What is the right type of physician partner to recruit for your ASC? Larry Taylor, present and CEO of Practice Partners in Healthcare, describes four considerations when seeking new physicians.
1. Specialty. It's wise to recruit physicians who practice a specialty already offered in your facility as this will likely help you keep additional costs down in new equipment purchases and staff training. This is a good idea, but it's two-fold, says Mr. Taylor. If you're a multi-specialty ASC, you're probably looking to expand on the specialties your already offer and take advantage of the solid history of performing those cases and the trained staff you already employ. However, it can be valuable to consider adding other profitable specialties, considering reimbursement cuts and other financial challenges.
2. Credentials. You're not hiring people off the street, but it's important to learn as much as you can about a physician's background. Make sure any new physicians you invite will come to your center with a credentialed background. You will also want to identify how quickly they work and how expensive their procedures are in supply and implant costs.
3. Balance between old and new. There is a great deal of complexity to bringing new physicians in to work with the current staff. "You have to be fair and keep the new recruit in balance," says Mr. Taylor. Keep the existing physicians involved and help them understand who you're recruiting and why you're bringing them on board.
4. Chemistry. When you're recruiting a physician, you're also recruiting chemistry into the center. "You want everyone to get along and the others to be positive and excited about the physician you're bringing in," says Mr. Taylor. Work to communicate openly with all partners.
The staff can run through trials of the setup for the incoming physician, says Mr. Taylor. Figure out their preference for carts and items and have everything ready for them to begin performing cases. "This kind of preparation is important for initial success," he says, and will help more efficiently integrate the physician into the ASC.
Learn more about Practice Partners in Healthcare.
Read more insight from Larry Taylor:
- Future of ASCs in Five Years: 10 Predictions on the Most Common Ownership Model
- 10 Ways to Improve ASC Profits Immediately
- 10 Best Practices for Recruiting New Partners to Your ASC