Physician Advocate Specialists Are Waiting To Talk to You!

eMatchPhysicians is pleased to formally introduce our Physician Advocate Program where specialists are dedicated to assisting top candidates with specific location requirements.

At eMatchPhysicians, we understand how busy you are and we are committed to helping our physicians locate the job of their dreams.  So if we don’t offer it on the website, our Physician Advocate Specialists will personally help you find it.* They assist with the presentation of your CV and personal background for the best chance of landing multiple interviews, followed by interview preparation and contract negotiation.  Further, there is no cost to our selected physician job seekers.

Physician Advocate Specialists set you up for success by offering important information such as accurate timelines, an overview of your competition, and what you can expect financially.  They search with discretion for those who wish to remain confidential and allow you to control the process by offering feedback and direction every step of the way.

Candidate selection is based on demand AND on the following criteria:

1)    Preferred City and State (may select up to 3 cities)

2)    Blemish-free background

3)    Board Certified or Board Eligible

4)    Strong References (minimum of 3)

5)    Licensed in preferred state? (not required)

To be considered, please call or email O.T. Warren at 949.215.0501 x411 or owarren@eMatchPhysicians.com.  She is ready to answer any questions and will be requesting your CV and answers to items 1-5, above. All information is kept confidential and is never shared without your permission. We look forward to celebrating your success.

* Select Candidates Only.  At this time we are unable to accommodate all candidates for this FREE service.

Earn $500 for referring your friends!

Visit: www.eMatchPhysicians.com/refer-a-friend

New physicians and experienced physicians continually wonder: How should I apply for jobs?  Should I go through a personal recruiter, search online, or contact hospitals directly?  Should I call groups in the communities in which I want to live?  Perhaps medical societies are the answer?

eMatchPhysicians has researched every avenue and compiled a step by step process for a successful physician job search.  Click here to access our full tutorial.

Most physicians want a break after a residency or fellowship before going into their next job. Organizations looking to hire them can take advantage of this by offering a signing bonus if they join their organization, and giving them a couple of weeks to a month to spend it before they begin with the organization. Signing bonuses are considered fairly standard in the healthcare industry, despite the recession; only their amounts have diminished. In addition, as long as the contract is properly worded, you can ask for the signing bonus to be repaid if the physician leaves within a certain period of time, so your investment is always protected.

A signing bonus varies widely by profession and specialty. You can find out what the current standard is in your industry by simply asking around. Your current staff physicians will know, as will recruiting firms. A recent study released by Merrit Hawkins revealed that signing bonuses for the 2008/2009 fiscal year ranged from $5000-$75,000, so there really is no set amount. If you are trying to lure residents or fellows who want to take a break, $5000.00 may not be enough for a proper vacation to the various cultural locales that educated professionals may like to visit. It would cover an all-inclusive resort, but certainly not the kind of vacation that a doctor would prefer to take. If this is your focus, make sure that the amount covered can offer a nice vacation; anything less may seem like an insult.

Signing bonuses tend to pay for themselves in retention costs. If a doctor accepts a $10,000 signing bonus and has a contract to practice with the organization for three years, it will cost much more than $10,000 to recruit and replace that doctor. The simple truth is that without a binding contract in place with some sort of incentive, a physician may leave your organization at any time, taking your training, recruitment, and experiential costs with them when they leave. With that in mind, $10,000 seems a small price to pay.

While such a move may be seen as a cheap gimmick by some administrators, marketing a signing bonus is surprisingly effective. Many firms don’t reveal a signing bonus until they are asked about it, so coming right out and letting them know that you are offering it alone can encourage new recruits. Such a move also shows that your organization has a transparency and honesty that physicians may be more likely to want to work with. Only 36% of recruiters offered signing bonuses in 2003, so it will definitely set you apart from your competition.

In the end it comes down to the question – is a recent resident or fellow most likely to join an organization with an excellent signing bonus or an organization with long-term benefits? The short-term financial incentives will win every time.

In California and Texas, hospitals cannot hire physicians directly under state law. The law was originally intended to protect patient choice, but it is swiftly turning into a factor in underemployment of physicians at rural hospitals in these states. Without the ability to hire, hospitals don’t actively recruit. Without the active recruitment, rural areas suffer since the benefits of living in such an area can’t be advertised.

Rural communities, regardless of the state they are in, typically lose doctors to metropolitan areas for many reasons. More money, more culture, and a perceived higher standard of living usually draw younger doctors just out of med school. In California and Texas, add the lack of recruitment and the ability to offer employer incentives to the mix and the result may be disastrous to the future in reducing patient access to care.
California hematologist and oncologist John Rochat, MD, is employed by Mendocino Coast District Hospital. He was hired through a 2003 pilot project and he argues in this article that being employed by the hospital does not interfere with his rights as a physician. He also argues that he cannot stock necessary chemotherapy drugs without the support of the hospital.

While it is all very well and good to suggest new legislation that allows employment of doctors by hospitals in these states, the question remains of how these hospitals can recruit until then. Recruitment can be done effectively and inexpensively online through job matching services tailored to physicians, such as eMatch Physicians. Even if they are not employing them directly as hires, such inexpensive means can be used to at least advertise that they do, indeed, need physicians to staff their hospitals. Rural locations in both California and Texas may appeal to the older physician with a family that wants to be home more, and these points can be sold on such a service.

There are two types of physicians practicing in today’s world: miserable physicians and proud physicians.  Everyone knows a miserable physician yet, thankfully, most of us also know and recognize proud physicians.  Proud physicians are happy in their practice, enjoy helping their patients and have a sense of accomplishment for their years of hard work.  The question is what kind of physician do YOU want to be?  The choice is yours but the key is knowing what you want so that you can recognize the right opportunity when you see it.  There is a major physician shortage in America and it is only getting worse.  Fortunately, many choices are now available due to that shortage.  So take your time and prioritize before you make a move.

Key ingredients for finding a long-term fit are location, practice and financials.  Know what type of practice you work best in, decide what type of community will meet your needs and then set realistic financial expectations.  Not one aspect is more important than another and confidence and certainty in all of these areas will best prepare you for your interviews.  You do not sit for an exam without studying so do not go out and make one of the most important decisions of your life, without first doing your homework.  You will reap the rewards in the end if you take the time now to focus on your destiny.

Know What You Want in a Community

Every community in America needs a physician and communities come in all shapes and sizes.  Your options are vast.  Study the various types of communities and what each can offer you and your family.  Learn the differences in income from a small, rural community to a major metropolitan area. Then decide what amenities you truly need in a community to be happy.  If you move to a place that does not meet your needs, you may end up making a lot of money, but your time there will be short-lived.  You do not want to move your family from place to place searching for happiness.

Location and income go hand in hand.  What you expect to earn will adjust depending on where you want to live.  Physicians in general can expect a much higher salary in rural areas than in metropolitan areas.  Rural hospitals and groups are willing and able to pay more to fill their positions because there are grants and government funding in place to help them meet the needs of their community.  Their residents may not have the time or the means to drive two hours to get medical care.  They need physicians who are in practice to serve them – physicians who know their name and their history.

Know What You Want in your Practice

Consider things like who and what type of physicians you want to work with, how many patients you want to see each day, and how much of the business function you want to take on.  Know your strengths and evaluate your skills versus your preferences.  You may have broad experience in your specialty but have a strong passion for one area in which you want to focus your practice.  Find out if there is a market for that and what areas are best for you to pursue that passion.  Evaluate your work habits. Do you work better in a team or solo?

Will this new job and location meet the needs of your family and lifestyle?  Will the salary be enough to sustain that lifestyle?  Will the practice and environment be compatible with your personality?  By knowing what you are good at and what your priorities are, you can focus on communities that meet your standards while working in a practice that allows you to fulfill your potential.

Know What They Want

When you go in for an interview, be prepared to talk about yourself and your ambitions.  The recruiter will want to know why you decided to go into medicine and where you attended medical school.  They will also be interested in knowing why you want to work for them and what you like most about their community.  This is why it’s good to have long-term goals in mind when choosing your job.  The organization that hires you will want to be confident that you are planning to settle into their community and practice there for many years to come.  Your future goals and ambitions will interest the recruiter just as much as your professional strengths.

What they want to know is that you know what you want and you have found it in their community!  The choice is yours of whether you are going to be a miserable physician or a proud physician.  Work hard to discover what you want and go after it.  You deserve to be proud.

eMatchPhysicians is the only website that offers practice and community matching, by match percentage.  Do your homework on the eMatchPhysicians website for free by viewing colorful profiles detailing each community and the financials associated with each position.   We can help you find that right practice and the right place while still maintaining your busy schedule.   Begin the matching process today! »

In a recent study of 20 healthcare workers conducted at Roudebush VA Medical Center, researchers found that pen and paper workarounds to electronic medical records (EMR) actually improved the efficiency of the work being conducted. The most frequently cited reason for the 125 incidents of paper use was efficiency and ease of use. A computer can’t be with the healthcare worker at all times, so jotted notes usually substitute until they can make it back to a terminal.

While EMR’s and their availability will no doubt make the national healthcare system more efficient in terms of reporting and improving patient care through access to records from other physicians, at a microcosmic level individual work is enhanced by pen and paper use. The most important thing is that the pen and paper workarounds are teed up later with the electronic record, as a failure to do this may lead to serious mistakes in the EMR.

One of the items labeled as useful in the study was the issuance of pink index cards to patients admitted with high blood pressure, which were then passed on to the physician. This offered an expedient visual clue as to the state of the patient and the information was later entered into their EMR.

Physicians seeking jobs after coming out of residency programs will be happy to know that their starting salaries are not as fixed as they might have expected.  Statistics show that physician salaries are on the rise.  The Medical Group Management Association, or MGMA, conducted a survey with 3,520 physicians and discovered in 2008 starting salaries went up for several specialties from the year prior.  The following five specialties exhibited the biggest changes in starting salaries, these major increases being from 10%-15%:

• Neurology: $200,000 to $230,000 – up 15%
• Non-invasive cardiology: $350,000 to $400,000 – up 14.29%
• Anesthesiology: $275,000 to $312,500 – up 13.64%
• Emergency medicine: $192,000 to $215,040 – up 12%
• Internal medicine: $150,000 to $165,000 – up 10%

While these numbers do not reflect salary increases for all specialties, one cannot help but feel optimistic.  The 10% rise in Internal Medicine salaries is encouraging enough, indicating that there might be hope for physician salaries in specialties that are normally lower such as Family Practice, Geriatrics and Pediatrics.

An article from the Wall Street Journal Health blog by Jacob Goldstein stated that nearly half of the family medicine residency slots in the U.S. went to foreign medical students and American medical students who graduated in previous years, while only 42% went to American medical students graduating in 2008.  In fact 9% of the residency slots for this specialty went unfilled.  It’s clear from these numbers that there is a shortage of family practitioners in the U.S.   The article goes on to compare the statistic that 84% of anesthesiology residency slots were filled in 2008 by American medical students graduating that year, and 15% of anesthesiology residency slots were filled by American medical students graduating in previous years.  Only 1% of the residency slots were not filled for anesthesiology.

With a growing shortage of family practitioners and primary care providers, we are bound to see more increases in physician salaries in the coming years.  We remain hopeful that primary care physicians will start making the kind of money they deserve so that our medical students are, once again, encouraged to pursue an area of medicine that every person needs.

This is part Two of our Physician Shortage series. In Part One we explored the studies proving that there is, indeed, a physician shortage, and some of the factors that led to it. Our main focus in this part of the series is dealing with the realities of recruiting in a physician shortage.

By now you’ve probably shown your colleagues the statistics and studies proving that there is, indeed, a physician shortage. Some organization management does not like to accept this view as it does inconvenience them financially and otherwise. However, if managed correctly, a physician shortage is an opportunity rather than a challenge.

Find Your Weak Spots and Work on Them

Whether you do it through internet research, querying colleagues, or doing formal market research, find out what the buzz is about your organization from both patients and doctors. Are you perceived as being excellent at some things and not-so-great at others? Physicians, particularly those who are very career-minded, care a great deal about the reputation of the organization that is hiring them and will check you out with their colleagues before ever going for an interview. Try to find out what they will be told and work on any perceived weaknesses that you may have. This will not only have the pleasant effect of attracting doctors to your organization, but it will filter down into patient satisfaction as well.

Review Pay Packages

While you are doing your research on your own reputation, research competitive pay for all new physicians. It will not matter how sterling of a reputation you have if you come to the table with a seriously low offer. Make sure that benefits are also up to snuff – physicians expect a good benefits package and don’t take well to skimping in that area to save in others.

Speak To Your Audience

If you are targeting a younger physician, you should be prepared to offer flex time, added benefits, and other perks that would not have been negotiable even five years ago. Those just coming out of residency work just as hard as their predecessors, if not harder, but expect to be able to take off time from work if needed without penalties and have flexible hours. What’s more, these new doctors will shop around for an organization that will give this to them. If your organization is an early adopter of such items as flex time, you’ll attract fresh young talent in droves.

Retain Who You Have

Set up quarterly appointments with your physicians to listen to what they want in their job. In situ employees don’t tend to make too many demands, but you should stand up and take notice of the things that they do ask for. If repeated demands are ignored, they may start looking somewhere else. Also, make sure that anything that you have implemented for new hires, such as flex time, is an organization-wide perk. Nothing makes your current employees more angry than concessions that you give to new hires but not to the rest of the group.

Look at Malpractice Premiums

If you are in an area with high malpractice premiums, explore ways that you can help offset the cost for your hires and current employees. This one one of the top reasons cited to change jobs among physicians in the US.

Experts believe that we are facing a physician shortage over the next 15 years. One study in particular was published by Edward Salsberg, a respected specialist in issues related to the physician workforce. It states that there will be a shortage of 200,000 physicians by the year 2020 if current trends continue in the health care marketplace. This study effectively ended the arguments of those who were arguing that there was a physician surplus.

Most notably, The Council on Graduate Medical Education endorsed the Salsberg report in 2003. This council of healthcare experts reports to Congress on issues that effect healthcare on a regular basis. The AMA has also abandoned its position that there is a surplus of physicians.

Now that everyone agrees on the fact that there will be a physician shortage, the question is exactly what to do about it. 85% of hospital organizations report that they are actively recruiting physicians, something that the remaining 15% probably want to consider doing as well. The shortage has changed how health care human resources departments do business. Where in the past the assumption was that you were lucky to get a job as a physician, the skew is now towards the need to attract physicians to your organization.

The sooner your organization department jumps on the need to recruit, the better off you will be. In the coming years, other health care organizations will be stepping up recruitment efforts and if you aren’t careful, your organization will be left behind. There is still a battle raging in many health care boardrooms over whether or not there is a physician shortage, mostly because it is easier to be a buyer in a buyer’s market than it is to be a seller. If you have colleagues that still maintain that there is a surplus of physicians, present them with the relevant studies that have made the AMA and COGME change their minds in order to get them on to the same page.

Some key reasons that there is a physician shortage are:

-Population Growth
-Aging Population
-Economic Factors
-Dimishing Supply through attrition and fewer new entrants
-More temporary physicians

There are more that are referenced in the study, but these are some of the major factors that are contributing to the shortage.

New Technologies

eMatchPhysicians and other new technologies can keep your organization on the leading edge of recruitment. eMatchPhysicians can deliver potential candidates to your inbox while you attend the other duties that we all know are filling your schedule. You may also want to consider technologies that allow you to interview candidates remotely through videoconferencing such as GoToMeeting.com and Skype. Many candidates may not be willing to travel to every opportunity they hear about, but they may be willing to entertain more opportunities through video conferencing. Then if they do choose to visit, you will already have established a strong, genuine interest.

With the economy at an all time low, and unemployment now reaching nearly 10%, it seems as though ever industries has felt the impact.  However, not only has the healthcare industry maintained strong, it continues to grow.  Healthcare exhibited higher numbers of employed professionals last month than previous months and The Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that more healthcare jobs were introduced in May than in any other market.  Not only were 23,500 jobs added, but the healthcare industry “stayed in line with its average monthly job growth for 2009″.  According to ModernHealthcare.com, “nearly every other sector of the economy lost jobs”.

With an aging population, the need and demand for healthcare professionals continues to rise.  We will always need medical attention for our illnesses and pains during the entire course of our lifetime.  Therefore, we will always turn to those with medical experience to treat those pains.  In order to accommodate the growing number of patients seeking medical attention, more jobs will open up not only for doctors but also on every level in healthcare to ensure efficient and quality care.  So it’s no wonder that the healthcare industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the country.   Money is being allocated to healthcare research, services, and treatments to meet our needs, and the opportunities generated by this investment are numerous and expanding constantly.  And with more hospitals and medical groups competing for the best and most skilled health professionals, physicians are presented with more and more options to pursue the best path for their practice.

Although some physicians are in higher demand than others, depending upon their specialty, adjustments are made on all levels to relieve shortages to include residency program enrollment, government funding and recruitment budgets.  When more and more money is poured into one area of healthcare, physicians follow, and then there becomes a surplus of physicians causing the demand to lessen.  However, the good news still remains.  Every area of healthcare is growing and despite the specialty area you choose to practice, you can be sure that you will grow with it over time and benefit from such a strong and stable industry.

In a recent survey of over 3000 US health care facilities, only 12% had adopted the most basic electronic medical records, and only 1.5% had implemented all the points needed to be in compliance with new EHR standards.  While the government has provided funding to convert hospitals over to approved EHR methods, the numbers offered in the survey are sobering at best, discouraging at worst.

“Most hospitals in the U.S. do not have an EHR. Most hospitals are in that early stage of one, two or three functionalities,” according to physician Ashish Jha, assistant professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health.  Jha went on to say that if any VA hospitals had been included, the number of implementers would double as all VA hospitals have a proper EHR system up and running.

The report was released by the New England Journal of Medicine and mirrored preliminary results which were released last November.   The researchers noted that other studies have shown a higher rate of EHR penetration due to lower order definitions of what constitutes a proper EHR system.  An EHR system was properly defined by IT experts in conjunction with physicians for the purposes of the study. 

Physician usage of the EHR system is also a key to success.  It is only when physicians are entering the data themselves, and not getting another staff member to do it, that the system has been implemented properly.  For this reason EHR systems must be efficient to use and allow the physician to enter the information in as little time as possible.

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is encouraging its members to sign up for a new health care online system, the Health Care Notification Network (HCNN).  If 5% of AAFP members sign up from the link on this page , AAFP will receive a nominal fee.  This system is more efficient than paper-based patient safety alerts and will give you an instant notification when one is issued.  The service is free, does not include advertising and it only takes a couple of minutes to sign up.

The system replaces the “Dear Doctor” letters mandated by the FDA that traditionally appear by postal mail for recalls and alerts.  “Online alerts from the HCNN are delivered immediately to a physician’s (e-mail) inbox,” said Henry DePhillips, M.D., HCNN’s chief medical officer.  If the doctor doesn’t read the alert within 72 hours, they are mailed a paper copy of the alert, ensuring that it reaches them.  This system not only saves the environment by cutting down on paper, it saves the government money and improves the overall operational efficiency of the system. 

Imagine – no more massive piles of paper for you and your staff to deal with.  HCNN currently reaches more than 250,000 physicians and 70,000 physician assistants.  You can choose to add staff members to your alerts, which minimizes the chances that an alert will be missed.  More on the new system on the AAFP website.

All physicians require disability insurance on the job. From your first job out of school to your own private practice, here are the facts that you need on getting insured properly. Even if you are employed and you have insurance through your employer, your coverage may not extend to everything it needs to.

Insurance for Your Retirement Contributions

If you are injured and can’t work, you may receive a settlement, but how much of it will go towards retirement? Probably nothing. Products from The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and other insurance companies will pay for your retirement savings if you are disabled, giving you complete piece of mind.

Overhead Expense Protection

This type of coverage is a necessity if you own your own practice. This business insurance will continue to pay bills, salaries, and any other overhead associated with your practice for the term of your disability. This will buy you some time to try to figure out whether or not you want to keep your practice and give your employees piece of mind should something happen to you.

Individual Disability Insurance (IDI)

This is the coverage that everyone needs. You should shop around for packages that are tailored to medical professionals, which an insurance broker would be happy to find for you so that you don’t have to waste your valuable time on it. One of the places that employers are scaling back on is benefits coverage, and for many this means cutbacks in disability insurance. Once you have a good look at your current policy, you may find that it has a lot of holes that you have to fill. Again, this is something an insurance broker can do for you.