Tip of the week: Create a BATNA

When the medical staff and hospital management negotiate ED call compensation or the overall ED call schedule, it’s important for both parties to come to the table with a best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA). This is a secondary plan if the primary negotiation does not work and the participants must defer to a plan B. Interestingly, many parties go into a negotiation without an alternative plan if the discussions are unsuccessful. This not only limits a party’s options if discussions fail, but it frankly limits the party’s power in the negotiation as well. An individual who negotiates compensation has little leverage if he or she has no other option than to remain disappointed and frustrated if the deal doesn’t work out. Having a larger number of potential BATNAs is always better than fewer because it is almost impossible to determine how a negotiation will go in advance. Unexpected outcomes may require alternatives.    

This week’s tip is from Emergency Department On-Call Strategies: Solutions for Physician-Hospital Alignment, Second Edition by Jonathan H. Burroughs, MD, MBA, FACPE, CMSL; Martin B. Buser, MPH, FACHE; Roger A. Heroux, MHA, PhD, FACHE; and Richard A. Sheff, MD, CMSL.