FEATURE
Hospital Appeal For ASCs to develop effective physician recruitment strategies, it is important to understand the appeal of hospital employment, says John Brock, administrator of NorthStar Surgical Center in Lubbock, Texas. “A lot of physicians now coming out of training are afraid to go out on their own,” he says. “There are also those who are starting to wind down their career and may find security in going to the employed environment. A guaranteed salary is a big deal because some physicians may be more nervous about what they are going to earn or not earn. That is one thing the hospital can provide them. “You also have some physicians who
Recruiting Physicians
Bring topnotch surgeons into your ASC BY ROBERT KURTZ
F
or most ASCs, physician recruit- ment is critical for both near-term and future success, says Winborne Macphail, senior vice president of sales and market development for Deerfield, Illinois-based surgical solutions pro- vider Surgical Care Affiliates (SCA). “No matter how effective ASCs are with forecasting growth, they are going to inevitably encounter vol- ume gaps,” she says. “This may be the result of physicians retiring or moving their practice; seasonal changes; long, unplanned physician vacations; or a number of other impacts. New physi- cians represent the fuel required to not only ensure we are filling the tank now but also for the long term. ASCs must have strategies to consistently bring new blood into the partnership.” As Brooke Day, administrator of Hastings Surgical Center in Hast- ings, Nebraska, notes, “Unless you are actively recruiting and have invested
24 ASC FOCUS OCTOBER 2015
Never take your physicians for granted. You really have to look at it like you must earn their business on a daily basis.”
— Brooke Day, Hastings Surgical Center
surgeons, it is very difficult to maintain and continue your business.” In the past several years, hospitals
have increased their focus on physi- cian engagement and are being more creative in offering employment or affiliation options for key surgeons, Macphail says. “This requires ASCs to consider how they might part- ner with a health system, or prepare for the fact there will be impacts to their volume and a reduction in their recruitment pool.”
are simply afraid to go against the hos- pital,” he adds. “To some physicians, working for the hospital is like sitting at the big table in the cafeteria. When you are an ASC owner, you may feel a little more like you are eating by yourself.” With physicians being engaged
more proactively by hospitals, and the attraction for young and tenured phy- sicians to seek greater security, an ASC aiming to recruit new physicians must focus equally on recruitment and engagement efforts, Macphail says. “If your ASC does not have a pulse on the satisfaction of its existing physician partners, you can guarantee your com- petition will be in their ear and waiting for you to falter or fail.” Overall, she adds, the increase in competition for physicians is resulting in fewer physicians for ASCs to recruit. “This makes it imperative for ASCs to examine ways to differentiate them- selves or they will not be successful in their recruitment efforts,” he says.
Understand Physician Needs Successful recruiting often begins with understanding market dynam- ics, Macphail says. “You need to know who you are competing against, what the competition can offer and what spe-
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