Healthcare valuation company VMG Health shared tips for handing physician and clinician scheduling and compensation during a pandemic.
Three things to know:
1. Pay attention to those most affected. Surgeons who are handling fewer cases due to postponed may be affected financially by the pandemic. Healthcare leaders should assess how to protect surgeons and other specialties that are seeing a decrease in case volume.
2. Engage with staff to ensure coverage. Health systems facing a potential shortage of staff to treat COVID-19 patients should meet with them to ensure advanced practice clinicians are working to the extent of their licensure and gauge what the impact on physicians schedules will be. If most of a physician's cases have been canceled, leadership can then make decisions on patient access to those physicians.
3. Learn. Once the pandemic subsides, healthcare leaders can assess whether their approach to physician and clinician compensation is working. VMG said an emphasis on base salary and quality of care is becoming more common.