Break down barriers between staff areas
In the interest of recruiting good physicians for the medical staff, the hospital, and the community, the physician recruitment division and the credentialing division need to be on the same page. Imagine this scenario: the recruiting division spends time and resources to recruit a specialist. The department then does everything legally possible to sweeten the deal to bring the specialist on board. The specialist agrees to an income guarantee, a signing bonus, and other amenities, and starts looking for a house. Weeks to months later, when the credentialing division finally receives the medical staff application, red flags appear.
Maybe the specialist had been involved in five previous malpractice cases, three of which were settled for sums of more than $1 million, or was involved in several disruptive physician incidents at the previous hospital, or left a previous hospital under circumstances involving a potential investigation into clinical care performance. Or maybe the credentialing application is clean, but when the specialist finally arrives in town, other physicians find him or her to be arrogant, aloof, and not very smart. In either case, this is far from a success story. The physician recruiting division, the credentialing division, and the medical staff division are all doing a good job, but their goals are in conflict and they have no teamwork.
In order to work as a team and to recruit good physicians, they all must communicate and coordinate their efforts. Recruiters must make sure potential candidates meet other physicians on the medical staff during their site visits so that mannerisms, style, and fit can be judged. Candidates should meet with medical staff officers and the credential chair to divulge their background information simultaneously with their interest in signing contracts and getting guarantees.
Breaking down barriers between these staff areas, communicating in real time, coordinating their efforts, and knowing what each division needs and can accept would reduce surprises, potential denials, and unfulfilled expectations.