JASPRJournal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

The Only International Organization Exclusively for In-House Physician Recruitment Professionals

Winter 2012

Volume 19, Issue 1

In This Issue:

The Evolution

of the Hospitalist

Health Quest Medical

Practice’s Onboarding

Program Proving Value

Integrating Physician Recruitment

& Physician Relations

2 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

By Lori Jackson Norris, FASPR, Associate Editor, JASPR, lori.norris@chw.edu

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called ‘Opportunity’ and its first chapter is New Year's Day.” –Edith Lovejoy Pierce, poet

A New Year…and a new opportunity for a fresh start! This is my first “From the Editor” column for 2012…well, ever! I feel honored. Little did I know when I joined the Journal committee about two years ago, that I would be stepping into this position. Although I’ve been an ASPR member for well over 15 years, until recently I left the work it takes to build and run an organization like ASPR to others. The “others” in this case have been mostly long-time, charter ASPR members who have been towing the line for all of us for a long time. I’ve watched them take ASPR from a small group of close-knit physician recruiters in the ‘90s to the highly recognized international organization of more than 1,100 physician recruitment professionals that it is today.

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist

I imagine I’m like the majority of ASPR members: thinking I was too busy with my professional and personal life to even consider getting involved with committee participation or leadership…thinking that I should leave that to more seasoned veterans. My involvement in the past was limited to attending the annual conferences, if I was fortunate enough to have my employer’s support, and networking with colleagues while recruiting “on the road” at medical conferences. In between, I would stay connected by reading JASPR. I always looked forward to receiving my copy in the mail. I rec-ognized the names of colleagues in the bylines and mentioned in the articles. I admired them for getting involved and for their skills that

From the Editor

From the Editor continued on page 32

Permission must be obtained before reprinting any article appearing in the Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (JASPR). To obtain this permission, please contact Laurie Pumper in the ASPR office directly at 800-830-2777.

The Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters (JASPR) is published quarterly for members of ASPR by the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters and Ewald Consulting, 1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252, St. Paul, MN 55114.

Phone: 800-830-2777 Fax: 651-290-2266Email: journal@aspr.org

Unless stated, comments in this publication do not necessarily reflect the endorsement or opinion of ASPR or Ewald Consulting. The publisher is not responsible for statements made by the authors, contributors, or advertisers. The publisher reserves the right to final approval of editorial and advertising copy in this publication.

ASPR recognizes and appreciates the support of members of the Corporate Contributor Program. This affiliation with ASPR provides a unique opportunity for exposure to ASPR members that includes name recognition and goodwill. While ASPR recognizes and acknowledges Corporate Contributors, it in no way directly or indirectly endorses the corporation, its products, or services. Corporate Contributors who advertise or promote an endorsement or implied endorsement by ASPR, will automatically be terminated from the Corporate Contributor Program.

ASPR members are eligible for special discounts on services from participating advertising, direct mail, and other service providers. For a complete listing, go to the member section of our website and click on Discount Purchasing Program.

Call Jennifer Metivier at the ASPR office at 800-830-ASPR (2777) if you have questions or need additional information.

Reprint Policy

Endorsement Policy

Vendor Resource Guide

went above and beyond physician recruitment. I wondered how in the world they could find the time because I knew they were just as busy as me, if not more so.

“If you want the job done well, give it to a busy person” —Henry Ford, auto maker

The colleagues who were interviewed in the articles were doing things, big and small, that made a difference to our profession. Small things like sharing a story about a funny encounter they had with a physician candidate or a good book they thought their colleagues could benefit from… to more substantial un-dertakings such as working on committees that were organizing the annual ASPR conferences, developing industry benchmarks, creating the Fellowship certification program, and growing our membership. And the members who were writing the articles used their free time and skills to write about these colleagues and the ex-citing things they were doing. Many times, the ones who were writing were also the ones who were busy building ASPR. All contributions, big and small, have benefited our organization. I personally would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who have worked so hard and continue to work on our behalf. Now, it’s time for members like me to “step up” and give someone else a well-deserved break.

If you are thinking about getting more involved in ASPR, you can take it little by little or jump right in. I started first on the local level with Southwest Physician Recruiters Association/SWPRA as a member and then a committee member. A year or so later, after being a fan of JASPR for so many years, I decided to put my journalism degree back to work and joined the ASPR Journal committee. Last August, I was asked to become co-chair and join the ASPR leadership team.

Keep in mind, involvement on any level is good and appreciated. You can choose “big or small” involvement. Just choose to get involved…

Winter 2012 3

Articles Page

The Evolution of the Hospitalist .............................. 5

What Is a Staff Physician

Recruitment Professional? .....................................7

Operation Smile: One Physician

Recruiter’s Mission Experience ........................... 8

Integrating Physician Recruitment

and Physician Relations ........................................10

Health Quest Medical Practice’s

Onboarding Program Proving Value ................... 12

Literature Review: Medical

Practice Mergers and Acquisitions ................... 13

Email: Can’t Live with it and

Can’t Live Without it! .............................................23

ASPR Updates/Features/OtherASPR Bylaws Amendment Approved .................. 19

ASPR Chapter and Special

Interest Group Updates ........................................20

ASPR Committee Updates ...................................... 19

ASPR Corporate Contributor Features ............ 28

ASPR Leadership Profile ..........................................21

Board of Directors & Committee Chairs .......... 33

Calendar .............................................................................4

Corporate Contributor Listing ................................5

Employment Hotline ................................................ 25

Get Social with ASPR .................................................17

Letter from the Editor ................................................2

Letter from the Executive Director .......................4

Member Profile ............................................................ 24

President’s Corner .........................................................3

Editor: Judy Brown, FASPR

Associate Editor: Lori Jackson Norris, FASPR

Publisher: Laurie Pumper

By Scott Manning, FASPR, ASPR President, scott_manning@dmgaz.org

President’s Corner Inside This Issue

As a new year be-gins, I complete my first year of service as ASPR President and begin the next in a two-year term. The New Year brings a time for reflection for many of us when we ex-

amine our lives and recognize those individuals who make a difference, whether it be personal or professional. I am very fortunate to work with an amazing group of people in ASPR, an organization of individuals who are dedicated to what they do. Many of our colleagues are able to find time in their busy days to volunteer for ASPR and “give back” to their profession. I would like to take a moment and recognize the Volunteer Leadership Team of ASPR. These individuals make ASPR what it is today and what it will become in the future. They are the backbone of the organization and I am honored to work with them. My personal thanks go out to the ASPR Executive Director, Jennifer Metivier, the ASPR Board of Directors, committee co-chairs and all ASPR members who volunteer to serve on a committee. Without all your hard work ASPR would not be possible. Thank you all!

Volunteer opportunitiesYou probably have seen a call for volunteers many times in this publication. It may seem difficult for some members to see themselves taking this step. “How will I find the time?” “What do I have to offer?” “Can I really add value?” These are common questions that I hear from members who are interested but have a hard time actually stepping forward. I assure you, it is worth your time, and each of us has

something unique to offer. I believe you always get more out of volunteering than you give; it is truly a win-win situation. The group of colleagues I consider friends and the networks I can access across the country when I need information are direct results of becoming involved. Volunteering has increased the value of my ASPR membership exponentially. I hope each of you will consider volunteering.

ASPR Board of DirectorsMembers of the Board of Directors are elected by the membership and serve two-year terms. ASPR holds an election each year for open Board seats. The next election will be held in May to fill open Board positions for Secretary and two Board Member at Large positions. These new leaders will assume their roles in Au-gust at the annual ASPR Conference. A call for nominations will go out approximately 30 days prior to the election.

Committee co-chairsCommittee co-chairs are appointed by the Board of Directors. Each Committee has two Co-Chairs who serve two-year staggered terms to ensure continuity in committee leadership. New Co-Chairs are nominated and usually are active members of the committee. We are always looking for the next leader of a committee. If you have the interest and can find the time to volunteer, speak with your co-chair. Then don’t be surprised if you get recruited! I mean, after all, recruitment is what we do for a living.

I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year! All the best to each of you and your loved ones!

4 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Feb. 7-11 American Academy of Orthopaedic

Surgeons Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA

Please visit aaos.org for more info.

Feb. 8 ASPR Onboarding and Retention (OAR)

Special Interest Group Conference Call 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

1-866-394-4146

Participant Code: 76151010#

Please visit aspr.org for more info.

Feb. 29 ASPR Live Webinar Series: Invest in Your

Future — Keep the Physicians You Recruit Live online webinar

Please visit aspr.org for more info.

Aug. 12-15, 2012 ASPR Annual Conference Los Angeles, CA

Please visit aspr.org for more info.

Physician Recruitment 201 Module Offered in Miami, FL in February 2012

The Physician Recruitment 201 Module will

be offered on Sunday, February 12 at The Royal Palm Hotel in Miami, FL. The program is offered in conjunction with the PracticeMatch Recruiters’ Conference which will be held from February 12 through 15. Please visit www.practicematch.com for details and registration.

Calendar

By Jennifer Metivier, MS, FASPR, ASPR Executive Director, jmetivier@aspr.org

Happy New Year! ASPR had a busy and productive year in 2011 and it looks like 2012 is slated to be a fantastic year as well! I’d like to take a moment to thank all of our Committee

Co-Chairs and Committee Members for the countless hours that you have spent volunteer-ing on the many ongoing ASPR projects. ASPR could not be the amazing organization that it is without our dedicated member volunteers – thank you!

We have had some important announcements in ASPR Weekly over the last month or two that I would like to recap for you. The first is that ASPR is now able to offer membership group discounts. We realize that many organiza-tions have additional people who could benefit greatly from becoming a member of ASPR. Some organizations alternate memberships between recruiters from year to year and could benefit from a group discount so that all of their recruiters could be members all of the time. Full details regarding this program may be found at www.aspr.org/join.

Another recent announcement is that the 2012 ASPR In-House Physician Recruitment Benchmarking Survey is now open! Data col-lection began on December 1 and will continue through the end of February. We need your participation! Everyone who participates will receive a free copy of the results, access to the analyzable data ($300 value), and a chance to win an iPad2!

In other news, the Fellowship Committee has a few updates that I’d like to remind you about. The Physician Recruitment 101 Module is now available as an on-demand webinar series. This webinar series is a great opportunity to get a jumpstart on the Fellowship certification pro-gram without spending time out of the office. ASPR will also offer the Physician Recruitment

From the Executive Director

201 Module in conjunction with the Practice-Match Recruiters Conference on February 12 at the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami, FL. All three programs will be offered at the Annual ASPR Conference in August in Los Angeles.

Speaking of the annual conference, the Educa-tion Committee has been quite busy. The LA inspired theme has been finalized — Mission imPossible: Recruiting the Stars of Tomorrow. The committee is in the process of selecting keynote and plenary speakers and will review the proposals for breakout sessions submitted through the recent Call for Presentations.

A few changes have been made to the Annual Conference schedule this year. In response to member feedback, ASPR is extending its conference from two days to two and a half days for the main session. The expansion of our main conference will provide for additional educational sessions while still allowing for more networking and free time. The main session will start as usual on Monday morning, but will wrap up before noon on Wednesday versus the end of Tuesday in past years. Sunday will continue to be the official kick-off for the main confer-ence, with our Welcome Reception on Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. The ASPR Fellowship certification programs will be offered on Satur-day (201) and Sunday (101 and 301). Another change for this year is that the infamous Monday Evening Event will now become the Tuesday Evening Event! This will free up your Monday evening to spend exploring LA Live and enjoy-ing time with friends and colleagues.

Last, the 2012 monthly webinars have been finalized and are now available for registration. Onboarding, retention, behavioral interview-ing, and physician engagement are among the topics scheduled. Full details can be found in the Education section of our website.

As always, I look forward to hearing any thoughts, suggestions, ideas or comments from you!

Winter 2012 5

Twenty years ago, most people had never heard the term “hospitalist.” Today this organized, tech-savvy, skilled communicator and team player is sought after nationwide — and demand continues to build. According to the Society of Hospital Medicine, it’s the fastest growing physician specialty in history, with some 31,000 hospitalists nationwide.

“There’s no question that it’s proven itself as a specialty,” says Joan Wallent, director of specialty physician recruitment at IPC, a Los Angeles-based hospital medicine services provider. According to Wallent, “[the hospitalist] improves patient care dramatically. It’s going to continue to grow.”

That means competition for hospitalists is intense, and recruitment times are long. And the exploding demand is reflected in the hospitalist’s paycheck: Salaries for hospitalists continue to outpace inflation, with the mean earning around $230,000 in 2011, according to an October survey by Today’s Hospitalist. That’s a nearly six percent increase over last year’s mean compen-sation. Moreover, many analysts believe that hos-pitalists’ pay hasn’t yet peaked — though rising compensation will likely come with increasingly higher quality and productivity expectations.

Pay is generally commensurate with productiv-ity; the more patients a hospitalist sees, the higher his or her compensation tends to be. A recent survey of ASPR members showed that the largest share of hospitalists in their organiza-tions, 30 percent, see an average of 13 to 15 pa-tients a day. The next largest group, 22 percent, reports a daily patient load of 16 to 18 patients.

That same poll bears out the increasing pervasive-ness of hospital medicine. Among the 78 ASPR members responding, all but four percent reported using hospitalists at their organizations — wheth-er employed by the hospital, or employed by a hospitalist staffing company — either exclusively or in combination with community physicians.

The Evolution of the Hospitalist

ASPR Recognizes and Thanks Our Corporate Contributors

For product and contact information on these

companies, go to the “Corporate Contributors”

page of the ASPR website (www.aspr.org).

Gold ContributorsAloysius, Butler, & Clark

Cejka Search

CompHealth

The Delta Companies

DocCafé.com

DocWorking.com

HealthcareSource

Jackson & Coker

JAMA & Archives Journals

MD Pathways

Merritt Hawkins

The New England Journal of Medicine

PracticeLink

PracticeMatch

VISTA Staffing Solutions

Silver Contributorsleapdoctor.com

Locum Leaders

MDLinx

Profiles, LLC

Texas Children's Hospital

Weatherby Healthcare

Bronze ContributorsAccuCheck Investigations

AHACareerCenter.org

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Neurology

American College of Physicians

American Medical Association

Barlow/McCarthy

Contact Physicians

Fidelis Partners

International Medical News Group

LocumTenens.com

Medical Marketing Service

Medicorp

The Medicus Firm

NicheMedicalJobs.com

Onyx, M.D.

Staff Care

By Susan Maas, freelance writer, written for the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Hospitalist continued on page 6

Wallent’s employer, IPC, works in 24 states. In her two decades with the company, she says she has watched hospital medicine evolve from a small, little-known interest group to a full-fledged specialty. Like Wallent, Michael Griffin has watched the discipline since its inception. Griffin, ASPR past president and manager of physician/provider recruitment for the HealthEast Care System in St. Paul, has helped set up hospitalist models at institutions around the country, and says the growth of hospital medicine shows no signs of slowing.

Subspecialty hospitalists on the riseAmong the newest developments in this young field is the fledgling sub-specialty hospitalist movement. In recent years, Wallent has seen burgeoning demand for hospitalists from spe-cialties other than internal medicine and family medicine: those with training in neurology, psychology, endocrinology, surgery, geriatrics, obstetrics, hepatology and more. Many have their own professional groups, journals and websites, and their growth is propelled by the same factors that gave rise to what Wallent calls “the original hospitalists.”

“There’s a tremendous need” for specialists in larger hospitals full-time, providing 100 percent inpatient care, Wallent says. In major cities, opportunity — and compensation — for those specialty hospitalists is growing on par with that for hospitalists.

Walid Maalouli, MD, medical director of the Hospitalist Program at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, sees demand for pediatric hospitalists continuing to swell in the next several years. “You’ll hit the point of saturation eventually, but we’re a long way from that,” he says. Training for pediatricians has begun reflecting the increasing prevalence of hospital medicine, Maalouli adds, with more residencies developing dual-track (inpatient and

6 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

outpatient) programs and a growing number of pediatric hospitalist fellowships around the country. Would-be pediatricians now weigh whether they’re drawn to “the excitement of critical situations, or prefer the more sedate set-ting of the clinic,” Maalouli says.

Movement is enhancing quality, patient satisfactionThe advantages of using a hospitalist — versus an internist (or neurologist, or endocrinologist, or geriatrician) who’s also balancing pressing out-patient demands — are many. “The hospitalist movement has driven a lot of quality improve-ments in terms of focusing on the patient when they’re in the hospital,” says HealthEast’s Griffin. The steady presence of one accountable, engaged physician means that “there’s going to be more consistency for the patient and for the hospital.” It’s also easier on the primary care physician, who can then focus exclusively on outpatient care.

While some patients may initially feel uneasy about the prospect of working with a new doctor when hospitalized, wondering why the primary care physician isn’t on the scene, several strategies have proven effective in educating patients and assuaging their fears. A September 2009 article in Today’s Hospitalist explores ways that hospitals and hospitalists can avoid some of the confusion and put patients at ease — including communi-cating with the primary physician on admission and discharge and asking for suggestions that might help in that particular patient’s care.

The hospitalist model has been shown to reduce the length of patients’ hospital stays with no adverse impacts: A 2009 Loyola University Health System study showed that patients who were co-managed by a hospitalist had an average length of stay of 3.8 days, while patients who were not seen by hospitalists had an average stay of 5.5 days. And evidence is growing that hospitalists make for happier patients: A 2010 Press Ganey study of 1,777 hospitals and 2.6 million patients found that facilities with hospitalists resulted in significantly higher patient and nurse satisfaction.

That hospitalists apparently help create a bet-ter work environment for other health care professionals isn’t surprising. Key to this physi-cian’s effectiveness is the ability to work across disciplines to coordinate care with a range of health care professionals — and to serve as an organized, articulate liaison between the entire

Hospitalist cont’d from page 5 team and the patient. Of the ASPR survey respondents, a majority of hospitalists — 52 percent — work collaboratively with advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, or both.

“They have to work well with nurse practitioners, pharmacists, social workers, respiratory thera-pists,” Griffin says. “They have to be masters of communication.” A generally young group (the average age is 37), they also tend to be fairly tech-savvy, able to comfortably navigate different Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.

Scheduling models vary widelyWork routines for hospitalists vary. Some — in-cluding those Griffin hires — happily work the seven-days-on, seven-days-off schedule familiar to medical residents. That’s attractive and “com-fortable” to many young physicians, Griffin says. “You end up working 14 days in one month,” he says. That leaves two full weeks a month for travel, uninterrupted family time or other pursuits. Some “block model” hospitalists opt for half-time positions — meaning they work just seven days a month. Many supplement their income by moonlighting, says Kirk Mathews, senior vice president for Eagle Hospital Physi-cians (former CEO and founder of Inpatient Management Inc., IMI).

Other hospitalists work Monday to Fri-day. Wallent says IPC places physicians in posts with “traditional” workweek schedules. “We have a few who do the ‘block model’ or shift work, and there are personalities who love that. They take off and go skiing or surf-ing. But [many] want a traditional schedule. If you have a family, you’re home every eve-ning, most weekends. You’re going to see your spouse, significant other, kids on a regular basis.”

And some physicians advocate for staggered, flexible shifts tailored to patient volume, in

which the hospitalist works more days per year but has the option to leave early on slow days. The bottom line for the hospitalist, Wallent adds, is that he or she can choose “whichever lifestyle fits. And that can change over time.”

A budding trend in hospital medicine is the move toward part-time work. For a variety of reasons, some hospitalists seek reduced hours, and the tough recruiting market means many employers are willing to work with them. In some cases, part-time arrangements can help in retention, says Mathews.

“Burnout is one of the largest challenges facing our specialty,” Mathews says. “The demand [for hos-pitalists] has simply outstripped the supply, and that’s led to many programs being understaffed” — creating heavy, stressful workloads for many. A Nov. 2008 article in Today’s Hospitalist put the na-tional turnover rate at around 17 percent annually.

“We [at Eagle] have enjoyed lower turnover, but we’ve worked really, really hard at it,” Mathews says. “My philosophy is that you never stop re-cruiting your physicians. Engage them, listen to them, understand what their concerns are. And continue to listen to them after they’re there.”

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Winter 2012 7

What Is a Staff Physician Recruitment Professional?

At a recent social event, I was asked what I do for a living. Along with the weather and cries over how the Browns are once again terrible, this is pretty common conversation. My answer to this question has always varied based on who was asking it. The truth is assigning a title to what we do on a daily basis would never do it justice. Our jobs require fluency in so many areas that it’s hard to quickly sum up what we do. The misconception, and something I personally take offense to, is the “oh, you are a head hunter” response. So to anyone stuck at the punch bowl at a party with a new friend who truly wants to know what a staff physician recruiter does…here’s your cheat sheet:

• Medical novice. We’re not scientists. I know my science education ended with a worm dissection in high school, but it’s our job to know medicine. We need to know the ins and outs of the specialties for which we recruit. When we are talking with a candidate or department it’s vital

By Joey Klein, Senior Physician Recruiter, Cleveland Clinic, Lyndhurst, OH, kleinj4@ccf.org

that we understand what they do. We need to know what journals they read, what pro-cedures they perform, and what acronyms they use.

• Point of contact. The chairpersons that we work with are busy people and so are the candidates. It’s our job to be avail-able and to solve problems. Admittedly, we may take this to the extreme (at least I do) but our role, in part, is to field requests and handle them as efficiently as possible.

• Market analyst. We plan and advise on the ad campaigns and outreach efforts from the start of a new project. Dollars are al-ways a concern and need to be spent wisely. It’s our responsibility, for each specialty, to know the trends, the job market, and the “good” publications and websites. We are in-house consultants and our value, in part, stems from our level of expertise.

• Project manager. Each search, every department has a different story. Each has a different need, time frame, budget, and

set of expectations. It’s our responsibility to plan, implement, and track advertising/outreach, sourcing, site visits, referrals, and costs. We often work with vendors to design ads, buy lists, or coordinate events. Making sure that all of the parts are work-ing together and managing success is a key part of physician recruitment.

• Ambassador. For our employer and city.

As in-house physician recruiters, we are fortu-nate. We have the privilege and responsibility of directly adding value to our organizations. We have a direct line to department/organization leadership and important people depend on us. We interact with interesting people, we thrive on building relationships, and we believe in what we are doing. Often times our work goes unnoticed, but our impact is always felt. The next time someone asks me what I do, I’ll prob-ably just stick with the short answer.

ASPR is always looking for articles for the

Journal of ASPR (JASPR). If you would like to

submit an article for JASPR, or if you would

like some guidance on a possible article

topic, you may contact one of the editors at

journal@aspr.org.

ASPR on the Lookout... for New Articles!

8 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Operation Smile: One Physician Recruiter’s Mission Experience

Little did I know when I picked up an employee newsletter in the break room at work in the spring of 1998 advertising the need for volun-teers for upcoming medical missions to Venezu-ela and Morocco, how profoundly I would be impacted, and what a big part of my life medical mission work would become. I responded to the advertisement and learned that the missions were with a group called Operation Smile that pro-vides free reconstructive surgery to children and adults born with facial deformities such as cleft lips and palates in developing countries through-out the world as well as within the US. I was selected to do medical records on a mission to Venezuela in the fall of 1998 and have been do-ing a mission each year since then. I just recently returned from my 13th mission, this time to China. Through my involvement with Operation Smile, I have been honored with opportunities to travel to Venezuela, Kenya, Morocco, India, China, Thailand, Madagascar, and Ethiopia.

When I went on my first mission, I had no idea what to expect. During the first few days of the mission, anyone who wants to have surgery comes to be evaluated. In many parts of the world, children born with facial deformities are treated as social outcasts, as well as facing physical im-plications such as not being able to eat properly. Oftentimes, they don’t have access to adequate health care, if any healthcare at all. Operation Smile spreads the word through various venues to let people in the area know that a mission will be taking place. Once the mission begins, the patients first come to the medical records station where the volunteers record demographic and background information. Next they are seen by nurses who take a brief medical history and check vital signs, by the anesthesiologists and pediatri-cians to evaluate whether they are healthy enough for surgery, by a dentist, most often a speech-language pathologist, and finally by the plastic surgeons who assign a surgical priority.

The team leaders then meet and put together the surgery schedule. The goal is that even if a patient isn’t selected for surgery, they at least have the opportunity to be seen by all of the

By Lauren Beckstrom, DASPR, Physician Recruiter, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis, MN, lbeckst1@fairview.org

specialties represented on the team. It is difficult when patients have to be turned away because their condition is too severe, they are not healthy enough, or because there simply isn’t time to operate on everyone. So it is important to focus on those we are able to help. Typically, the surgeries take place over the course of four and a half days. On the missions in which I have participated, the number of surgeries has ranged from 77 to 211.

My role on the missions is to coordinate the medical records. All of the team members, who come from all over the world, are volunteers who give their time and skills to help change the lives of the patients, either directly or indirectly. As a non-medical volunteer, I wondered if I’d feel “less important” than those who actually care for the pa-tients, but I haven’t experienced that feeling at all.

Medical equipment is brought in by Opera-tion Smile as the conditions in which we work vary significantly. In Ethiopia, the hospital we worked at had no running water so the surgeons scrubbed in with hand sanitizer, as that was safer than using water that had been collected in dirty buckets. The patients and families all stayed in one large room, some having beds, others mattresses on the floor.

A cleft lip repair can be completed in as little as 45 minutes and the patients’ lives are changed in-stantly. One young man in Venezuela exclaimed as he saw his new face in a mirror after surgery, “now I am no longer the monster of my village.” In Kenya a young man named John, who had lived most of his life on the streets, had his cleft lip and palate repaired, and soon thereafter went to school for the

first time at the age of 13. These are just two stories of renewed life that are part of each and every mis-sion. During a television interview I once saw, Dr. Bill Magee, the founder of Operation Smile said, “these patients go from death to life in 45 minutes.”

All mission volunteers, regardless of their role, are welcomed into the OR to see the life-changing transformations occurring. It is difficult to put into words how powerful it is to witness. Though the volunteers often don’t speak the language of the patients and their families, it’s amazing how much can be communicated non-verbally. As they say, “a smile is worth a thousand words.” Seeing the smiles on the faces of the parents, chil-dren, and adults after the surgeries is absolutely heartwarming. In India, the mother of a child kissed the feet of the nurse who brought her child back from the recovery room. In China this last trip, our medical records station was located just across the hall from the pre/post-op ward. As the patients and their families were discharged from the hospital, they would come by our station and wave good-bye with huge smiles on their faces.

The timing of my most recent mission to China couldn’t have been any better. I left just two weeks after the untimely death of my friend and colleague Micki Madland, a long-time physician recruiter and ASPR member. After experiencing such intense sadness, my heart was warmed to have the opportunity to help create new smiles for 77 children and young adults in Zhongshan. Though the days during the missions are long and the many hours of travel are exhausting, I come back with new friends from all around the world, feeling renewed, appreciative of all that we take for granted (such as education and health care), and ready to start planning for my next mission.

Winter 2012 9

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10 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Integrating Physician Recruitment and Physician Relations

Doing more with less has become the norm. Even before this recent economic slump, we in healthcare learned long ago to live with shrink-ing resources. Declining reimbursement and increasing costs have become a way of life. So it's no surprise that we continuously get asked to do more with less — or assume more responsibility without additional resources.

The need to attend to key physician relation-ships is becoming increasingly important as the payers require more interdependence through reform and new global payment structures. In this environment, past success is no longer an indicator of future outcomes. Rather, navigat-ing these new waters requires a higher level of attention to those in the boat — ensuring that everyone is rowing in the same direction.

So our leaders are asking us to assume responsi-bility for other aspects of the hospital/physician strategy. This can be more good news than bad depending on how we manage it. On the plus side, this scope expansion elevates our value to the organization. We have become center stage in helping the organization fulfill its broader strategic agenda. Along with it comes that connection to the C-suite, learning more about market position and competitive strategies and the professional growth that comes with it. The challenge is how we manage our time, energy and effort going forward. The critical frame-work for blending these functions successfully is determining how much attention is given to physician recruitment and physician relations — as distinct and separate efforts — versus creatively integrating strategies and tactics that can impact both.

_______ % Recruitment _______ % Both _______ % Relations

Four criteria can be used to determine those “attention” allocations.

1. Organizational priorities – Since the organization’s focus can often seem chaotic with priorities moving like shifting

By Allison McCarthy, Principal, Barlow/McCarthy, Plymouth, MA, amccarthy@barlowmccarthy.com

sand, it helps to look at as big a picture as possible. There, in the broader strategies, we should find the key elements of the organization’s core definition of success. Specifically, which service lines are slated for growth? Is that growth to come from recruiting new physicians or enhancing the practices of the existing specialists? Are there services and specialties that provide a supporting role to those key strategic service lines that also need a boost? How so? Identifying these “critical few” priori-ties gives us the barometer needed to make good “attention” decisions.

2. Other resources – This is where we “stretch” beyond our own domain and creatively consider other support. • Internally: Are there organizational

representatives who could assist with some tactics and expand capac-ity beyond the traditional physician recruitment/relations group? Can we do more to encourage members of the medical staff to help source candidates, nurture newly onboarded physicians or engage a splinter group in discus-sion? Are there high admitters who should come off your list because they will only interface with members of the leadership team? Are there func-tions that just need to do more of what they should be doing, i.e. credential-ing, practice management, marketing?

• Externally: While we have become proudly entrenched in “doing it all ourselves,” there may be elements that don’t require an internal person to get it done successfully. Consider recruit-ment sourcing or physician relations marketing communication as examples.

• Strengths: Both yours and those of others. What is your sweet spot? What things just come to you natu-rally, where you are most productive and happiest? And what is that for others? We will be more efficient and effective in those areas that we like to do and feel we do well.

3. Optimize efforts – What specific tactics and actions have an impact on both physician relations and physician recruit-ment? The biggest bang for our “attention” buck comes from those situations when the two functions overlap. So let's consider a few areas where this naturally occurs.

Setting Recruitment PrioritiesDetermining physician recruitment need is more than just doing a community needs assessment. While that analytical exercise is extremely impor-tant, it is the qualitative input we gain from our internal stakeholders that is the most powerful driver of recruitment priorities. Gathering medi-cal staff perceptions of current specialty resources — from an access, quality and quantity perspec-tive — becomes an opportunity to also learn more about them as physicians/clinicians. We glean insights on how they practice, their aspira-tions, expectations, competitive concerns, etc… thus creating a physician relations opportunity.

During recruitment supportWorking with practices to recruit a new colleague is another integration opportunity — if done well. Rather than meeting with the practice to run through a pre-launch information gathering check-list, take time to dialogue with them about their individual practice goals and interests, their prefer-ences on how to keep them informed through the search process and any concerns they may have about adding a new colleague. You then just had a physician relations conversation. Additionally, while sharing insights about the current physician recruitment marketplace and recommendations on how to best position their opening, with the right approach, your advice and counsel can be perceived as a helpful benefit from the hospital.

Recruiting for relationsPhysician recruitment supports physician relations when identifying and selecting those that “fit.” Recruiting with a physician relations orientation means continuously assessing the medical staff ’s clinical needs. It also considers the work style and culture as well as the person-ality strengths of referral relationships.

Physician Relations continued on page 32

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12 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Health Quest Medical Practice’s Onboarding Program Proving Its Value

Dr. John Choi joined Health Quest Medical Practice in the summer of 2011 after completing a colorectal research fellowship at the Universi-ty of Southern California. Dr. Choi had not yet practiced on his own and was joining two other surgeons who were also just out of training. Our challenges with onboarding were difficult, but not unique. We needed to acclimate a new physician to our hospital, medical practice and community. He would need to be educated about all aspects of working in a private practice (markedly different from an academic setting), and his practice would need to grow quickly.

As Health Quest’s designated Onboarding Specialist, I began working with Dr. Choi about six months prior to his start date; while he was still completing his fellowship. Our first few months were spent working cross-country on completing his state license application, as well as his medical staff and managed care payer applications. As we grew closer to the comple-tion of his fellowship, we began to talk more about what he wanted from his practice. From our conversations, I learned who he felt would be important to meet with early in his employ-ment. Spending this time speaking with Dr. Choi allowed me to learn exactly who he felt he would need to know in order to start getting referrals. We were able to marry his thoughts with our goals to ensure that he met with a wide range of providers.

Once Dr. Choi moved to the area, we began an intensive orientation process. His orienta-tion included a day-long operation orientation, meeting with every department, from payroll

By Gina Truhe, AASPR, Onboarding Specialist, Health Quest, LaGrangeville, NY, gtruhe@health-quest.organd John Choi, MD, Division of Surgery, Health Quest Medical Practice, jchoi@health-quest.org

Onboarding Program continued on page 32

and human resources to marketing and security. That was followed with nearly two weeks of clinical meetings. We made sure that he met with the nurse managers and clinical leaders from every inpatient and outpatient unit at our hospitals with whom he would interact, includ-ing the ancillary services that his patients would require. We worked closely with the hospital’s department chairs to engage them in introduc-ing Dr. Choi to their colleagues both infor-mally and at their meetings. We followed all of that with a series of meet-and-greets with the hospital administration and community physi-cians. In an effort to grow his colorectal surgery practice, we honed in on several key specialties in the community: gastroenterology, primary care, radiology, and oncology. One by one, we met with all constituents and followed up with referral materials for their offices. I firmly believe that this individualized plan allowed us to help Dr. Choi grow his practice in the fastest way that we could, while ensuring that he was becoming familiar with the physicians he would interact with most closely.

Dr. Choi and I sat down recently to talk about his experience:

Truhe: Prior to joining HQMP were you aware of the concept of Physician Onboarding?

Choi: No, I had never heard of it and didn’t know such a thing existed.

Truhe: In my role as the Onboarding Special-ist, was I able to help you navigate through the credentialing paperwork?

Choi: Documentation is ever increasing these days and the medical profession is certainly ahead in this field. Volumes of papers need to be signed, countersigned, and approved. The medical legal requirements for each state and hospital differ so much that it is hard to predict exactly what is needed. Certainly it is nice to have someone familiar with the process and paperwork, to have someone tell you what needs to be reviewed, signed, and approved by you. It’s difficult to verbalize how important it

is to have someone tell you which paper is for what purpose, what agency, and to what end it is needed.

Truhe: During your pre-employment period how often would you say that we spoke?

Choi: We spoke regularly and frequently, as simple questions sometimes were hard to find answers for. To have a liaison — a point person to contact — is quite essential to expedite the credentialing and onboarding process. More often than not, it is more a question of who needs to be involved or contacted rather than what needs to be done. I think most physicians may have an idea of the things that are required for new employment, but do not know or understand all the processes that are involved. As physicians, the hiring process has increased in complexity in comparison to your routine corporate hiring because of the medical/legal involvement in city, state, and federal laws.

Truhe: When it came time to move and get settled in your new community, what assistance did our onboarding program provide?

Choi: The age of the Internet makes it easier to research demographics, socio-economic trends, school district performance, and housing but there is never a substitute for good, quality people who do their job well. It’s always nicer to have introductions to real estate agents, fi-nanciers, and other physicians who have proven themselves in the community. This is where the specialist is needed, but it’s not always tangible.

Truhe: Surgeons rely on referrals from other physicians in order to grow their practices. In what ways did our onboarding program help you make those connections?

Choi: It is crucial to incorporate oneself into the community by meeting primary care physicians, gastroenterologists, oncologists, radiologists, all physicians, nurses, and staff. It is always better to arrange meet-and-greet events so that you have the

Winter 2012 13

Literature Review: Medical Practice Mergers and Acquisitions

A resurgence of medical practice mergers and ac-quisitions is among us again. Much like the frenzy of practice mergers seen in the mid 1990s due to managed care, medical practice mergers are on the rise today due to health care reform. According to a HealthLeaders Media survey in November 2010, nearly nine out of ten respondents believe that the enactment of healthcare reform legisla-tion has driven the increase in healthcare mergers and acquisitions (Minich-Pourshadi, 2010). The lessons learned from earlier failed or dysfunctional mergers can help organizations and independent practices better prepare and plan for mergers today.

A convergence of economic and regulatory circumstances has changed the health care environment for both hospitals and physicians. Changing laws, capital constraints, reimburse-ment stressors and physician shortages have caused this increased consideration of merg-ers. Hospitals want to secure referrals while physicians are feeling more and more business pressures making an employment relationship attractive (Strode & Beith, 2009).

MGMA’s annual Physician Compensation and Production Survey showed that hospital-owned group practices grew from 25.6 percent in 2005 to 49.5 percent in 2008. Later in the same year, hospital-owned practices exceeded physician-owned groups. The prospect of bundled payments and penalties for readmission of patients provides a carrot-and-stick to bring hospitals and physi-cians together. Physicians and hospitals can work better together in accomplishing improved out-comes and consistency. Plus regulatory pressures are encouraging physician groups to seek hospital employment and owndership of practices. Today’s medical school graduates want work-life balance and reasonable workloads that are more feasible in a hospital employment relationship. While the physicians are better able to focus on medicine and quality, the hospitals can handle the business side of practice (Galloro, 2010).

Evaluation Today’s health care leaders are taking a much more strategic approach to merger transactions.

Lisa J. Vognild, MS, FASPR, Director of Physician Placement, Memorial Medical Group, South Bend, IN, lvognild@memorialsb.org

Mergers & Acquisitions continued on page 14

Likewise, physicians are being mindful of the arrangements they agree to—making sure to include fair market value, a certain level of au-tonomy and a voice in governance and manage-ment. Physicians are as concerned about having a voice in governance as they are about the major deal points of the merger. Today, valuations have become a necessity in hospital and physician re-lationships. The value of the physician’s practice assets will be limited to the expected cash flow generated from these assets after physician com-pensation is paid. Moreover, physicians know the value they bring to the hospital in ancillary or technical revenue as well as professional revenue and referrals (Strode & Beith).

Marc D. Halley of The Halley Consulting Group stated, “The healthcare industry is ma-turing, and as industries mature, they consoli-date…” (Commins, 2009). He goes on to say that even though it is tough, small groups can survive. Survival depends on how well one plays and manages the environment one is in. Halley recommends a thorough review of the internal and external factors of the business. Internal factors include owner demographics, such as age of physicians. Practice performance is another internal factor. Questions such as: “Am I able financially to stay independent and retire with security?” need to be answered. Is the practice strong with a bank account, good credit and low debt? Is there enough capital to continue to grow, invest and compete? Does the practice have the leadership it needs to make good busi-ness decisions? Someone in the practice has to like the business of medicine. Or, the physicians must give over those responsibilities to someone else. From the standpoint of external factors, the practice must have the capability and expertise to respond to the changing health care environ-ment, i.e. reimbursement, changes in laws. What if the market in your area changes; are you safe? Are you able to offer other services, not just cognitive (Commins)? Practices need to realize that the business of healthcare changes. Those items that made money at one point in time may not make money in the next point in time. Such is true for an insurance company’s

reimbursement; one year the HMO may pay capitated dollars that are gone in the next year. To stay independent, a small practice must adopt the highest and most stringent business practices. Today’s economics are making it more and more difficult for small groups to survive. Operating costs are high while reimbursement is low (Popely, 2009).

Practices need a clear vision of what a merger will do for them: 1) Will a merger combine clinical skills into a practice that can serve a new group of patients and add revenue to the practice? 2) Will a merger allow for a new office to serve a new market? 3) Will a merger allow staffing efficiencies to reduce overhead? 4) Will a merger create financial strength to justify buying new technology to enhance the people resources (Mertz, 2001)? These are just some of the practical business elements in the evaluation of a merger.

In the evaluation of culture and philosophies, the practice needs to consider how they see themselves as a group and how they see their new partners or employers. The potential partnership must share similar ideas about their mission and work. Factors that separate the winning mergers from the losing mergers start with the motivation of the merging physicians and their willingness to operate as a group other than separate practices. In their book, Physician Practice Mergers, Tinsley and Haven share a sample physician survey on merger expectations and concerns. This short five-question survey helps to reveal the most important issues: moti-vations, perceived benefits and concerns. These issues should be openly discussed and dealt with at one of the first merger meetings (Tinsley & Haven, 2001).

During the evaluation process, recognized dif-ferences may reveal where problems, disagree-ments and discrepancies will evolve. Each side’s operational systems, policies and procedures should be evaluated. Critical elements include

14 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Mergers & Acquisitions continued on page 16

doctors’ work habits, billing, collections, per-sonnel administration, facilities and location. In regard to personnel, each person’s job responsi-bilities should be evaluated. There may be dif-ferences, duplication or absent duties. Policies on employee compensation, benefits, duties and flexibility should be reviewed and compared.

Bringing solo providers into a structured system will be foreign to them. These providers will need to be introduced to the team atmosphere and committee structure. To staff, mergers can seem like second marriages: his, hers and ours. Physi-cians’ retirement and benefits need to be discussed (Terry, 2005). Possible anti-trust, pre-existing relationships, Stark compliance and conflicts of interest need to be exposed (Katz, 2010).

ConsiderationsThe biggest mistakes hospitals make when aligning or hiring physician groups involve not having the infrastructure to manage the medical group. They need to be ready to manage. Ad-ministrative complexities increase proportion-ally with the number of physicians. Therefore, a strong leader must be assigned to guide the day-to-day operations of the newly merged practice into the system. These administrative and man-agement complexities may even add more layers to the management organizational chart.

The down side to employment, however, is that physicians are less rooted in the community. They have less skin in the game (personally vested capital) so if they want to pick up and leave, they can do so more easily. Competitive pay and involvement in decision making help to prevent a revolving door with employed physi-cians (Popely).

Experts say the secret to a successful merger is like that of a happy marriage—a long courtship, common interests and compatible personalities (Romano, 2004). One example is the merger of two cardiology groups. They started by building the administrative and clinical infrastructure to make their vision become a reality. They en-gaged in an intense peer review of each others’ work in an effort to become the standard-setters in quality. They took two years to prepare for the merger (Galloro). These groups demonstrat-ed strong leadership and management to create a successful merger.

The major merger problems include culture, clinical philosophies and compensation.

If these key factors can be resolved, the proba-bility of a successful merger is high. The number one concern among physicians considering a merger is loss of autonomy and decision-making ability. Number two is the compensation model. Changes in physician compensation are the most controversial decisions for merging groups. Philosophies can vary from the “all-for-one and one-for-all” mentality to the “lone-ranger” mentality. Dealmakers are advised to structure compensation models around produc-tivity, quality and other important objectives such as patient satisfaction. Talk through any uncertainties. Hasty mergers rarely work. Many attempts at quick mergers made in the 1990s are evidence of that. A well thought-out and discussed process on value systems and practice philosophies will make all the difference in the short-term and long-term success (Romano).

Negotiate and agree ahead of time. Minimize the unknowns by making decisions for elimina-tions and consolidations ahead of time. Make objective assessments during the honeymoon stage of the merger discussions. Additionally, it is important to people to maintain some history and individual institutional pride from their respective groups. Take time to recognize and celebrate the people and successes that have got-ten the groups to this point. These things can act as powerful incentives for cooperation and enthusiasm for the future.

Physicians and staff will recognize considerably more bureaucracy and a less nimble system. Small groups joining a larger organization will find more policies and procedures and structure in the decision-making process. This change can cause unintentional or unanticipated frustra-tions at first (Tinsley & Haven). However, after getting used to new forms and procedures, physicians may realize that things have changed for the better. They do not have to worry about the administration of pensions and health plans, leased space or human resource issues. They can focus on clinical quality instead (Galloro).

Challenges/risksSometimes mergers ensue for the wrong rea-sons. A new name on a building will not change what takes place inside. The groups need to share a common rationale and take it slow in or-der to reveal their value systems. If not managed

correctly, egos, emotions, conflicting organiza-tional cultures, clinical philosophies, situational differences, perception of goodwill value, loss of control, and compensation compile the list of issues that can present cause for a failed merger.

Other challenges and risks involve the invest-ment of time, effort (willingness to change), and cost. A merger should take anywhere from six months to two years to complete. During this time, administrators need to make sure that physicians’ time is used wisely. Facilitators need to ensure progress is made at meetings. They need to reduce or eliminate passive resistance, gaming, bullying, and avoidance of conflicts of interest. Lack of full disclosure will create surprises and distrust. Attorneys need to be involved, but not too early lest they choose sides and represent only “their” group. Each group/side must accept the need to make changes. In the beginning, physicians realize the benefits and advantages to merge—but as the work begins and compromise is necessary, they can lose sight of the benefits to be gained and focus only on the fact that they are not getting exactly what they want. Physicians need to ask them-selves if they are willing to give up the whole merger over an issue. Individual physicians may have to give up some of their own styles to become a group. Studies suggest that the likelihood of cultural conflict and coordination failures is underestimated, which explains why many organizations enter into mergers that are doomed from the start. There is evidence that conflict and blame arising from differences in culture point to the high failure rate of mergers (Weber and Camerer, 2003).

Mergers are very costly ventures. There are costs of professionals, such as attorneys and consul-tants, to evaluate and negotiate. There will be a loss of production (and thus revenue) due to physicians spending time on planning and meeting. If the merger “unwinds,” a de-merger is among the most expensive propositions one can be involved in. The cost is two to three times greater than the cost invested in a well-planned merger. This does not take into account lost rev-enue from decreased production and inefficient operations (Tinsley & Haven).

Another risk to merging is the impact on out-side stakeholders. Some outsiders may not be comfortable with the merger because of the ef-

Mergers & Acquisitions cont’d from page 13

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16 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

fect it has on their business. Those stakeholders may include other hospitals, other referring phy-sicians, accountants, consultants, or attorneys. Anecdotal evidence indicates that 50 percent of all attempted mergers do not result in merger. In some instances, this is the right development because not all merger considerations should come to resolution as not all physicians share the same long-term goals. Every merger is a leap of faith, but an organized and structured process will help to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits to the physicians and the organization (Latham, 2002).

BenefitsWith escalating financial and operational pres-sures, hospitals and physicians are revisiting the employment business model and are hoping to take advantage of the lessons learned from the 1990s for the long-term success of these new ventures. The American Medical Association believes that new physicians are driven toward the employment model to enable a work-life balance and avoid financial pressures from the business side of medicine. Because of recent re-imbursement changes, the model of physician-owned facilities has been significantly declining since 2007. Regardless of a universal health care mandate, hospitals and physicians will likely position themselves well together in the future (Walton et al., 2009).

Security is a reason physicians come to the merger table. The business risk for a small group might incent physicians to seek the peace of mind of a larger group. A group needs to be an important player in the area’s healthcare delivery system for the employers, patients and health plans. Without this, a group has no leverage. Small groups may lack the resources to implement today’s highly demanded e-business and interactive websites, and practice manage-ment systems. Some of the anticipated benefits of a larger group may include greater leverage with payers, pooling of financial and human resources, more efficient use of expensive resources (a new partner), expansion of patient cross-referral, capturing ancillary revenue, and greater attractiveness to physician recruits (Ber-nick, 2005). Larger groups can create efficien-cies by taking advantage of support departments within the system and pooled, experienced staff. These achievements can secure practice growth and viability for years to come.

Regulatory requirements such as compliance and confidentiality are burdensome, but for small groups, they are extremely difficult to implement. Larger groups can support added services: clinical lab, home health, infusion, skin care and imaging revenue. The economy of scale is often one of the major benefits men-tioned in mergers. However, repeated over and over again in the literature is a caution relating to “selling” the economies of scale benefit. A poorly planned merger can remove this benefit due to inefficiencies and other problems (Tins-ley & Haven).

The mere success of a merger can create renewed enthusiasm and synergy among the physicians and staff. Overcoming obstacles and seeing a new vision come to life is gratifying. To a group merger in Boston, consolidation made great sense. They had greater leverage in contract negotiations. They were able to provide greater convenience for their patients. They were able to have greater access to capital for technology such an electronic health system. One group increased revenue by 10-15 percent while reducing expenses by 5 percent. These were ac-complished mostly by expanded ancillaries and reduced malpractice. Quality of care, such as er-ror prevention, can be improved with electronic systems. Also, collegial interactions, within the same specialty and outside of one’s specialty, can make for intellectual stimulation and improve-ments in the delivery of care (Romano).

From the perspective of the employing hospital or organization, the physician employment model may further its business plan. Areas where hospitals can use physician expertise involve clinical issues, quality, utilization review, patient satisfaction, and research, compensation allocation, capital prioritization, and resource utilization such as supplies, staff and equipment (Strode & Beith). Again, however, the acqui-sition should be well thought out. Relevant factors that should be examined as part of this process include: population growth and demo-graphics, hospital coverage needs and utilization rates, disease and illness rates, physician supply and demand, market share, case-mix index, and compatibility with other hospital-owned physi-cian practices and the medical staff in general. The hospital must ensure that any acquisition and relationship meets federal regulations, i.e. Stark Law (Walton et al.).

Management of the merger processCommon pitfalls in mergers and acquisitions include unclear business purpose and strategy, hurried and unbalanced due diligence, and un-realistic expectations. It is critical to have a clear and shared vision for the future along with a well-defined integration planning process. Practices need to include human resources, culture and philosophy as part of the due diligence process in order to uncover potential differences. A good due diligence process is not just about legal and financial matters. The process should look at the partners’ assumptions about how the business will be run and the core values that influence those presumptions (Dixon & Marks, 1999).

The planning process must be linked with the strategic vision. Leaders need to develop “criti-cal success factors.” This starts with providing excellent patient care. Second, the staff mem-bers who do the work should be involved in the process of how best to make things work. Lead-ers need to talk about the merger syndrome. The merger syndrome is a reaction caused by the uncertainty and stress of consolidating; it is characterized by three types of reactions—personal, organizational and cultural. Stress and anxiety can cause people to feel uptight, defensive, suspicious and controlling. Organiza-tional reactions can include restricting commu-nication, adopting a crisis mode management approach and increasing interpersonal and intergroup tension.

Lastly, make sure to consider all the stakehold-ers: employees, families, trustees, patients, and community. If all factors are evaluated in the process, a long lasting desired effect will likely occur (Dixon & Marks).

Several tools are available for both the legal side and the business side of the merger planning process. The Medical Group Management As-sociation (MGMA) offers a free due diligence checklist on its website. This checklist is in an Excel format and can be downloaded for functional use.

Included in the book by Tinsley and Havens is a sample merger planning information request form. This form provides the evaluator or consultant with the elements to consider in the evaluation of the current practice business and operations.

Mergers & Acquisitions cont’d from page 14

Mergers & Acquisitions continued on page 17

Winter 2012 17

In his article “Medical Practice Mergers,” Will Latham offers an orderly list of inter-related steps in the merger process. Latham goes on to further state that the groups should develop a courtship — talking about shared interests and benefits to merge and how the merger will work. The groups should make a commit-ment to move forward — a letter of intent and terms of exclusivity. The groups should agree to confidentiality — a letter about confidential-ity in sharing practice information and its use only for purposes of merger negotiations. The groups should gather and organize data—prac-tice documents, financial information, physi-cian interviews and surveys to identify merger concerns. These documents should be orga-nized and prepared for future meeting discus-sions (Latham).

IntegrationAfter the documents are signed, the toughest process begins: integration. Do not stop work-ing the process once the merger is in motion. The first six months of the merger are crucial to success. Communicate frequently. Don’t avoid conflict early on. Dealing with issues early will be much easier than dealing with them later on. Once the deal is finalized, a clear and shared

vision for the implementation should be devel-oped. The creation of the vision should involve the staff as much as possible. They need to feel a part of it, not just a product of it.

Stay focused. Have those crucial conversations that are high emotion and high stakes. Some-one, such as a manager, needs to closely watch the clinical financial performance. Test policies and procedures, payer numbers, practice bill-ing, claims filing and collections systems. New employee staffing and management plans need to be discussed and laid out. Physicians’ time must be spent doing physician work while other clinical or non-clinical duties are del-egated to others. Keep in mind that sometimes to increase a physician’s productivity, staff must be adjusted (Commins).

Major components in the integration process will be to minimize the unknowns, reduce anxiety and prevent misunderstandings. Even the little concerns (how we do things, how we feel about things, or how we deal with things) need to be negotiated and agreed upon ahead of time. Strong and effective leadership, both with the physicians and management, will get problems resolved. The management leader needs to focus on goals, staff need to do their

jobs and not be allowed to question every decision, and physicians need to withdraw from day-to-day operations so the manager can do his/her job (Mertz).

Tinsley and Havens’ book contains a section on testing new operations, policies and procedures. This comprehensive list contains items to watch and review for overall systems and facilities, bill-ing and collections, and daily operations, such as appointments and scheduling.

Caren Baginski describes four common post-integration issues that occur and how to address them. 1) Harmonizing the work culture — the most common issue after a merger. It is impor-tant for all employees to participate in the pro-cess. Leadership needs to concern themselves with the human factors between physicians and staff, i.e. interactions and attitudes. 2) Signifi-cant others in the work place — deal with these relationships before integration. 3) Unexpected delays and surprises — always plan for some unplanned events to occur after integration. Things will change in healthcare. Expectations will not always become realities. Don’t look to blame everything on the merger. 4) Lack of attention to build a new patient base — don’t forget to market. There will be reasons patients won’t follow the physicians into a new practice. They may not agree with the merger or have loyalties somewhere else.

A wholly integrated system will take several years to emerge and mature. The long term suc-cess of the merger will depend on the motiva-tion, time and effort put into the merger from the very early conversations to a fully operation-al practice. The success of the venture is essential to the many stakeholders who depend on the viability of the medical practices. This includes not only the owners, physicians and employees but also the community and the patients.

Mergers & Acquisitions cont’d from page 16

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18 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

ASPR Bylaws Amendment ApprovedBy ASPR Membership & Marketing Committee

The ASPR Membership & Marketing (M&M) Committee holds the responsibility for ensuring all ASPR applicants meet the membership eligi-bility definitions established by the ASPR Bylaws. Recently the committee proposed changes to our membership categories and eligibility. Since these changes would affect our bylaws they required a vote by the membership. On November 29 the proposal was approved with a vote of 184 to 56 (a quorum of 20% of the membership was met), and took effect on December 1.

These changes were given a great deal of thought and were not taken lightly by the ASPR leadership team. They were discussed at the committee and leadership levels over several months. The changes originated from a desire to increase our membership and to respond to concerns from our members.

One of ASPR’s strategic goals is to increase the awareness and visibility of our organization. We want to be the “go to” organization for anything dealing with physician recruitment and retention. This is one of the reasons the new Allied Member category was formed. This allows profes-sionals such as executives, residency directors/coordinators, administra-tive assistants, physician liaisons, staff, students, and others who “touch” physician recruitment and retention to become ASPR members. Under our previous membership guidelines these individuals technically would not be allowed to become members, yet their membership would be con-sistent with the Mission, Vision, and Values of ASPR. Not only do we be-lieve ASPR can provide a great value to these individuals, we also believe these individuals can make us a stronger and more viable association.

The Affiliate Member category was created due to concerns raised by our members. Our previous bylaws allowed for independent contractors (not directly employed by a healthcare organization, but recruiting for a single healthcare entity) and recruiters who work for staffing/management companies (Hospitalist, Emergency Medicine, etc.) to be active members with full membership benefits. Concerns were raised that these individuals utilized ASPR to solicit new business for themselves and many felt they should not be allowed membership. However, the leadership team strongly believes these individuals provide a tremendous value and should be a part of ASPR. To alleviate these concerns, the Affiliate Member category was created. Members in this category will no longer have access to Chat and will not be eligible to hold a leadership position, but will have all other privileges and benefits associated with an Individual Membership.

While making these changes we took painstaking steps to ensure we kept our identity as an association for in-house recruitment professionals. Thank you to everyone who voted and participated in the discussion on Chat. We appreciate everyone’s input and thoughts.

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Winter 2012 19

ASPR Committee Updates

Fellowship Committee

By Marci Jackson, FASPR, Physician Recruitment Manager, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI, jackson.marci@marshfieldclinic.org; and Michael Griffin, FASPR, Manager of Physician/Provider Recruitment, HealthEast Care System, St. Paul, MN, mjgriffin@healtheast.org

The ASPR Fellowship Committee has finalized the schedule of work to rewrite and validate new exams for Physician Recruitment 101, 201 and 301. We will update the correspond-ing teaching and resource materials for the Fellowship Certification Program. Committee members and Prometric (our test administra-tion company) are working diligently at night and on weekends (yes, really!) These meetings are being conducted via teleconference. The committee identified teams of test writers and test reviewers. Test writing will be conducted si-multaneously for all three exams. This is a huge undertaking, with presentations being updated before test writing occurs. The goal is to publish new tests at the completion of the ASPR 2012 Annual Conference.

We are delighted to have a great crew for our exam-rewrite endeavor. Those who have volun-teered their blood, sweat and tears for various portions of the endeavor are: Scott Manning, FASPR; Lori Jackson Norris, FASPR; Louis Caligiuri, AASPR; Steven Jacobs, FASPR; Laura Screeney, FASPR; Judy Brown, FASPR; Donna Loy, FASPR; Lynne Peterson, FASPR; Steve Ruedinger, AASPR; Julie Juba, FASPR; Julie Brissett, FASPR; Donna Ecclestone, DASPR; Scott Lindblom, FASPR; Diane Col-lins, FASPR; Debbie Gleason, FASPR; Michael Griffin, FASPR; Ann Homola, FASPR; and our executive director, Jennifer Metivier, FASPR.

Once this initiative is completed, the com-mittee will then focus on forming a speakers bureau, as well as recruiting additional speakers for the Physician Recruitment 101, 201 and 301 presentations.

We also are excited to announce the launch of our new Fellowship Brochure. It will be avail-able on the website soon, and we also plan to

have it in a downloadable format so members can send it to colleagues interested in continu-ing education and Fellowship certification.

Just a reminder that the recertification clock begins ticking in January 2012. It will be a requirement for all FASPRs to either obtain 24 continuing education units every three years in order to retain the FASPR certification or retake all three Fellowship exams.

Once a FASPR has recertified three times, he or she achieves lifetime Fellowship certification. The Fellowship Committee has added new members recently. We are happy to welcome Donna Ecclestone, DASPR, Julie Brissett, FASPR, Tina Stover, FASPR, and Lori Jackson Norris, FASPR, to our committee!

Upcoming offerings:• Physician Recruitment 201 will be offered

on Sunday, February 12 just prior to the PracticeMatch conference in South Beach (Miami, FL). Join us for sun and education!

• Physician Recruitment 101 is now avail-able for purchase on demand through the ASPR website. No travel costs, no time out of the office — participate in on-demand presentations that can be attended anytime, anywhere! Take advantage of this convenient and cost effective Webinar series! Check it out on the ASPR website under the Education tab — then click on "e-learning."

• Physician Recruitment 101, 201 and 301 will again be offered in conjunction with the Annual Educational Conference Au-gust 11-15, in Los Angeles, CA at the JW Marriott at LA Live.

ASPR Fellows, Diplomates and AssociatesJASPR will begin announcing new Fellows, Diplomates and Associates in each quarterly is-sue. The initial group was announced in the Fall 2010 issue. The following members have been awarded since September 1, 2010. Congratula-tions to all for their work in attaining these Fellowship levels!

FellowsDeborah Akins, David Andrick, Kristy Bailey, Meredith Bailey, Laura Blake, John Bragg, Sarah Bridges, Christie Draper, Donna Ecclestone, Mark Gallucci, Mona Hansen, Joan Hatcher, Darla Horton, Suzanne Jones, Christopher Kashnig, Celeste Kichefski, Tracie Klander, Allen Kram, Donna Loy, Paula Marafino, Emerson Moses, Amy Powell, Ryan Rasmusson, Susan Richter, Lisa VanNatten, Lisa Vognild, Brandon Wilson

DiplomatesJennifer Barber, Lauren Beckstrom, Rebecca Blythe, Katie Boehm-Padgett, Beth Brackenridge, Ann Cullen, Cyndy Emerson, Kristen Farrell, Aaron Fleck, Rexanne Griffeth, Ginger Hodson, Karen Hoff, Julie Holsclaw, Chantelle Johnson, Susan Kamen, Carol Kamenar, Kathleen Lawson, Jenny Liebl, Helen Mackenzie, Nancy Massa, Stacey Morin, Dean Richardson, Robin Schiffer, Pamela Silva, Carla Stark, Emily Stenson, Maura Teynor, Jeannie Virden

AssociatesBen Aguilar, Brittany Ashlock, Michelle Baehl, Kristin Baker, Raye Jean Becker, Lilly Bonetti, Shana Booher, Jamie Boutin, Connie Brookshaw, Amy Burns, Dennis Burns, Beth Calabria, Louis Caligiuri, Alissa Carroll, Gina Ciramella, Sarah Conroe, Gail Detraz, Cyndi Edwards, Pat Esham, Jennifer Feddersen, Lacey Felmlee, Amy Ford, Pam Furbee, Kim Gary, Miranda Grace, Tracy Green, Matthew Harris, Sarah Hatfield, Cathy Hawkes, Cris Heiser, Kerri Hjelmstad, Liz Huesman, Josh Hunter, Lavinta James, Jan Jones, Randy Kamm, Nicole Kelley, Mary Klein, Bonita Lancaster, Frances Lannan, Tom Lathen, Sara Leahy, Doug Lewis, Carol Lindsey, Joseph Luppino, Jana Mastandrea, Lori Matthews, Quentin Mayer, Kristin McFarland, Soti McGinley, Chandra Mello, Kathy Mitchell, Cathy Mooney, Lee Moran, Laura O’Flaherty, Aaron Ortiz, Charlene Plotycia, Mary Reasoner, Gloria Robertson, Bob Rodgers, Steve Ruedinger, Kimberly Salvail, Chris Seidel, Tia Self, Jennifer Semling, Mike Shimmens, Theresa Stewart, Gina Truhe, Erin Wainwright, Carol Wamsley, Brooke Watson, Susan Wicker, Linda Wilson

20 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

ASPR Chapter & Special Interest Group UpdatesOnboarding and Retention: New Special Interest Group Forming

By Gina Truhe, AASPR, Health Quest, LaGrangeville, NY, gtruhe@health-quest.org

We are pleased to announce that a new special in-terest group, Onboarding and Retention (OAR) is officially beginning as of February. The mission of OAR is to support its members in the creation of best practice onboarding and retention strategies that can be implemented in their local organizations. We will use regular conference calls to discuss “hot” issues in these pertinent topics.

The initial leadership team of OAR includes Donna Ecclestone, Duke University; Gina Truhe, Health Quest; Maranda Judd and Jenna Blythe of Carolinas Healthcare; and Sarah Hatfield and Lacey Felmlee of Children’s Hospital Colorado.

If you would like to participate in OAR’s first member networking call on February 8, please register via the ASPR website. Please e-mail Gina Truhe (gtruhe@health-quest.org) for additional information. Stay tuned to ASPR chat for updated call times and topics!

ASPR Chapter: Academic In-House Recruiters (AIR)

By Frank Gallagher, Senior Physician Recruiter, Baystate Health, Springfield, MA, frank.gallagher@baystatehealth.org

The Academic In-House Recruiters (AIR) Network proudly held its third annual educa-tional forum during the recent ASPR Conference in Chicago. For the second year in a row, the forum was held as a breakout session during the conference — allowing non-AIR members to attend and learn more about the growing field of academic medicine recruitment. Frank Gallagher, AIR President, presided over the business meet-ing reviewing the group’s accomplishments dur-ing the past year while outlining its goals for the upcoming year. Annual leadership elections were held with three incumbents — Frank Gallagher (President), Michelle Seifert (Vice-President), and Lauren Forst (Treasurer) all earning reelec-tion. Donna Ecclestone will assume the role of AIR Secretary in place of Kate Rader, who will

stay on as the group’s Membership & Market-ing Chair. The group also looks forward to the contributions of Emerson Moses who will remain in her role of Website/Social Media Chair.

From left to right: Lauren Forst, Donna Ecclestone, Michelle Siefert,

and Frank Gallagher

Joanne Conroy, MD, Chief Health Care Of-ficer, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), served as the forum’s guest speaker. Dr. Conroy, who represents the interests of approximately 400 teaching hospitals through the AAMC Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems, presented on the topic “The Impact of the Changing Healthcare Environ-ment on Medical Schools, Residents and Training Programs — What is the Skill Set for the Future?”

Dr. Conroy’s presentation was one of many highlights for AIR during the past year, which included enhancement of the group’s “Speaker Series” via the introduction of webinar tech-nology, the upgrade of the AIR website, and growth in membership. With the help of its relationship with PracticeLink, the new AIR website (launched in May 2011) now includes numerous content and functionality upgrades and serves as a valuable and robust resource to recruiters as well as physicians seeking informa-tion related to a career in academic medicine.

AIR will also provide regular updates to all ASPR members via the Journal of ASPR.

Even with these recent accomplishments, AIR continues to focus on important goals for the upcoming year — including the institution of a new member campaign to be conducted in conjunction with ASPR, the continuation of its webinars to support the educational needs of its members, and participation as an exhibitor (in partnership with ASPR) at the AAMC’s Annual Conference in November 2011. Other goals for AIR include plans to enhance its exposure through web, social media and journal mediums in addition to developing sponsorship opportunities as a potential revenue source.

In addition, AIR continues to foster its relation-ship with its contacts at the AAMC and firmly believes its growing network — which consists of approximately 80 members who represent more than 50 academic institutions across the US — can demonstrate tangible, mutual benefits to both associations. At the same time, as the only official chapter of ASPR, the AIR Network recognizes the importance of continuing to stay aligned with the goals of its parent organization by seeking ways to gain efficiencies wherever they may exist. This in-cludes combined membership drives as a way to in-crease numbers for both organizations, partnering on established webinar technology capabilities in addition to marketing the resources of both groups allowing for greater exposure among healthcare recruiters, physicians and institutional leaders.

AIR is a network designed for in-house recruiters who actively participate in faculty recruitment affiliated and/or associated with an academic facility. AIR is the first “official” chapter of ASPR and was formed to be the premier resource for in-house recruiters and physicians interested in the special niche of academic/teaching environments. Learn more about this grow-ing network at www.academicphysicianjobs.org.

Winter 2012 21

ASPR Leadership Profile: Laura Screeney, FASPR, Board Member At-Large

By Lori Jackson Norris, FASPR, Physician Recruiter, CHW/Arizona, lori.norris@chw.edu

When did your current Board term begin? January 2011.

What organization do you work for and what is your current title? North Shore LIJ Health System as Corporate Director, Office of Physi-cian Recruitment.

What do your responsibilities include? Start up in-house physician recruitment for 15 hospitals plus a medical school... and I inherited onboarding.

How much physician recruitment experience do you have? 25 years.

How long have you been an ASPR Member? Inaugural member.

What ASPR committees do you participate in? Currently, JASPR and Fellowship. I have participated in every ASPR committee at some point over the years.

This is part of a series profiling ASPR Board members and leaders.

What is the best part of being an ASPR mem-ber? It is a privilege and an honor to belong to an organization/industry with such a caring and sharing group of colleagues.

Why is it important to you to serve as an ASPR Board Member? I feel that we, as members, have an obligation to do our part for ASPR, whether that’s serving on the Board of Directors, as a committee chair or a committee member.

What do you think are the one or two most important attributes of a successful physician recruitment professional? Compassion and flexibility.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing physician recruiting today? Doing more with less.

If you could have lunch with anyone past or present, who would it be and why? Lucille Ball, Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks…all amaz-ing women who impacted lives across cultures and continents.

Name one interesting thing many of your col-leagues may not know about you. I love disco!

What do you believe to be the greatest invention in your lifetime so far? Any Apple product.

What was the last book you read or movie you saw? Through the Narrow Gate by Karen Arm-strong, and Jack and Jill with Adam Sandler (Yup, I am a SNL fan!).

Do you have a favorite hobby or pastime? Travel and/or spending time with family and friends. Exciting adventures, good food and good wine are meant to be shared.

Do you have a favorite quote or motto? I have a new favorite quote by Steve Jobs at his Stanford commencement speech in June 2005: “When I was 17, I read a quote that went some-thing like ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Anything else you would like us to know? Volunteering for ASPR is extremely rewarding. If you haven’t tried it yet, jump in!

There’s no better way to make a good first impression than to do so in person. And when you’re looking to connect face to face with a large group of job-seeking physicians, one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways is to exhibit at a career fair. The PracticeMatch Physician Career Fairs are yet another way we fulfill our mission to empower in-house physician recruiters to succeed.

SPEAK WITH PHYSICIANS FACE TO FACE

The career fair was heavily attended by physicians of all specialties. Physicians poured in non-stop.

-Shana Booher and Mandy SidersHolzer Clinic, Gallipolis, OH

St. Louis Physician Career FairJuly 27, 2011

www.practicematch.com/careerfairs

Winter 2012 23

Email: Can’t Live with it and Can’t Live Without it!By Carol Lindsey, St. Alexius Medical Center, Bismarck, ND, clindsey@primecare.org

Let’s face it, physician recruiters — e-mail just keeps getting in the way of work! Does your e-mail inbox seem to double with each mes-sage that you delete? Do you feel that you are missing important e-mails in the maze of sales pitches and spam? Unfortunately, e-mail is a fact of life that we must learn to either live with or fail because of. Utilizing some e-mail etiquette could be the key to a better e-mail life!

Why do you need e-mail etiquette?A company needs to implement etiquette rules for the following three reasons:

• Professionalism: By using e-mail properly, your company will convey a professional image.

• Efficiency: E-mails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded e-mails.

• Protection from liability: Em-ployee awareness of e-mail risks will protect your company from costly lawsuits.

What are the etiquette rules?There are many etiquette guides and rules. Some rules will differ according to the nature of your business and corporate culture. Following is a list of the most important e-mail etiquette rules that apply to nearly all companies.

1. Be concise and to the point. Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be.

2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. An e-mail reply must answer all questions, and preempt further questions.

3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctua-tion. This is important not only because improper spelling, grammar and punctua-tion give a bad impression of your com-pany, but it’s also important for conveying the message properly.

4. Make it personal. Not only should the e-mail be personally addressed, it should also include customized content.

5. Use templates for frequently used respons-es. You get some questions over and over again; save these texts as response templates and paste them into messages as needed.

6. Answer swiftly. Customers send e-mail be-cause they wish to receive a quick response.

7. Do not attach unnecessary files. By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. Wherever possible, try to compress attachments.

8. Use proper structure and layout. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or mark each point as separate to keep the overview.

9. Do not overuse the “high priority” option. We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its impact when you really need it.

10. Do not write in capitals. IF YOU WRITE IN CAPITALS, IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE SHOUTING.

11. Don’t leave out the message thread. If you receive many e-mails, you obviously cannot remember each individual e-mail. Leaving the thread might take a fraction longer in download time, but it will save the recipient much more time and frustration in looking for the related messages in their inbox.

12. Review the e-mail before you send it. With e-mail, anything that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood. Be extra careful with everything you write.

13. Do not overuse “Reply to All.” Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.

14. Use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge. Chanc-es are, you don’t need to include all those names in the “To” field — and you probably won’t receive as many “reply all” messages.

15. Take care with abbreviations and emoti-cons. The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of all abbreviations. In business e-mails, emoticons are generally not appropriate.

16. Be careful with formatting. The sender might not be able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you intended. When using colors, choose a palette that is easy to read.

17. Do not forward chain letters. This includes hoax warnings of viruses. If you aren’t sure whether to believe something, check snopes.com.

18. Do not request delivery and read receipts. This will almost always annoy your recipi-

ent before he or she has even read your message. If you want confirmation that an e-mail was received, it is better to ask the recipient to let you know.

19. Do not ask to recall a message. It is better just to send an e-mail to say that you have made a mistake. This looks more honest than trying to recall a message.

20. Do not copy a message or attachment without permission. If you do not ask permission first, you might be infringing on copyright laws.

21. Do not use e-mail to discuss confidential in-formation. If you don't want your e-mail to be displayed on a bulletin board, don't send it.

22. Use a meaningful subject line. Try to choose a subject line that is meaningful to the recipient as well as to you.

23. Use active voice, not passive. The active voice of a verb (i.e., “We will process your order today”) sounds more personal. It’s also usually shorter and clearer.

24. Avoid using URGENT and IMPOR-TANT. Only use this if it is a really, really urgent or important message.

25. Avoid long sentences. Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. If a person receives an e-mail that looks like a dissertation, chances are they will not even attempt to read it!

26. Don’t send or forward e-mails containing li-belous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks. By sending or even just forwarding one libelous or offensive remark in an e-mail, you and your company can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties.

27. Keep your language gender-neutral. Avoid using sexist language.

28. Don't reply to spam. When you reply to spam or unsubscribe, you confirm that your e-mail address is “live” — generating even more spam. Just hit the delete button or use software to remove spam automatically.

29. Use common sense — if it bugs you, it bugs others.

In ClosingE-mail is your friend. (Really, it is!) By mastering etiquette basics, you may find your own inbox contains more desired messages and less time-con-suming spam. It may even give you the competitive edge over others and help you be more successful.

24 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

ASPR Member Profile: Connie Mack, ColoradoBy Lori Jackson Norris, FASPR, Physician Recruiter, CHW/Arizona, lori.norris@chw.edu

“We recently launched a population health management program specifically designed for employer groups to improve employee health and control healthcare costs. As healthcare expenses continue to climb, more and more employers are shifting the cost to employees in the form of high-er premiums or an increase in their deductable. This, in turn, severely restricts access to routine primary care, impacting the health care system as a whole. Our program focuses on re-engaging employees with their primary care physicians, which is also proving to be a very attractive plan for newly recruited physicians,” Connie explained.

In addition to working with physicians on the recruitment and retention side, Connie also serves as landlord of physician tenants for the medical office building. “I found early on that it’s a whole different world in dealing with physician tenant leases. Recruitment rules and regulations are fairly straightforward. Leasing space to physician tenants, not so much! And you know those doctors…they don’t like to spend money on overhead!”

When asked what the biggest challenge of her job is right now, Connie said “Keeping up with the excitement! We purchased property to build a replacement hospital, something we’ve needed to make happen for many years, and it’s all start-ing to take place. To be involved with this process from the ground up is not something everyone has the opportunity to do,” said Connie. “Along with this excitement, though, comes a little pres-sure for me. Two of our key strategies to achieve success and grow our organization, physician recruitment and business development, are both within the scope of my responsibility. Did I men-tion that I love challenges? Bring it on!”

Connie is equally passionate about her recruit-ment territory. “I absolutely love to show off the beautiful scenery that Grand Junction and the surrounding areas have to offer,” she added, “Nothing is more rewarding than becoming a long time friend of someone that I was instrumental in bringing to town. It’s fun to watch them find their niche in the community as they begin to get more and more settled. Many of them choose this destination to get married and start families, so it’s really fun to watch them grow.”

Connie has been in the healthcare industry for about 18 years. Besides her current role, Connie also has worked in the areas of health preven-tion for a managed care organization, health education and prevention for a hospital system, and regional pharmaceutical sales.

Born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, Connie said she traveled to the states of Kentucky, Georgia and Connecticut through her years of training. A graduate of Murray State University, Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, Con-nie also earned a graduate degree from University of Georgia in Health Promotion.

Connie believes her ASPR membership is a key to her success in her work. “As a member of ASPR, I find that it is the first place I turn when I have questions regarding recruitment. Whether I’m searching for a policy, a contract template, or a sample letter of intent, I typically can find a useful resource. I’m a big believer in not reinventing the wheel,” Connie said.

Connie also is co-chair of the membership com-mittee for the regional South West Physician Re-cruiters Association (SWPRA). “The networking has been extremely valuable to me on a daily basis,” she said. “With the relationships that I’ve devel-oped through this association, I feel very comforted knowing that I can turn to anyone and ask for help, feedback, and input.” Connie added, “There are moments, too, when you need a close industry col-league who understands recruitment frustrations, right? My SWPRA friends are priceless!”

When not at work, Connie takes advantage of Colorado’s outdoor paradise. She enjoys road biking, hiking, golfing, riding ATVs, and spend-ing time in the mountains with her husband of 10 years, Darin, and two young boys, Peyton and Tyler. “Always have a vision and make time for people and things that are important. In my daily life, I strive to be ‘brilliant in the basics.’ If I don’t pay attention to my foundation, what makes me grounded, then I won’t be stable enough to grow. Five years, ten years, twenty years from now, I want to look back and say, ‘I am living my vision’.”

When talking with Connie Mack, you get the sense that she is a physician recruitment professional who enjoys talking more about the organization that she works for than about her-self. She has worked for Community Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, for eight years in continually expanding roles.

“Community Hospital is a full-service, acute-care hospital licensed for 78 beds. As part of the Colora-do West Healthcare System, we offer full outpatient diagnostic services and inpatient care for the West-ern Slope region of Colorado and eastern Utah,” Connie explained. “Community Hospital brings together expert staff and world-class technology in a healing, family-centered environment, providing a full range of medical services, including inpatient and outpatient surgery, and emergency care. We have comprehensive diagnostic capabilities includ-ing state-of-the-art ultrasound, PET/CT, 64-slice CT, digital mammography and cardiac testing.”

“Community Hospital opened a primary care clinic and an urgent care clinic a few years ago, providing the growing community with increased access to primary care,” Connie ex-plained. “We also own a medical office building including a pharmacy, operate an off-site surgery center and provide outpatient services including home health, therapy and EAP,” she said.

The growth of the organization, along with Con-nie’s obvious passion for her work, most likely contributed to her recent promotion to vice president of business development, overseeing physician recruitment, physician relations, physi-cian retention, and business development.

Winter 2012 25

Physician RecruiterIntermountain HealthcareSalt Lake City, UT The purpose of this position is to coordinate the recruiting activities, and work in conjunction with the Director of Physician Recruiting. He or she is responsible for the recruitment of physi-cians for the Intermountain Healthcare Medi-cal Group, for the Intermountain Healthcare hospitals, and associated programs. It is critical to the success of this service that there is appropri-ate attraction, association and skilled selection of reputable physicians who will bring highly re-garded skills of a regional and national stature to the Intermountain Healthcare system. The ability to recruit physicians of high caliber meets the Intermountain Healthcare mission of excellent service, and provides the financial strength neces-sary to fulfill the mission now and in the future.

Minimum Requirements:• Bachelor's Degree; Degree is verified and

must be obtained through an accredited institution

• Three years of recruiting experience• Five years of experience working with physi-

cians, professional organizations, hospitals, schools or similar organization

• Individual must demonstrate ability to estab-lish and maintain effective working relation-ships with colleagues, administrators, finance personnel, corporate personnel and physicians

• Experience using word processing, spread-sheet, database, internet and e-mail and scheduling applications

• Experience in a role requiring effective verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills

• Experience in a role requiring the ability to organize, and prioritize multiple projects and to meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:Bachelor's Degree in a health or business field

To apply for this position, please visit inter-mountainhealthcare.jobs and search for post-ing # 121434.

Physician RecruiterCancer Treatment Centers of America Philadelphia, PA & Goodyear, AZ Cancer Treatment Centers of America is a privately owned Oncology Specialty Hospital with locations in Zion, IL, a Northern Suburb of Chicago, Philadelphia, PA, Tulsa, OK, Phoenix, AZ and our soon to be open location in metro Atlanta, GA.

Due to our continued growth, we are currently seeking an experienced Physician Recruiter at our Philadelphia location. With a direct report to the National Director of Physician Recruitment, the recruiter will collaboratively be responsible for filling openings at all of our sites. Our physicians are employed and while our primary searches include Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Surgical Oncology, we do recruit a variety of supporting subspecialists.

The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years current physician recruitment experience with a Bachelor’s degree in healthcare or a related field. Must be proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, have excellent communication skills, a positive attitude and professional appearance. A fearless ability to make “cold calls” is essential. National travel is required, which will include some weekends.

ContactDrexa Unverzagt, RN MSNational Director of Physician Recruitmentdrexa.unverzagt@ctca-hope.com

Director of Physician Recruitment and RetentionMedical Center ClinicPensacola, FL

Medical Center Clinic is the premier physician group located in the Panhandle of Florida. This physician-owned group of over 75 providers was established in 1938 in Pensacola, Florida. Today, we continue to provide the best of comprehen-sive healthcare with world class service.

We are looking for a seasoned recruiter who can direct the strategic recruitment of physi-cians and mid-level providers through the entire process. The selected candidate will be solely re-sponsible for sourcing, screening, coordinating the interview process, negotiation and closing.

Our ideal candidate will:

• Have relevant experience in healthcare, pref-erably with physician recruitment responsi-bilities

• Have completed a minimum of a bachelor's degree

• Be able to communicate with a variety of audiences, both verbally and in writing

• Show a history of successful project manage-ment and negotiation skills

• For more information regarding Medical Center Clinic, please refer to our website: www.medicalcenterclinic.com

ContactSusan Carrollsusan.carroll@medicalcenterclinic.com8333 N. Davis HighwayPensacola, FL 32514

If you would like to post a position available for in-house physician recruitment professionals, you can post them online on our website. For information on the most recent job listings, and for more extensive information on these listed opportunities, check the ASPR website at www.aspr.org.

ASPR Employment Hotline

26 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Physician RecruiterPremier Physician ServicesDayton, OH Premier Physician Services, Inc., a regional leader in Emergency Medicine Physician Services and Emergency Department Manage-ment, is committed to providing quality care to patients, superior service to customers, and promoting high ethical standards in the way we conduct our daily activities. We have an immediate need for a Physician Recruiter to join our team of professionals and serve our customers.

The selected candidate will be responsible for recruitment of physicians and mid-level providers to meet a growing demand of emergency medicine clinicians. Your duties will include, but not be limited to, developing strong relationships with candidates, medical directors, hospital administrators and internal stakeholders; identifying candidates through a number of recruitment sources including, but not limited to, internet, referrals, databases, cold calling and direct mail; providing detailed information to providers on the company, compensation packages, benefits, hospitals and communities; collaborating, developing and implementing recruiting plans; following up with providers throughout recruitment process; negotiating and extending offers of employment; attending conferences, job fairs and residency dinners; working with other Company departments to facilitate the hiring process and participating in special projects as necessary.

Minimum Qualifications• A high school diploma or equivalent• At least 3 years physician recruiting

experience• Experience in the healthcare industry with a

background in sales and/or marketing a plus• Strong commitment to customer service• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and

achieve results• Must be energetic, detail-oriented, orga-

nized with exceptional follow-up skills, highly motivated, results oriented and self-directed with the ability to prioritize and ef-

ficiently handle multiple tasks in a dynamic, fast-paced environment

• Must be willing to work independently, as well as in a team environment

• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills

• Proficient in MS Office applications, specifi-cally, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

• Database familiarity is desired.• Ability to travel required

Desired Qualifications• Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

In exchange for your skills and expertise, Premier offers a highly competitive base salary and incentive program, as well as a friendly, professional working environment. We offer an excellent benefits package, including a 401(k) program and pension plan. For more information on who we are, check us out at www.premierdocs.com. Premier Physician Ser-vices, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportu-nity Employer. For confidential consideration, please reference job code PHCS-PR-0077 and forward your resume, salary requirements and cover letter to:

Human Resourceskstone@phcsday.com

Senior level Physician RecruiterColorado Permanente Medical GroupDenver, COPosted: October 11, 2011

We are searching for an Senior Physician Re-cruiter to join the Colorado Region of Kaiser Permanente.

Supports Colorado Permanente Medical Group's physician recruitment function. Sr. Physician Recruiter coordinates activi-ties related to the sourcing & recruitment of qualified primary care & specialty physician candidates in sufficient qualities to meet orga-nizational goals while maintaining & support-ing a culture of compliance, ethics & integrity. Maintains knowledge of policies & procedures

& performs in accordance w/ applicable regulatory requirements, external laws & ac-creditation standards as they relate to CPMG HR. The Sr. Physician Recruiter has account-ability for sourcing, screening, interviewing & facilitating the hiring of regular (primary care & specialty), temporary (per diem), locum tenens & other hard-to-find physicians & non-physicians for CPMG. CPMG Sr. Physician Recruiter manages marketing activities & tools related to actively sourcing & attracting a pipe-line of qualified candidates. Also performs as system administrator w/ duties for Applicant Tracking System including providing system maintenance, implementation, testing & train-ing as future upgrades are needed. Position reports to CPMG Employment Manager.

Basic Qualifications:• A minimum of 3 years experience as Profes-

sional Recruiter • Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

in Marketing, Business, Human Resources, or related field

• Must have demonstrated computer skills w/ MicroSoft Office, HRIS experience that includes proficiency building queries & run-ning reports

• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally & in writing, w/ all levels inside & outside the organization

• Demonstrated organizational skills & prob-lem solving skills

Preferred Qualifications:• Master's degree is preferred• Prior Marketing or Sales experience & in-

depth knowledge of the physician recruit-ment field, the health care industry or Human Resources field is desirable

• Preferably w/ PeopleSoft- Applicant Track-ing System

• Preferred Skills: A minimum of 2-3 years physician recruitment experience in a high-volume health system setting.

Qualified candidates please apply online at www.jobs.kp.org to position number 107904 Senior Physician Recruiter or email lori.x.gradwohl@kp.org referencing Senior Physician Recruiter in the subject line.

ASPR Employment Hotline

Winter 2012 27

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For details, contact us or visit our Web site.Classified AdvertisingAmerican Medical Association800.262.2260 • 312.464.5909 fax

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28 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Gold Corporate Contributor Feature

Industry Perspective: The Right Person In The Right Job

LicensureA reputable agency would never send out a candidate who does not hold a valid state license and other required certifications in their discipline, but your HR department should verify these credentials nonetheless. Remember, too, that credentials requirements often vary be-tween facility types (i.e., what physical therapy assistants can do in a SNF may not be the same as what they can do in the hospital setting).

ExperienceRehabilitations therapists — physical, oc-cupational, and speech — work in acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, and in a vari-ety of outpatient settings. When considering a candidate from a travel agency, be sure to match their experience with your needs. If a speech therapist worked, for example, in an educational setting for 20 years before launching his or her traveling career, there may be an adjustment period before they’re comfortable working eight hours a day with stroke patients in a rehabilita-tion center.

AttitudeThis factor is more challenging to evaluate, particularly since you may have only the op-portunity for a telephone interview before

engaging a traveling therapist, but it’s important to at least try to get a sense of an individual’s attitude toward working in your facility (and working in general) before signing them on. Ask about their willingness to float between different units and work a variety of shifts as a way to gauge their flexibility. If a therapist has been practicing primarily in an acute care en-vironment and you’re contemplating engaging them to work in your home health agency, poke around during the phone interview to uncover whether the individual views this as a “lesser” opportunity than a hospital assignment would be, or if a slightly slower paced setting would be a welcome change.

By keeping these screening points in mind, you can successfully use temporary rehabilitation specialists in your organization to deal with the ever-changing healthcare landscape, where fluc-tuation in patient volume, new rules and regula-tions courtesy of government agencies and The Joint Commission, and changes in reimburse-ment are everyday facts of life. Remember, the right person in the right job is the goal, and by working with the right agency and choosing candidates carefully, you can achieve your objec-tive of providing quality care and service to every patient who walks through your door.

A healthcare organization’s ability to provide high quality medical services hinges on a num-ber of factors. The latest technology, forward thinking leadership, and a safe, hygienic facility all play into good patient care. But more im-portant than any of those elements with regard to quality is having experienced, qualified staff on board. The right people doing the right jobs in the right environment are at the heart of excellent care and service. To that end, hospitals, long-term care facilities, medical clinics, and home health agencies are obligated to ensure that not only their permanent staff, but also their temporary workers, are fully qualified and properly credentialed to deliver care. Cutting corners when the need for caregivers is high and the supply is low is simply not acceptable.

In the travel healthcare industry, supply and demand influence how many healthcare profes-sionals are available to take assignments. Oc-casionally, external factors come into play that shake up the market for temporary workers. Just recently, for example, regulatory changes in the way skilled nursing facilities are required to bill for physical therapy services has caused some skilled nursing facilities to scale back on their use of these providers. This will likely result in a surplus of therapists in certain pockets around the country that may require additional assessment depending on your facility’s needs and setting. It’s important to screen both the agency you use and each candidate they present carefully to ensure an understanding of the set-ting in which they practice, quality of care, and patient safety.

On the agency side, look for a company that has been around for a while, has a reputation for excellence, and who is a member of the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organiza-tions (NATHO). If you’re considering using a new agency, talk to colleagues at other facilities about who they’ve used and what their experi-ence has been. On the candidate side, screen for the following to ensure quality care:

deltaphysician placement

™

Winter 2012 29

Gold Corporate Contributor Feature

For medical residents about to complete their training, it appears that now is both the best of times and the worst of times to be entering the job market.

Merritt Hawkins’ 2011 Survey of Final-Year Medical Residents found that more than 75 percent of final-year medical residents received at least 50 job solicitations during the course of their training. Close to one half (47 percent) received 100 or more job solicitations.

Despite an overwhelming demand for their services, the survey also found that close to one-third of final-year residents (29 percent) would not choose medicine as their profession if they could have a career “do-over,” up from 18 percent when Merritt Hawkins last conducted the survey in 2008.

Why do so many residents appear to be suffer-ing from buyer’s remorse, and what does this mean for ASPR members and other recruiting professionals?

Several factors may be at work to cause residents concern as they contemplate entering the job market. One is that final-year medical residents are coming to the end of a long and exhausting race. After completing seven or more years of medical school and residency training, during which they had little control over their time and were under constant stress, some residents may be wondering whether all the work and sacrifice were worth the effort.

In addition, 2011 final-year residents are com-pleting their training at a particularly challenging and uncertain time for all healthcare profession-als. Residents today cannot be sure what type of setting they will be practicing in, how physicians will be reimbursed, and how the basic ground rules of practice will change in the post-reform era. Professional recruiters can be a key asset for residents by guiding them through the likely ef-fects of reform and sharing with them how these changes will reshape medical practice.

New Merritt Hawkins Survey: Medical Residents Have “Buyer’s Remorse” By Travis Singleton

Adding to their uncertainty, many residents reported in the survey that they received no formal instruction in the business of medicine during their training and are unprepared to handle such issues as contracts, compensation arrangements and other business issues:

During the course of your training, did you receive any formal instruction in issues such as contracts, compensation, interviewing, etc.?

Yes ..................................... 46%No ..................................... 54%

How prepared are you to handle the business side of your medical career?

Very prepared ................. 9%Somewhat prepared ...... 43%Unprepared .................... 48%

The survey reinforces the need for physician recruiters to educate residents on certain basic employment concepts at the front end of the recruiting process. Before they can begin to assess the merits of a practice opportunity, resi-dents need to understand such concepts as how production bonuses work and the various ways in which their performance will be assessed and rewarded. Only then can they determine their professional needs and whether or not a partic-ular opportunity is right for them. Without this front-end focus, residents are noted for selecting a practice almost entirely on the basis of geo-graphic location. Indeed, 81 percent of residents surveyed indicated that geographic location was the most important factor in selecting a practice — more important than personal time, money, or any other consideration.

The survey includes some unsurprising but nevertheless sobering news regarding the practice preferences of final year residents. Less

than one percent of residents surveyed said they would prefer to practice in a community of 10,000 people or less. Only about six percent of residents indicated they would prefer to practice in a community of 50,000 or less. Even though health reform increased the budget for the National Health Services Corps (NHSC) and allocated resources for rural residency training, attracting physicians to smaller communities will remain a serious challenge for the foresee-able future.

The survey includes additional information re-garding the resources residents are most likely to use to find a first practice, when they begin their job search, how much money they expect to earn in their first practice, and other data likely to be of interest to recruiting professionals.

I would be happy to send a complete copy of the survey report to any ASPR member. Please e-mail me at travis.singleton@merritthawkins.com if you have questions about the survey or if you would like to order the survey report.

Travis Singleton is Senior Vice President for Merritt Hawkins, a company of AMN Healthcare (NYSE) and an ASPR Gold Corporate Contributor.

30 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

Physician Job Postings on ASPR Website

No charge for ASPR members!

The physician job opportunity database on the ASPR website is hosted by PracticeLink, but you do not have to subscribe to their services in order to post your openings. Contact the appropriate person indicated below to list your physician openings on the ASPR website.

ASPR Members who are PracticeLink customers: Contact Susan Mills at susan.mills@practicelink.com for assistance and directions on how to post jobs.

ASPR Members who are not PracticeLink customers: Contact Tammy Hager at tammy.hager@practicelink.com for assistance and directions on how to post jobs.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently rejected a request by a public advocacy group to oversee regulation of resident work hours. The American Medical Association supports this decision and believes that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medi-cal Education (ACGME) is the appropriate body to regulate and monitor resident duty hours on behalf of the profession and the public.

The petition was brought by the Public Citizen Health Research Group, American Medical Student Association and Committee of Intern and Resi-dents in fall 2010. In response, the AMA sent a letter to OSHA in support of the ACGME as the proper regulatory body for resident work hours.

To stay up to date on these and other trends, along with news and information on medical education, be sure to subscribe to AMA MedEd Update, a free monthly e-mail newsletter.

For more information or to subscribe, contact Fred Donini-Lenhoff at 312 464-4635 or fred.lenhoff@ama-assn.org.

OSHA Rejects Petition to Regulate Resident Work Hours

Bronze Corporate Contributor Feature

Patient influx due to seasonal fluctuations, consumer demand for procedures or simply a growing patient community can present staffing challenges. You don’t want to create a patient care gap or lose potential revenue, but you also don’t want to run the risk of overstaffing, which can quickly cut into profits. A smart option is to maintain flexibility with your staff so you can manage patient influx without overspending. This is where locum tenens can provide incred-ible value. Consider these benefits:

Expand physician skill set—Filling specialty gaps with locum tenens can expand your care offerings. This can be particularly prudent for smaller or rural healthcare facilities, which may not have the funds or patient load to warrant keeping certain specialties on staff full-time. By bringing in locum tenens part-time, these facili-ties can provide specialized care to patients who might not have access to it otherwise.

Be ready for peak season—Patient influx is often the result of seasonal travel and extra doctors

Staffing Strategies to Address Patient Influx

are often needed to accommodate the surge. For example, senior citizen snowbirds often have health issues that require medical attention year-round, so regional facilities can use locum tenens to handle the increase in patients.

Staff up surgical specialties—Outdoor adven-ture destinations bring weekend warriors who can end up needing specialized surgical care. For example, facilities in ski towns can get a lot of patients with knee and shoulder injuries, but the demand goes away once the snow season is over. These facilities could greatly benefit from staff-ing locum tenens orthopedic surgeons during the winter months only.

Improve physician retention—Bringing in locum tenens during peak season can help alle-viate stress placed on overworked full-time staff,

resulting in happier employees. Studies show that having highly engaged physicians leads to better patient care and lower turnover.

Extend physician reach—Further improve efficiency and patient access to care by staffing advanced practice professionals, including phy-sician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). They can conduct routine procedures amounting to 80 percent of a physician’s work-load, helping generate revenue while costing even less to staff.

Weatherby Healthcare is your proven strategic staffing partner. Call us at 800.586.5022 or visit www.weatherbyhealthcare.com to learn more about how locum tenens can help you increase revenue and patient satisfaction at your facility.

Silver Corporate Contributor Feature

Winter 2012 31

Don’t miss deadlines for BONUS DISTRIBUTION at INTERNAL MEDICINE 2012:

For information, call:Margaret Gardner, (215) 351-2768 | Maria Fitzgerald, (215) 351-2667

Marian Tison, (215) 351-2728

Official Tote Bag February 6

Conference Reprint March 1

Conference Reprint March 1

Official Tote Bag February 8 Conference Reprint March 7

Find your physician with

Internal Medicine 2012New Orleans, Louisiana

April 19-21

THE Society, THE Publications, THE Website for Internal Medicine

32 Journal of the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

From the Editor cont’d from page 2

whether it be committee work for JASPR (my personal favorite), Education/Conference Plan-ning, Benchmarking, Fellowship, Marketing/Membership, and/or Regional/Chapter Rela-tions. The continued success of ASPR depends on all of us.

“I always wondered why somebody didn't do some-thing about that. Then I realized I was somebody.” – Lily Tomlin, comedian

Speaking on behalf of the Journal committee, we need new volunteers now more than ever. With communication moving at lightning speed, the need for fresh input and ideas is cru-cial to keeping JASPR relevant and maintaining its reputation for keeping members informed, educated and connected.

As of this issue, JASPR is just a click away, as it becomes solely an online publication. Although it’s tough for some of us to bid farewell to the “hard copy,” several things will be gained. For one, we as an organization will be “greener by saving trees.” Second, the span from writing to publishing online will be much shorter,

making the material timelier. Additionally, the organization will save substantial printing and postage costs that will be available for other projects to benefit ASPR members. For some of us, including co-chair Judy Brown and me, this is bittersweet progress. We both will miss receiving our printed and bound copy in the mail — the delivery that has tangibly signified all of the hours of hard work done by many. At the same time, we look forward to the benefits that will come from this change. We also look forward to any feedback from you, our colleagues. Please don’t hesitate to let Judy and me know what you think about this and future issues of JASPR. Your feedback is important. Email us at judy.brown@childrensmn.org or lori.norris@chw.edu.

“When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others” —Chinese proverb

If you are interested in participating with JASPR, you can commit as much or as little time as you wish. One hour per month is all that

is required to attend the teleconference meet-ing where you will be encouraged to provide feedback and present your thoughts and ideas for future issues. Or you can invest more time by becoming a contributing writer. If you have an interest in writing but don’t think you have the editing skills, we can help with that. This is a great opportunity to get published. A published article is a good addition to your professional development file for your next performance review or future job portfolio. Writing and interviewing are also great ways to network. I have met so many wonderful ASPR members this way. And volunteering your time is a great way to pay it forward by sharing the knowledge and experience you have gained on your profes-sional journey.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s lan-guage. And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” —T.S. Eliot, poet

Happy New Year! Here’s to working together in 2012!

attention of the people to whom you are introduc-ing yourself. This is in contrast to meeting others while multi-tasking and then having them forget you. In particular, surgery is unique in that sur-geons are dependent on other physicians for refer-rals and consultations for patients. The reason why it takes two to three years to establish oneself and build a practice is that it takes time to meet people, build a rapport, create confidence in your field, and then establish a relationship of referrals and/or consultations. Having an Onboarding Specialist expedites this whole process. This benefits the new hire, the hospital or group investing in the new person, and potentially patients who may receive care that was previously unavailable to them.

After just three months with Health Quest, Dr. Choi now spends two full days a week in the OR and his office hours are booked out two weeks in advance. He is approximately 30% more produc-tive after three months than a previously hired surgeon (with similar credentials) who did not go through our formal onboarding program.

Physician Relations cont’d from page 10 Onboarding Program cont’d from page 12Interviews and site visitsRecruiting for “fit” also means engaging as many members of the medical staff as possible during candidate interviews and site visits — not only involving all of the practice partners but also colleagues in their same clinical department or call coverage group. Including referral sources — those who would refer to candidates or those who would be receiving referrals from candi-dates — as well as formal and informal physi-cian leaders adds another layer of early relation-ship development to the process.

Onboarding and retentionThe most obvious integrative point between recruitment and relations is after the contract is signed. The challenge is getting all of the details taken care of without having to do it ourselves. This is where we put our influence skills to the test. Our role is to coordinate and manage while internal colleagues complete the tasks. It

includes asking administrative and medical staff leaders to orient the new physician to the orga-nizational culture and market strategy. When we can retain a high level view, we can assess what worked and what didn’t across multiple onboarding engagements. Working to continu-ously improve the practice experience for new recruits and moving the organization toward a “destination place to practice” then becomes our physician relations role fulfillment. Success-fully leading these combined functions means switching from silo thinking to integrative thinking. As you step away and review your “to do” list, reflect on the organizational strategy and what has the biggest payoff potential for the organization’s success. We work with a lot of “black-and-white” thinkers, but relation-ship management is really gray. Our job is to find creative solutions to implement both the planned and the unplanned. The boundaries are not well defined — so we establish those delin-eations ourselves by working more strategically. This is our chance to learn how to work smarter and deliver more than we ever thought possible.

Winter 2012 33

PresidentScott Manning, FASPR, SPHRDirector, Human Resources & Provider RecruitingDistrict Medical GroupPhoenix, AZ Phone: 602-470-5012 Toll Free: 877-463-3776 Email: scott_manning@dmgaz.org

President-ElectDeborah Gleason, FASPRPhysician Development AdministratorNebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE Phone: 402-559-4679 Email: dgleason@nebraskamed.com Board liaison to: Benchmarking Committee

SecretaryAnn Homola, FASPRDirector, Provider Recruitment & Retention ServicesEastern Maine Medical CenterBangor, ME Phone: 207-973-7444 Email: ahomola@emh.org Board liaison to: Fellowship Committee

TreasurerDiane Collins, FASPRPhysician Recruitment CoordinatorHealthPartners Medical GroupMinneapolis, MN Phone: 952-883-5453 Email: diane.m.collins@healthpartners.com Board liaison to: Website Committee

Board Member at LargeAllen Kram, FASPRDirector of Physician DevelopmentHealth QuestLaGrangeville, NY Phone: 845-475-9605 Email: akram@health-quest.org Board liaison to: Education Committee

Board Member at LargeScott Lindblom, FASPRDirector, Medical Staff ServicesDean Health SystemMadison, WI Phone: 608-250-1550 Email: scott.lindblom@deancare.com Board liaison to: Regional and Chapter Relations Committee

Board Member at LargeLaura Screeney, FASPR, CMSRCorporate Director, Office of Physician RecruitingNorth Shore-LIJ Health SystemManhasset, NY Phone: 516-823-8874 Email: lscreeney@nshs.edu Board liaison to: Journal Committee

Board Member at LargeShelley Tudor, FASPRPhysician RecruiterSt. Francis Medical GroupIndianapolis, IN Phone: 317-783-8758 Email: shelley.tudor@franciscanalliance.org Board liaison to: Marketing /Membership Committee

ASPR Executive DirectorJennifer Metivier, MS, FASPR1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252Saint Paul, MN 55114 Direct Phone: 651-290-6294 Toll Free: 800-830-2777 Email: jmetivier@aspr.org

BenchmarkingDeborah Gleason, FASPRdgleason@nebraskamed.com402-559-4679

Shelley Tudor, FASPRshelley.tudor@franciscanalliance.org317-783-8758

Education/Conference PlanningJoelle Hennesey, FASPRjoelle.hennesey@mmhhs.com941- 745-7232

Allen Kram, FASPRakram@health-quest.org845-475-9605

FellowshipMichael Griffin, FASPRmjgriffin@healtheast.org651-232-2227

Marci Jackson, FASPRjackson.marci@marshfieldclinic.org 702-240-8944

Journal Judy Brown, FASPRjudy.brown@childrensmn.org612-813-8133

Lori Jackson Norris, FASPRlori.norris@chw.edu480-728-3326

Membership and Marketing Ivie Hall, DASPRivie.hall@nghs.com770-219-6634 Ann Homola, FASPRahomola@emh.org207-973-7444

Regional and Chapter RelationsFrank Gallagherfrank.gallagher@baystatehealth.org413-794-2623

Christopher Kashnig, FASPRchristopher.kashnig@deancare.com608-250-1474

WebsiteDiane Collins, FASPRdiane.m.collins@healthpartners.com952-883-5453

Roy Wuwulb@ah.org 503-251-6310

ASPR Board of Directors

ASPR Committee Chairs

Call for Committee Volunteers ASPR committees are always looking for willing and eager volunteers. Please consider joining a committee. Contact the appropriate committee chair for more information. Committee Chairs and contact information can be found above and below.

Association of Staff Physician Recruiters

1000 Westgate Drive, Suite 252 | Saint Paul, MN 55114

Phone 1-(800) 830-2777 Fax (651) 290-2266

www.aspr.org