Find alternative ways to reward physician leaders

Physician leaders need to be recognized and rewarded for the work they do as physician leaders. There are many different kinds of rewards, both financial and non-financial. Here are some non-financial alternatives that hospitals have found to be helpful in recognizing those devoted physicians:

• Waive medical staff fees
• Provide leadership and management training
• Demonstrate appreciation for their hectic lives by developing a flexible meeting schedule
• Supply subscriptions to management and medical periodicals, such as the Wall Street Journal, Medical Economics, Medical Staff Briefings, and physician leadership guidebooks
• Provide an office, support staff, laptop computer, cell phone, home fax machine, and other things to help them fulfill leadership responsibilities
• Send leaders and their spouses or partners on an annual trip