The Need:
A large, multi-specialty group in a rural Illinois city was seeking a Gastroenterologist to replace a physician who recently left the practice. Not only was it a challenge to recruit a physician to a community of this size, it was also important to the hospital to find a doctor who was a good fit culturally, and was amenable to frequent call schedules with little opportunity for ancillary income. In addition, gastroenterology is one of many extremely competitive specialties for recruitment. Recent surveys show that the specialty is experiencing a notable increase in demand, up by 50% from 2012 to 2013, with most of the residents and fellows preferring to work in metropolitan areas.
Pinnacle Health Group (PHG) partnered with the facility to find a physician who would fit their parameters and be qualified to deliver the highest quality of care to the community.
The Action:
PHG worked quickly and diligently to create a recruitment campaign with input from the hospital’s administrators. With a competitive marketplace, it was important that the sourcing campaign was unique and creative. Key to this was the community profile PHG did for the facility, as well as a comprehensive sourcing plan to have a big pool of quality physician candidates.
PHG employed direct mail campaigns and email blasts, and advertised the practice opportunity to print and online job distribution channels as well as gastroenterology-specific publications. PHG received excellent responses, with internet sourcing campaign being the most effective for this search.
The Result:
PHG presented a board-certified Gastroenterologist who was a perfect fit for the position. He was interested in the position because of the growth and leadership opportunities the practice offered. He also wanted to be a part of a physician-owned hospital and was also looking into groups with partnership tracks. Further, the physician had family ties to the community. The physician also fit the needs of the facility in terms of medical skills and experience.
After further site visits and negotiation, the hospital hired the physician. With a strong sourcing strategy and proactive communication, PHG has placed another excellent physician in a rural community. We are proud of the fact that “We bring healthcare to communities that need it!”