Healthcare is changing every day. Hospital systems and recruiters are working hard to keep up with the latest changes in technology, treatments, and regulations, and in order to do so, these groups need to retain top talent and keep their staff happy.
That’s where physician engagement comes in.
Physician engagement is all about partnering with physicians to help them understand the direction healthcare is moving in and how they can best adapt to these changes. Additionally, physician engagement focuses on what’s important in physicians’ lives as well as what’s important to their patients.
It’s not always easy to bridge the gap between hospitals and physicians, but it’s essential to the success of both. With the right physician alignment strategies, healthcare facilities can build a symbiotic relationship between themselves and their physicians through engagement, collaboration, and communication.
Benefits of a Strong Physician Engagement Strategy
A well-designed physician engagement strategy can reap rewards for both hospitals and physicians. An engaged physician workforce has been linked to improved patient outcomes, lower readmission rates, increased patient satisfaction, and more.
Reduce Physician Burnout & Turnover
One of the most important benefits of a strong physician engagement strategy is that it can help to reduce burnout and turnover among physicians. In today’s healthcare environment, burnout is a major problem. The high level of burnout physicians are feeling can lead to increased turnover, as well as a decrease in the quality of patient care.
Implementing an effective physician alignment strategy can help to reduce burnout by giving physicians a greater sense of control over their work environment and by providing them with opportunities to give input on hospital decisions.
Enhance Physician Performance & Buy-In
A well-engaged physician workforce is also more likely to be high-performing. When physicians feel they are part of a hospital’s decision-making process, they are more likely to be invested in the success of the hospital and its patients. Physician buy-in can lead to improved physician performance, as well as increased patient satisfaction.
Improve Patient Care
A strong physician engagement strategy can also lead to improved patient care and outcomes.
Engaged physicians will be better equipped and more inclined to provide the best care for all patients. Additionally, by engaging your physicians, you will find that they are more likely to follow best practices and make decisions based on evidence-based guidelines.
How to Engage Your Medical Staff
With the ever-changing landscape of healthcare, it is more important than ever for hospitals to have strong physician engagement strategies in place. By taking steps to engage physicians, hospitals can improve patient care and create a more positive work environment for everyone involved.
While there are many benefits of a strong physician engagement strategy, it is important to note that not all engagement strategies are created equal. In order to be effective, your physician engagement strategy must be tailored to the needs of the specific hospital and its physicians.
Conduct a Physician Engagement Survey
One of the best ways to assess your hospital’s physician engagement levels is to conduct a survey. This will allow you to identify any areas where improvements need to be made.
Physician engagement survey questions should cover topics such as:
- Physicians’ overall satisfaction with the hospital
- How often physicians feel they are able to provide input on decisions
- The level of communication between physicians and hospital administrators
- Whether or not physicians feel they have access to the latest information and technology
- The quality of the work environment
- Whether or not physicians would recommend the hospital to others
Once you’ve created your survey, be sure to distribute it to all of your physicians. You may want to consider conducting the survey on an annual basis to track any changes in engagement levels over time.
Appeal to Changing Preferences
In recent years, there has been a shift in the preferences of newly-trained physicians. Millennial physicians are more likely to have a higher amount of school debt and prefer shorter work weeks, and they may not be as interested in participating in system development or policymaking. To appeal to these changing preferences, hospitals should be flexible and adapt their engagement strategies. Some ways to do this include offering:
- Physician mentorship programs
- Opportunities for continued medical education
- Flexible work schedules
- Leadership development opportunities
By offering benefits like these, hospitals can make themselves more attractive to millennial physicians and improve engagement levels.
Implement a Data Strategy
In order to improve physician engagement, hospitals need to implement a data strategy. This will make it easy for physicians to access and analyze relevant data. By doing this, physicians will be able to make more informed decisions about patient care. To implement a data strategy, hospitals should:
- Develop a system for collecting and storing data
- Make data available to physicians in a format that is easy to understand
- Provide training on how to use the data to improve patient care
Encourage Leadership and Professional Development
One way to encourage physician engagement is to provide opportunities for leadership and professional development. This can be done by:
- Encouraging physicians to take on leadership roles
- Allowing physicians to get involved in decision-making through task forces, committees, or quality improvement initiatives
- Offering opportunities for continued medical education, such as conferences, seminars, or online courses
- Providing training on how to effectively lead teams
- Creating opportunities for physicians to shadow or observe experienced leaders
Create a Clear Line of Communication
Another way to improve physician engagement is to create a clear line of communication between physicians and hospital administrators. This can be done by:
- Encouraging open communication between physicians and hospital administrators
- Making sure physicians have a voice in decisions about hospital policies and procedures
- Giving physicians access to the latest information and technology
- Fostering a collaborative environment
Physician Engagement is Key
Physician engagement is essential to the success of any medical facility. By taking steps to improve your physician engagement strategies, hospitals can create a more positive work environment and improve the quality of patient care.
At Pinnacle Health Group, we’ll help connect you with the best candidates for your recruitment needs so you can focus on developing a strong physician engagement plan.