Study: New factors affect physician recruitment, retention

With healthcare reform and recent economic challenges on the minds of many executives, new pressures are influencing how compensation is structured as medical groups seek to recruit and retain physicians.

That's the gist of a recent survey by the American Medical Group Association and Cejka Search, a St. Louis-based physician, allied health and executive search organization.

Cejka Search President Lori Schutte was recently interviewed about the “2009 Physician Retention Survey.”

What are the largest influences on physician turnover?
Turnover is defined as all reasons for leaving a practice, including voluntary separation, termination, retirement and death. Based on the 2008 Retention Survey, 73 percent left due to voluntary separation, 14 percent due to termination, 11 percent due to retirement and 2 percent due to death. Voluntary separation is the only category where we can possibly influence the outcome. Making sure that new physician hires assimilate well into both the practice and the community is vitally important. Strong mentoring programs are imperative to assist with practice assimilation. The family plays a critical role in this process as well. Programs that involve the family, to assist with their assimilation into the community, will serve practices well in keeping retention high.

What did respondents note as the most difficult hurdle in physician retention?
Physicians are looking for the right mix of location, compensation and lifestyle. Since the location is a fixed variable, practices need to develop packages that address both compensation and lifestyle. As noted by our survey respondents, these factors include market-based compensation, productivity bonuses, flexible schedules, mid-level support, paid or reduced call and retention bonuses. Being flexible and creative in developing packages that meet the needs of individuals will be the key to successful retention.

What strategies do recruiters most often use to attract physicians?
Networking is cited as the most frequently (36 percent) used strategy by survey respondents for attracting new physicians. New media and online sources such as Facebook, Twitter, Health-e Careers and association Web sites continue to increase in popularity, especially with newly trained physicians. The traditional mix of journal advertising, direct mail, job fairs and cold calling continue to be a popular means of recruitment. No one strategy will be successful for every organization. Most facilities try to cast a wide net using a number of different strategies to attract the perfect candidate for their organization.

What kind of organization had the most success in attracting and retaining physicians?
Although this question was not specifically addressed in the 2009 Physician Retention Survey, our experience is that the organizations most successful in attracting and retaining physicians possess the right mix of strong vision and leadership, positive organizational culture, competitive compensation and opportunity for growth and flexibility. Superior hiring processes are the first step in retaining physicians as well as your entire work force.