Tip of the week: Establish the right relationship with physicians
Tip of the week: Establish the right relationship with physicians
The fourth “R” of the “Seven Rs” of strategic medical staff development planning is the relationship between hospitals and physicians. When defining the right relationship between the hospital and its physicians, many hospitals focus on the question, “Which is more important, physician success or hospital success?” The answer is not one or the other, it is both. Creating the right relationship will ensure the success of both parties. However, with a myriad of medical staff models, there is no “one size fits all” answer. The key here is to be flexible and to recognize that all groups will be, can be, and should be treated fairly.
Explore the below four areas to develop the right relationship between hospital and physician. Then develop a strategy for handling each of the sub-bullets in each category. For example, you must have a strategy for physician employment that benefits the hospital and physicians that is advantageous to both groups.
1. Organized medical staff strategies
o Medical staff leadership development
o Medical staff effectiveness
o Physician-hospital compact
o Activities to build waning social capital
o Communication links
o Quality and pay-for-performance positioning
2. Align strategies by specialty
o Physician employment
o Physician contracts
o Medical directorship
o Joint venture
o Recruitment support
o Compensation for call
o Gainsharing
o Intended practice plan
3. Competition and collaboration strategies
o Physician satisfaction surveys
o Recruitment support
o Physician relations department
o Practice support
o Operations councils
4. Recruitment and retention strategies
o Conflict-of-interest policy
o Conflict-resolution process
o Joint venture and facility leasing
o Economic credentialing
o Managed care contracting
o Education in conflict management tools
Focus on hospitals and physicians developing the “right” relationship because without these solid relationships, the strategic medical staff development plan runs the risk of becoming another well-meaning effort that ends up as a bookend or a dust collector.
This week’s tip is from The Greeley Guide to New Medical Staff Models: Solutions for Changing Physician-Hospital Relations, by Richard A. Sheff, MD; and William K. Cors, MD, FACPE. Check back next week to see what the next “R” is.