical staff services divisions can lead to delays in physician onboard- Sponsored by:

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