Sometimes there are shortages, and sometimes it’s not just eggs. America is facing a critical diminution in the supply of physicians that, in all likelihood, will only get worse in the coming decade. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. will be facing a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034; 48,000 of these are primary care doctors. Unfortunately, this trend is taking place just as a large segment of the population—the Baby Boom generation—is aging and in need of more medical care. It’s the perfect healthcare storm.
Despite the current and growing crisis, there are those who are trying to find ways to mitigate the problem until other macro solutions (e.g., government intervention) can be found and implemented. The American Medical Association (AMA) has recently identified three representative health systems that are taking the lead in finding solutions to the shortage of doctors.
Hattiesburg Clinic
While most health care organizations live and die by the productivity of their physicians, many are slow to adopt processes that boost physician satisfaction, according to new research. Among physicians and other health professionals who had a positive onboarding experience, 56 percent reported they were highly satisfied with their jobs, compared with just 19 percent of those who had had a negative onboarding experience. In addition, just two percent of those who had had a positive onboarding experience said they were dissatisfied with their jobs, compared with 12 percent of those who had had a negative one.
According to Rebecca W. Lauderdale, MD, an internist and a physician well-being champion at Hattiesburg Clinic, “It doesn't surprise me at all that more robust onboarding leads to higher job satisfaction. What does surprise me is how many organizations have a very short onboarding process or no process at all.”
Hattiesburg Clinic launched its Onboarding Academy, a one-year program featuring monthly meetings for new physicians, in 2020. New physicians simply enter the program upon hiring. This shared experience helps with communication and cohesion, which has been found to boost practice efficiency.
Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group
While physician shortages have become common across the country, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group has emerged with a notable increase in hiring. Since the start of 2023, nearly 250 physicians have joined the medical group, which is more than they have ever hired in a single year. These doctors have experience and expertise from more than 45 physician specialties.
Richard McCarthy, MD, executive medical director at Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, stated the following:
Our goal is to make sure that we’re the best place to get care. That means we also have to be the best place to work. I don’t think you can do one without the other, because whoever’s going to succeed in healthcare is going to be able to both recruit and retain excellent physicians.
Dr. McCarthy attributes Mid-Atlantic Permanente’s growth to ongoing recruitment efforts, making relatively swift hiring decisions, encouraging referrals and cutting down on physicians’ burdens.
Ochsner Health
When the nation’s healthcare organizations were scrambling to find personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ochsner Health came up with a sustainable solution. The New Orleans-based health system partnered with a local company to start a PPE-manufacturing business, SafeSource Direct, to ensure that it had a reliable source of quality exam gloves, N95 respirators, hair-bouffant head covers and isolation gowns.
Ochsner Health is taking the same approach in addressing its shortages of physicians, nurses and other health professionals by partnering with local institutions to educate and train staff to build its workforce. The health system invested more than $5 million to operate 29 workforce programs with more than 1,200 people participating in 2022.
Leonardo Seoane, MD, executive vice president and chief academic officer at Ochsner Health, told the following to U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee back in 2023:
We have focused efforts on increasing the supply of nurses, growing the pathway of high school and college students entering health care-training programs, and advancing existing employees by offering “earn as you learn” programs.
For those hospitals and health systems that are scrambling for ways to increase their staffing in these difficult times, taking a cue from these three exemplars might be a good place to start.