Category Archives: Client Resources

Client Resources, Provider Resources

How Physicians Can Prepare for a Site Visit

Physicians know their time is valuable. If you have found a potential opportunity and want to visit the practice and community, you want to make the most of this time. The goal is to get an offer and be sure you have the information needed to make a decision. Practice, lifestyle, and family needs are a few of the puzzle pieces.

Productive itinerary for your interview – What every physician needs to include in this process:

  • Make a list of questions for your goals (procedures, patient volumes, referral resources, equipment, compensation, benefits, call schedule, etc.)
  • Is the itinerary structured to meet all the parties who can address these questions?
  • Personal needs: family, housing, partner’s careers, religious needs, hobbies and interests.
  • Sell yourself! Be prepared! Be enthusiastic! Appear engaged in the process!
  • Ask for the offer and what the next step will be.
  • After your visit, send a thank you note. Follow-up with your recruiter and discuss strategy to accept or decline an offer.
  • Make sure you return calls/emails/texts/ from both your recruiter and contact at the practice. Lack of communication and not being on the same page will reflect poorly on you. Remember it’s a small medical community – Don’t burn a bridge.

This helpful hint was provided by Concord(e) Physician Source. Found member of NAPR and NALTO. Celebrating our 50th Year in the Staffing industry.

Client Resources, Provider Resources

THE ADVANTAGES OF A PRIVATELY HELD PHYSICIAN RECRUITING FIRM

THE ADVANTAGES OF A PRIVATELY HELD PHYSICIAN RECRUITING FIRM

You may have never thought that there could be a difference between a publicly held company and a privately held one. Have you ever thought to ask the recruiter who calls or emails you? Concord(e) Physician Source is a medium size firm by design. We have celebrated our 50th year and have chosen to stay privately held. Whether your needs are for Locum Tenens or Permanent, here is a short list of the advantages. Speak with your Concord(e) Consultant further about our privately held status.

  • #1 reason is Concord(e) has No Shareholders to answer to!
  • No pressure to refer every physician regardless of fit to meet
    Shareholder’s goals
  • Our 50 years is based on quality service and solid referrals, we
    don’t want to change our model for Shareholders
  • Physicians like working with us because we do not have to
    pressure them to take assignments/jobs they do not want to take
    just to satisfy Shareholders Profits
  • Hospitals and physicians benefit rather than Shareholders

Concord(e) Physician Source 800-334-6407 LOCUM TENENS| DIRECT HIRE

Client Resources

Better Odds to Sign your Physicians

Hospitals are facing challenges to fill more of their physician recruitment needs. Why are some facilities having more success than others? The answer is simple the process is difficult. Thinking outside of the box is the reason. Being creative and getting the job done is not.

Shake up the process. Hospitals are process and procedural oriented so it feels natural to assign procedures to physician recruitment. This is not a good strategy. A process for vetting out problem physicians and questionable credentials is a good procedure. It is not effective though to have rules for recruitment and presenting your opportunity to physicians in high demand. Flexibility is the answer.

In a shortage situation physicians have many options. If your timing and procedures are inflexible and do not fit their schedules and timelines, they lose interest quickly. With 50 years in the Staffing Industry we cannot stress enough that completing the review of the physician’s CV and reaching out to them within 48 hours is critical. It will drastically increase the impression of your facility. If you can’t respond to them now it raises doubt about how they will be treated when they are on staff. Send them a quick email or text indicating that you received the CV and will let you know the next step within a few days. Then do it! Be sure you do whatever you say.

Facilities tend to have recruitment procedures that get bogged down. Examples: CV sits on a physician’s desk for review; physician recruiter is pulled in many directions and doesn’t follow-up on CV or delays first contact; phone tag; trying to coordinate your physician to call the candidate; after initial contact physician needs more information-long delay to get it; try to force candidate to interview according to your schedule instead of respecting their schedule. All of these examples ruin your odds of signing the physician.

Make it happen according to the candidate needs. If you have a physician recruitment process that includes 10 steps. No reason it has to be followed in order of 1-10. Try to follow what fits the needs of your interested physician. Engage the candidate by knowing what is important to them and where they are in their job search. Example: If the physician has two offers and deciding in 30 days you better not delay the details of your potential offer and contract too long. They will be signed elsewhere by the time to get to that step.

Bonding, relationship building. People bond and feel more comfortable by putting a name with a face. Send a video with a facility tour. Use facetime or skype for your first conversation.

Answer their questions. Ask them what they need and want rather than pushing your procedures. Makes them feel wanted. Customize the process and interview to fit their interests.

Working interviews. If the candidates schedule allows ask if they want to “try before they buy”. A way to be creative with the use of Locum Tenens. Don’t look at Locums as purely a way to cover vacations. It is a way to show a pool of physicians what you have to offer. They may fall in love!

Get your team on board. Your physician staff wants additional help for a better work/life balance. Explain the need to respond quickly and commit to a timely process. Instill urgency into your process.

Good luck with your creative thinking. If you want to discuss what well-staffed hospitals do to get their physicians signed give Concorde a call. After fifty years in recruitment we have seen it all- the Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.

Client Resources, Provider Resources

The Proper Way to Accept a Physician CV Referral from a Firm

At times working with physician search and locum tenens firms can lead to duplication of efforts or confusion. A reputable firm wants to make your job easier by providing the pertinent information you need as well as not create a dispute around the referral. NAPR (National Association of Physician Recruiters) and NALTO (National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations) have standards by which their members have agreed to abide by. Member Firms agree to do the following.

  • Examine the education, employment, background of the physician and interview them before making a referral
  • Match the qualifications of the physician’s credentials to your position
  • Present all the above information to you when representing a physician for referral
  • Obtain permission from physician to refer his/her CV
  • Obtain permission from you to refer CV (follow your process)
  • Disclose the name of your facility and information on the job to physician in order to obtain their permission to refer
  • Assignment specific referrals for locum tenens positions not referring for the purpose of registering a name to block other firms for subsequent assignments

Having accurate information on the physician’s background can help you to move the process along more quickly and increase your odds of the landing the physician. The benefit of using a firm is to screen the physicians so you are not calling through a stack of CVs looking for a fit. If you are accepting CVs by only clearing a name you are not receiving the benefit of this service. Time is money!

Firms that refer a CV as soon as it hits their website are not screening and wasting your time. If they belong to NAPR or NALTO they are also in violation of the standards they agreed to abide by. If you find a firm doing this you may report them to the organization.

Get the most from the firms you are working with and help uphold our industry standards by requiring NAPR/NALTO ethics and procedures are followed.

Concorde Physician Source is a founding member of both NAPR and NALTO. If you have questions on Ethics and Standards of the Industry please feel free to contact us. Ken Williams is the current Arbitration Chair of NALTO.
www.napr.org
www.nalto.org

Client Resources, Letter from the President

Thinking beyond Job Boards to Recruit Physicians

A physician shortage is still projected by many sources. Odds are, if you are trying to recruit physicians, you are likely feeling the effects of this in one or more specialties. In order to expand your pipeline of potential candidates during a shortage or hard-to-find specialty situation, you need to be more creative and move beyond the common recruitment practices of job boards, emails and direct mail pieces.

Although financial incentives are an effective recruiting tool, they’re not going to necessarily separate you from the crowd. Signing bonuses, school loan repayment and production incentives have become fairly common practice.

To help you add to your candidate pool, here are a few other suggestions you may want to consider:

    • Provide referral incentives – Offer great recruitment incentives to your current staff. Who better to sell your location and facility than your current doctors? Provide very lucrative bonuses for referrals that get signed. Residents who join your staff this year can be instrumental in recruiting residents one to two years down the road. Follow-up with an announcement to residents about their classmates who join your staff.

    • Be flexible – Consider signing physicians who may not be available for another one to two years. Keep your options open with an eye on the future – build a funnel of candidates.

    • Plan ahead – Just like in the previous point, you’re going to have to cement a good medical staff for the next five years. With a shortage looming, it’s imperative to start preparing for tomorrow today.

    • Keep your eyes open – Be sure to start tracking and recording those physicians you may need in the future. Don’t wait until you’re desperate to try and locate the specialty you need.

LOCUM TENENS – The Human Approach

One of the most creative ways to expand your staff is the use of Locum Tenens. After all, Locum Tenens physicians who “fall in love” with a location will stay on full-time. Like a long interview process with no pressure to sign them immediately, you may introduce them to opportunities they may have never even considered before. Familiarizing them with a friendly and competent support staff will help them feel like they belong there. Find out what makes them tick personally and show them how to find it in your community. Woo them by being welcoming.

REAP SUPERHUMAN RESULTS

Most hospitals view this as an expensive option, but is it? You bill for their services while giving your existing physicians work and call coverage relief. And what is the benefit to retaining your existing staff? If you can at least break-even when securing Locums physicians, it may be well worth it. Still, many hospitals find they actually make money by billing for these physicians’ services.

Good luck and think outside the box. Hospitals that do so will be the most successful in securing a complete staff of quality physicians for years to come.

Jamey Morgan
President

Client Resources, Letter from the President

The Rules of Attracting Physicians during the Shortage

Pointers from Concorde’s 50 Years of Matchmaking Success

Are all the good doctors taken?

No, there are other physicians in the sea. But with all the options out there for today’s eligible physicians, healthcare facilities must raise their game if they want to land Dr. Right. So what can you do to woo that special doctor? At Concorde, we’ve seen a lot of what works and what doesn’t over our 50 years in recruiting (30 in physician recruitment). Based on our experience, here are four rules to follow in attracting physicians during the shortage.

1. Know your true needs. Not every open position is an emergency. Some hospitals will advertise five different specialties, but back off when a physician shows interest. That can really hurt your reputation. Word gets around quickly if you have a habit of flaking out on candidates. We’ve had specialist candidates ask us if a hospital was serious about an advertised opening because they’ve heard of or experienced employers’ indecision too many times. Get your act together and go out looking only for the positions you know you’ll need.

2. Make that call. The number-one reason physicians lose interest is that employers don’t get in touch with them quickly enough. They’re usually thinking: If the slow response is any indication of what it’s like to work there, then no thanks! Contact a physician within 48 hours of receiving their CV, even if it’s just to say you’ve received it and share some info on the position and the hiring process. This practice can increase your odds of getting a candidate to interview by 30%.

3. Show them the love. First impressions matter, and many physicians want to have the impression that they’re loved. If you think there’s a chance at romance, take it. Your courtship skills are essential because committing to a job can feel like getting married after just one date. First, figure out the way to a candidate’s heart. Often, it comes down to location, location, location. If so, be ready to highlight everything that’s great about your facility’s community. In determining what a candidate cares about, an outside recruiter can be a key ally. Physicians are more likely to tell a third party what they really want, thinking (albeit incorrectly) that they’ll lose a negotiating edge by telling an in-house recruiter.

4. Show them the money. But bigger isn’t always better. Physicians have learned that if a financial package is too high, there’s probably something wrong with the job. On the other hand, they’re also looking for strength and stability. A subpar financial offer won’t land the physician of your dreams unless they really love your location and or the practice. Typically, they’re looking for evidence of strength and long-term viability. Few things demonstrate that better than an above-average offer and, most importantly, great production incentives. Compensation with high incentives is a win-win – as long as the physician can see it’s achievable. You may want to have your current physicians speak with a candidate to show that the package isn’t a mirage.

Are you looking for a physician to love? Follow these rules as a path toward happily ever after. Concorde can help you along the way. Contact us to get started.

Jamey Morgan
President

Client Resources

Advanced Practitioners Remain a Cost-Effective Asset

A Few Notes on a 2013 Salary Survey Showing Rising Pay

The Clinical Advisor’s 2013 Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Salary Survey was a good snapshot of the rising salaries of all Advanced Practitioners. And these salaries have continued to rise since the data were collected. It’s important to note, however, that these professionals continue to be valuable members of any health care team.

Since the survey, we’ve seen salaries for Family Practice PAs and NPs rise from $90,500 to closer to $100,000 today. That’s an increase of 8-10%. For Orthopedic PAs, meanwhile, the average figure has gone from $105,000 to $115,000 or more, depending on the region. That’s also close to a 10% increase.

Other surgical specialties will see similar increases. Advanced Practitioners who work in Urgent Care have realized the largest increase in salary due to high demand. Their salaries have increased over 12%.

Keep in mind, of course, that salaries are but one part of the overall compensation package designed for Advanced Practitioners. Other components include a schedule of benefits similar to, if not exactly like, that of a physician, as well as relocation expenses, malpractice insurance and CME expenses. Association dues, certification expenses, etc. are also included.

Even with these salary increases, the FP Advanced Practitioners are still paid at approximately 50% less than a Family Practice Physician and even less proportionately within the surgical fields. Advanced Practitioners are and will continue to be a valuable and cost effective asset to any health care team.

You can see the full survey results here. For help finding the right Advanced Practitioners and crafting the right compensation package, get in touch.

Client Resources

3 Reasons Not to Choose Concorde for Locum Tenens

Otherwise, When Quality Counts, You Should Always Call Us

In considering your key criteria for selecting a Locum Tenens staffing partner, certain circumstances just aren’t a good fit with our services and our high standards.

1. You just want the lowest-price option. Concorde holds our candidates and ourselves to the highest standards. That’s why, although we’re competitively priced, we’ll never be your least expensive option.

2. You only want to work with the same physician every time. An expectation that a certain candidate is always open for the job is not a good match with high quality. Why? Because the best physicians aren’t so readily available. Clients who are committed to quality have learned that it takes more than one physician to deliver.

3. You absolutely need a physician tomorrow. If you do need someone immediately, the truth is that the larger companies are structured for the higher volume of candidates you may need to ensure availability. Keep in mind that physicians who are available at a moment’s notice are unlikely to be of the highest quality. And here’s an idea that can help you avoid these last-minute needs in the future. Call us first to set up a pool of high-quality physicians who are a better fit and more reliable over time, then call that big firm for your immediate opening.

On the other hand, here’s one instance in which the answer should always be Concorde:

Your primary concern is physician quality. Our concept of assembling a pool of carefully qualified physicians has consistently delivered higher-quality results. We’re medium size by design, without shareholders to answer to, so we have the flexibility to screen out the physicians who don’t meet our standards or your needs. The size of the pool will be as small as possible to cultivate relationships, but large enough to give you the coverage you need.

Perhaps you need to use a larger firm in the short-term to cover your immediate needs. In the meantime, we can start assembling a pool for you that will ultimately elevate your quality level, and you can later phase out the ad hoc approach.

So give us a call today to get started toward higher standards.

Client Resources, Letter from the President

The Affordable Care Act: Where Do We Go from Here?

There’s plenty of speculation, but no one really knows what effects the Affordable Care Act will have on health care staffing.

It’s safe to assume the shortage of physicians will intensify due to the influx of new patients. In a few years, the main issue will probably be in Primary Care. But the initial overload may actually be on Specialists – Gastroenterologists, Pulmonologists, Cardiologists, Endocrinologists (diabetes), Oncologists, Rheumatologists, Vascular Surgeons, etc.

Why would Specialists be strained before Primary Care? The thinking is that people who haven’t been insured until now haven’t been receiving preventative care. They’re not accustomed to seeing a Primary Care Physician for routine check-ups that focus on issues such as nutrition, exercise and other habits.

Serious health conditions that lie beyond the scope of Primary Care may have gone untreated for many years. And now, these patients finally may try to get relief as quickly as possible with the help of Specialists.

Whatever happens as the ACA takes effect, rest assured that your partners at Concorde are keeping a close eye on the changes nationwide. We’re determined to help you meet your evolving needs with high-quality physicians and Allied Health professionals, so don’t hesitate to let us know how we can help.

Jamey Morgan
President

Client Resources

Stay Tuned for the New Physician’s Perspective

Coming soon to @ConcordeStaff on Twitter, we’ll be sharing a rare and valuable glimpse into the world of a next-generation recruit. Starting her last year of medical school, Dr. Sophia will offer insights about her experience to help you better understand the expectations and challenges of today’s new physicians.

We’re asking Dr. Sophia to address key issues such as:

  • How has the Affordable Health Care Act affected her training?
  • What challenges does she face when considering good patient care vs. the cost of care?
  • What do physicians like her want most when making the transition into practice?

To keep track of Dr. Sophia’s updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter. If you have a specific question for her, let us know via email at info@concordestaffing.com or via Twitter (@ConcordeStaff).