Kelly Craig, RN, director of in-market development at Meridian Surgical Partners in Brentwood, Tenn., discusses 10 successful techniques for recruiting physicians to an ASC.
1. Ask for leads from physician-partners. "This may be obvious but it still bears repeating," Ms. Craig says. "Peer-to-peer relationships are the best." Ask physicians at your ASC for names of colleagues who might be interested in new opportunities or names of new physicians just coming out of residency programs. When you call the prospective physician, be sure to use your physician as a reference.
2. Talk with the device company reps. Device company representatives spend a great deal of time with their surgeon-clients and know what they are thinking. Ask them if they are aware of physicians looking for something new.
3. Pound the pavement. Even with the internet at your disposal, it still helps to go door-to-door. Arriving at a St. Louis suburb recently, Ms. Craig says she walked around the neighborhood, entered medical office buildings and found four physicians who were not on her list for candidates for a local ASC.
4. Still pursue physicians at other centers. Even when physicians are investors in another center, the non-compete clause usually only bars them from investing in another ASC, not from performing cases there.
5. Prepare for your visit. Before visiting prospective surgeons, conduct research on them so you know who they are and what questions to ask them. Search the Internet, visit physician websites, when possible, and consult other sources. Give your visit a personal touch by knowing such things as their residencies and medical schools.
6. Be pleasant but not pushy. When visiting the surgeon, start with pleasantries but quickly get down to business. "It helps to be good with small talk," Ms. Craig says, adding that it also helps that she has a nursing background and can understand medical terms and concepts. Mention the names of the most highly regarded surgeons who use your facility.
7. Listen to the surgeon's needs. Even though you've done a lot of research and know what you want, let the physicians speak first. Give them a chance to tell you what they need, such as a particular day of the week to conduct surgery, what managed care networks they have contracts with and what devices and equipment they need. You should be able to tell the surgeon on the spot if your ASC can meet these needs. This requires thoroughly researching your own ASC before the visit.
8. Get preference cards and e-mail addresses. Surgeons' preference cards will tell you exactly what devices and equipment they use. Their e-mail addresses will allow you to contact them in a less intrusive manner than by phone. "E-mail allows the busy physician to respond at any time, even late at night," Ms. Craig says. But make sure the physicians actually check their e-mail because some of them are not in the habit of doing so.
9. Follow-up on the visit. Contact the physician later on. This requires a little finesse. "There is a fine line between persistence and pestering," Ms. Craig says. Offer to give them a tour of your ASC as the next step. "It always helps to see things first-hand," she says.
10. Throw out the welcome mat. When physicians decide to try out the center and arrive for their first case, make sure everything goes well. It is particularly impressive to hand the newcomer a greeting card signed by the entire staff, and even more impressive when it includes a Starbucks gift card. "I've had surgeons come up to me and say, 'No one has ever done that for me,' " Ms. Craig says.
Learn more about Meridian Surgical Partners.
Read more from the leadership team of Meridian Surgical Partners:
-4 Ways to Involve ASC Physicians in Cutting Supply Costs
-5 Essential Steps to Turning Around a Struggling ASC
-5 Physician Statistics ASCs Should Track and Benchmark
1. Ask for leads from physician-partners. "This may be obvious but it still bears repeating," Ms. Craig says. "Peer-to-peer relationships are the best." Ask physicians at your ASC for names of colleagues who might be interested in new opportunities or names of new physicians just coming out of residency programs. When you call the prospective physician, be sure to use your physician as a reference.
2. Talk with the device company reps. Device company representatives spend a great deal of time with their surgeon-clients and know what they are thinking. Ask them if they are aware of physicians looking for something new.
3. Pound the pavement. Even with the internet at your disposal, it still helps to go door-to-door. Arriving at a St. Louis suburb recently, Ms. Craig says she walked around the neighborhood, entered medical office buildings and found four physicians who were not on her list for candidates for a local ASC.
4. Still pursue physicians at other centers. Even when physicians are investors in another center, the non-compete clause usually only bars them from investing in another ASC, not from performing cases there.
5. Prepare for your visit. Before visiting prospective surgeons, conduct research on them so you know who they are and what questions to ask them. Search the Internet, visit physician websites, when possible, and consult other sources. Give your visit a personal touch by knowing such things as their residencies and medical schools.
6. Be pleasant but not pushy. When visiting the surgeon, start with pleasantries but quickly get down to business. "It helps to be good with small talk," Ms. Craig says, adding that it also helps that she has a nursing background and can understand medical terms and concepts. Mention the names of the most highly regarded surgeons who use your facility.
7. Listen to the surgeon's needs. Even though you've done a lot of research and know what you want, let the physicians speak first. Give them a chance to tell you what they need, such as a particular day of the week to conduct surgery, what managed care networks they have contracts with and what devices and equipment they need. You should be able to tell the surgeon on the spot if your ASC can meet these needs. This requires thoroughly researching your own ASC before the visit.
8. Get preference cards and e-mail addresses. Surgeons' preference cards will tell you exactly what devices and equipment they use. Their e-mail addresses will allow you to contact them in a less intrusive manner than by phone. "E-mail allows the busy physician to respond at any time, even late at night," Ms. Craig says. But make sure the physicians actually check their e-mail because some of them are not in the habit of doing so.
9. Follow-up on the visit. Contact the physician later on. This requires a little finesse. "There is a fine line between persistence and pestering," Ms. Craig says. Offer to give them a tour of your ASC as the next step. "It always helps to see things first-hand," she says.
10. Throw out the welcome mat. When physicians decide to try out the center and arrive for their first case, make sure everything goes well. It is particularly impressive to hand the newcomer a greeting card signed by the entire staff, and even more impressive when it includes a Starbucks gift card. "I've had surgeons come up to me and say, 'No one has ever done that for me,' " Ms. Craig says.
Learn more about Meridian Surgical Partners.
Read more from the leadership team of Meridian Surgical Partners:
-4 Ways to Involve ASC Physicians in Cutting Supply Costs
-5 Essential Steps to Turning Around a Struggling ASC
-5 Physician Statistics ASCs Should Track and Benchmark