| Recruiting Physicians Today is an advertising service of the publishing division of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Distributed six times per year, the free newsletter features articles by physician recruiting firms and other independent groups involved in physician employment. The content that appears here should not be construed as coming from the New England Journal of Medicine, nor does it represent the views of the New England Journal of Medicine or the Massachusetts Medical Society. |
Evaluating Physician Search Firms
Mar. - Apr. 2001
NOTE: The author, Calvin Bruce, serves as Senior Staff Writer for J&C Nationwide in Atlanta. He has contributed to MedCAREERS.com, WebMD.com, and numerous publications, such as Recruiting Physicians Today.
Physician recruitment is a thriving business. The National Association of Physician Recruiters (NAPR), one of the industry’s leading organizations for physician search firms, lists over 200 active organizational and individual members on its website, www.napr.org. Many are well-established firms with branches throughout the nation. Other NAPR members are smaller companies or solo practitioners who generally concentrate on servicing regional clients.
“As the governing body to our industry, the NAPR not only sets the standards for search firm recruiters, but it also provides the ethical guidelines under which we operate as well as provides an avenue to settle any disputes that may arise in the placement of a physician,” says Neal Fenster, President-elect of the NAPR and President of Enterprise Medical Services in St. Louis. “Additionally, we as an organization are improving our networking capabilities among firms, which in turn will benefit the hiring facilities, the physicians, and the firms involved,” he adds.
The size of the search firm provides no direct correlation with the quality of service offered. Some smaller firms match larger companies in terms of thoroughness of screening candidates, meticulous matching of client needs, and commitment to customer satisfaction. The bottom line is: Does the company deliver what it promises and back up what it guarantees?
In evaluating one firm over another, it’s helpful to focus on several key areas of concern and address some “tough” questions to those who seek your hospital, health system, or medical clinic’s business.
Firm’s Name and Reputation
The better companies in every industry have established a reputation for excellence in all of their business dealings. Their names are associated with the highest level of service delivery. The same holds true in physician recruitment. Companies that build a substantial clientele and enjoy repeat business are spoken of favorably by current and former employees and by satisfied clients who can provide outstanding references.
Relevant questions: “Tell me a little bit about the history of your firm and its current industry position.” “What relationships have you established with residency and fellowship programs?” “How closely are you aligned with other professional organizations?” “How do clients and competitor agencies view your firm?” “May we call clients for references?”
Knowledge of Medical Specialties
Typically, physician recruiters are not practitioners themselves. Nonetheless, their job demands a working knowledge of the specialties they represent, compensation and hiring issues, and industry trends.
To some extent, effective recruiters should be mini-experts in the medical specialties they handle. They should be able to speak comfortably with department heads, Chiefs of Staff, and experienced physicians in a given specialty.
Key questions: “Discuss the background and experience of your recruiters.” “How successful is your firm in placing the specialists you represent?” “Describe your most successful strategies for recruiting physicians in these specialties.” “How actively does your firm participate in conferences and symposia targeting physicians?”
Quality of Physician Candidates
Successful physician recruitment requires that the quality of the physician candidates and ultimately the placed physician be exemplary. Nothing compensates for doctors who fall short of meeting exacting standards for in-house credentialing and hospital privileging. Recruiters with a reputation for placing the highest quality of providers are ones to do business with, obviously. They realize what is at stake in making the best match of providers with clients’ specific hiring requirements.
“A high quality recruiter attracts high quality providers,” says Karl Sander, Vice President of Operations with J&C Nationwide in Atlanta. “Many successful recruiters have attracted client and provider referrals based on their proven ability to match well-qualified providers with reputable clients that offer out-standing employment opportunities.” What is most important in recruiting and placing physicians is to ensure quality patient care above all.
“Experienced recruiters go above and beyond the normal quality checklist when sourcing and qualifying candidates for a specific client need,” Sander mentions. “One example would be for the recruiter to obtain additional verbal references rather than rely completely on written letters of reference. Furthermore, some circumstances call for more extensive investigation of the provider’s current clinical competence.”
Pertinent questions: “How thorough is your firm’s credentialing program?” “What procedures are in place for updating providers’ credentials?” “How recently have you updated references on the physicians in your database?”
Commitment to Customer Service
Regardless of company size, the most reputable physician search firms demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to provide an exceptional level of customer service. This commitment is manifested in every facet of their interaction with in-house recruiters, the privileging and medical staff, and other hospital administrators.
In addition to providing the recruitment services contracted, highly effective recruiters look for ways to exceed expectations in promoting client satisfaction. Examples: supplying locum tenens coverage while a lengthy permanent search is undertaken; offering a discounted placement fee after several permanent hires have occurred; and assisting newly hired physicians in obtaining licenses and securing relocation services.
Chief questions: “How responsive are your recruiters if problems arise during a locum tenens assignment?” “What happens if a doctor placed permanently doesn’t work out?” “Give some examples of how your firm has gone the extra mile in providing exceptional customer service.”
Selecting a physician search firm is a serious matter, especially when repeat business or permanent placements are involved. Rather than adopting a trial-and-error approach to judging the effectiveness of a given recruitment agency, it’s smart to do some upfront investigation and ask the kinds of questions discussed here. Do not hesitate to ask for references, and if there is reluctance on the firm’s part, take that as a red flag and proceed with caution. Hopefully, favorable results will ensue from your carefully made decision.
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