There’s been talk for years of a looming physician shortage. Bloomberg.com reported in October 2011 that “[w]ith a shortage of doctors looming that may damage patient care in the U.S., teaching hospitals say President Barack Obama’s deficit-reduction plan could make things worse.”

The Wall Street Journal in April 2010 reported that:

The new federal health-care law has raised the stakes for hospitals and schools already scrambling to train more doctors.

Experts warn there won’t be enough doctors to treat the millions of people newly insured under the law. At current graduation and training rates, the nation could face a shortage of as many as 150,000 doctors in the next 15 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

But some areas already are reporting a shortage. A January 28 article in the Muncie Star Press reported that two hospitals there “have won designations as hospitals serving primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSA). The status, as awarded by the state health department and Indiana Primary Health Care Association, is meant to address the need for more doctors in medically underserved areas.”

The article added that “even before the designation of the areas immediately served by the Muncie and Blackford County hospitals as medically underserved, the state considered portions of East Central Indiana lacking in physicians.”

More bad news: Newsday reported on January 25 that a survey by the Healthcare Association of New York State “not only revealed a lack of doctors, but also predicted an accelerating shortage” of physicians.

A physician wrote the newspaper on February 3, stating:

While the U.S. population has grown by more than 15 percent since 1996, federal restrictions on residency training have curtailed growth in the numbers of physicians being trained nationally. All the while, the physician workforce is aging, and more young physicians are women who practice less than full time.

We are not training enough physicians to replace the losses, and certainly not enough for the many additional patients who will be covered under health care reform, nor for the many new treatments that are discovered and desired.

What about in your neck of the woods? Is there a shortage of physicians where you work? What, if anything, is your employer doing to mitigate the shortage?

A physician shortage nationwide means that physicians are more in control than ever when it comes to where they want to work. If you’re interested in learning more about the incredible opportunities available to you, contact a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare today. We look forward to hearing from you!

You’re a physician. You’re busy. Maybe too busy? When non-doctors in your circle talk about a personal life do you say to yourself, “I’ve heard of such a thing, but it doesn’t exist in my world!”?

If so, we have some tips for you. Continue reading below.

A physician writing in a January 31 blog post at PhysiciansPractice.com said that she “made a rule for myself. I wouldn’t say “yes” to any commitment or opportunity for at least 24 hours and until I discussed it with my husband.”

She added that she doesn’t always follow her new rule, with the result that “sometimes to my regret but often to my enjoyment. One of my friends summed it up well. ‘But I like doing all these things.’”

Yet she’s learned that the “yes” too often comes with too large a price tag: “Saying ‘yes’ to everything, in the end, means we say ‘no’ to something else — our sleep, our family time, and sometimes our sanity.”

Another physician, this one posting at KevinMD.com in July 2011, noted that “when I’m not at work, I’m all about home and family,” but added that she still works incredibly long hours and sometimes takes her family too much for granted.

Thinking about a “typical” day in her career really made her stop and think and, as a result she has

“…hired a cook to come to our house and make dinner every weeknight. She does the grocery shopping and some of the cleanup. That may seem pretentious; to have a private cook, but it’s worth it to me. We also have housekeepers come twice a month, but this is not new. I have hired another physician who helps me with the patient load in the office (although not in surgery). I have committed to taking a big family vacation every summer and every winter (at least a week and a half). I spearheaded hiring a new practice administrator, who has done such a good job that I no longer stress about every detail of running the office. Things are better, although the patients are no less sick, and the job is still demanding.”

Another physician blogged on PhysiciansPractice.com on January 24 that she is “infinitely more productive when I schedule time to work on professional projects than when I try the general approach that I’m going to read more.”

But the work-life balance “technique” that finally worked for one physician? Leaving a position in academic medicine and moving to a private practice job. As she states in a January 17 post on PhysiciansPractice.com:

“It erased much of what I had come to dread about my job, allowing me to focus my time and energy on what I still found some joy doing — treating patients. I gained an extra ‘day off’ each week, allowing me to become more involved in my family’s life in a way that tipped the scales towards balance.”

What about you? Have you been able to find a good work-life balance that works for you? If so, let us know here.

In the meantime, give a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare a call today to learn more about our physician positions (many part time) at hospitals and medical facilities all across the country. We look forward to hearing from you!

You’ve undoubtedly heard about the rise in hospitalists, physicians who primarily focus on the general medical care of hospital patients. Might this be a good career for you?

Most hospitalists tend to come from internal or family medicine or pediatrics. Hospitalists often receive additional training that, according to a Google Knol article:

… have traditionally not been well taught in medical school and residency, including: improving the systems of care to improve quality and safety, working effectively with other providers (such as nurses and pharmacists) and non-providers (such as hospital administrators), co-managing the care of specialized patients (such as patients admitted to the hospital for neurosurgery or hip fractures), and communication skills.

Hospitalists can have a huge impact on keeping hospital costs down and improving patient outcomes. The Knol article reports that “[m]ore than 20 studies have examined the results of hospitalist care. Virtually all of them have shown that hospitalists decrease lengths of hospital stay and cut hospital costs, saving hospitals (when they are paid under DRGs; i.e., a fixed sum per hospitalization) billions of dollars each year.”

What’s more, the article adds that some studies have “shown improvements in mortality rates or fewer hospital readmissions.”

In addition, many hospitalists end up becoming teachers in inpatient medicine, the article reports, finding “striking improvements in resident and medical student education” due, possibly, to the fact that hospitalists focus on staying “abreast” of medical literature as well as because they are so available to their students.

You may want to consider a career as a hospitalist if you enjoy a fast pace, like to see a great variety of patients, you enjoy systems improvement work and like training others. One caveat, however: the very nature of the hospitalist role is to see many patients, often for just a short amount of time. If you want considerable “continuity” with patients, a hospitalist career may not be for you.

If you’re looking for a new opportunity in any field of medicine, contact a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare. We have dozens of physician positions at hospitals and medical facilities all over the country. We look forward to hearing from you!

The answer just might be, “Yes.”

A January 5 blog post on PhysiciansPractice.com cites a survey by a physician search firm found that when it comes to physician recruiters, the less experience a physician has, the more attractive recruiters find him or her.

Why? Well, one executive at a healthcare consulting company said she feels it’s because recruiters may be “anticipating upcoming changes in the medical field,” according to the post.

The post continued quoting the executive:

“Those physicians with 1- plus years’ experience grew up practicing in an autonomous fashion where they were in control,” she said. “Those with less experience are more well-versed in focusing their practice of medicine on today’s imperatives (i.e. teamwork, cost reduction, patient satisfaction, quality improvement, electronic health records, collaboration with nurses and executives).”

Possible changes could include:

•  Healthcare reform initiatives (such as ACOs)
• Technological advances and requirements (such as meaningful use)
• The shift in reimbursement to value from volume

Such changes would then make “younger candidates more attractive,” the consultant added.

The survey, which queried more than 1,000 physicians about their latest job search endeavors, found that of those with more than 15 years’ experience, about 30 percent said they had a zero response rate when they applied to hospitals and “direct” employers. As for those with fewer than 15 years’ experience, only eight (8) percent said they had such a poor response rate.

Naturally, this is surprising, when taking into account the very real looming physician shortage.

So, if you’re an experienced physician looking for new opportunities, how can you help your candidacy?

The post offers a few suggestions:

•  Realize that technology is the coming way of the world. Embrace it. Learn it. Become comfortable using it.
• Commit yourself to improving patient outcomes and showing a potential employer how you have done so by “embracing today’s healthcare imperatives.”

Whether you’re a physician just leaving residency or a seasoned physician looking for new opportunities, hospitals and medical facilities all over the country are looking for you! An Integrity Healthcare recruiter can help you present your qualifications and experience in the best light possible. Won’t you contact us today?

If you’re thinking of pulling up stakes and making a move to a different state, you well may be wondering if some states are better for physician practices than others.

We discussed this issue in our post on July 25. But that was with 2007 data. PhysiciansPractice.com recently discussed this issue. Here are just some of its findings for 2011. (Read the entire article here. Free registration required.)

According to the article, “we’ve looked at the key factors influencing the profitability and stability of your practice: cost-of-living rates, tax burden data, malpractice climate numbers, physician-density statistics, and more. Then, to determine the best states to practice, we’ve compiled that data and ranked each state according to its performance in each category. We’ve gathered here the five best—and five worst—places to be a doctor. We’ve also compiled all the data and every state (and the District of Columbia).”

The top five results?

Alabama: The Yellowhammer State was chosen because of its low-cost of doing business. In addition, Alabama has “significantly below average insurance liability premiums It’s also, according to the article “one of the least physician-dense states,” which means you won’t have to battle as many competitors for patients as you would in other states.

Idaho: If you’re worried about competition, it should pretty much be a non-issue in Idaho. With 168 physicians for every 100,000 residents, Idaho is the least physician-dense state in the country. The state also is very open to physicians just out of residency.

Mississippi: This state ranks in the top 10 in three categories: low tax burden, physician density and cost of living. In addition, tort reform in 2004 has “eased the stress of malpractice threats and liability rates in the state.”

South Dakota: The state’s “rural nature” means physicians will have the chance to “perform a wider variety of services than they do elsewhere.” In addition, South Dakota has “some of the lowest malpractice insurance rates in the country, and its state medical board is less aggressive than most in issuing disciplinary actions,” according to PhysiciansPractice.com

Texas: The Lone Star State went through tort reform itself in 2003. As such, it’s seen an influx of physicians – more than 10,000 have moved to Texas since 2003. In addition, Texas ranks tenth for lowest physician density and it has the fifth-lowest cost of living in the country.

As for the worst states in which to practice, PhysiciansPractice.com listed them as such:
•    Connecticut
•    District of Columbia
•    Maryland
•    New Jersey
•    New York

If you’d like to work in one of the top-five best states in which to practice – or in any of the other 45 states – contact a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare. We have many physician positions at hospitals and medical facilities all over the country – one or more of them is sure to be a perfect fit for your personal and professionals goals and needs. Contact us today!

Is a career once respected and one which practically guaranteed a comfortable – if not rich – quality of life going the way of the dodo (to extinction)?

We’re talking about a career as an independent family practitioner. It appears, according to a disturbing CNNMoney.com article January 5 that, as the article states, many physicians are “going broke.”

“This quiet reality,” the article continues, “which is spreading nationwide, is claiming a wide range of casualties, including family physicians, cardiologists and oncologists.”

The article goes on to quote a CPA who advises physicians about their finances, that a “’lot of independent practices are starting to see serious financial issues.”

Why are independent practitioners struggling? The article gives a few reasons:

•    Shrinking insurance reimbursements
•    Changing regulations
•    The rising cost of drugs (a big issue for oncologists)

In addition, one doctor interviewed in the article cited the looming Medicare 27.4 percent pay cut to doctors. “If that goes through,” one doctor is quoted as saying, “it will put us under.”

So, what can you do if you’re an independent? A September 2010 blog post on KevinMD.com had a few suggestions:

Develop a specialty. Niches could include “families, elder care, fitness freaks, people with weight issues, families with autistic kids, etc.” A niche helps you stand out from others and you can easily establish a following, according to the author.

Offer services attractive to your target patient.

Learn to love technology – in a big way. “Why get all plugged in?’ the post’s author asks. “First, it’s cool and many patients will be excited to work with a networked health care provider (those that are intimidated by technology will be able to get care with a more traditional practice). Second, it sets you a part from your colleagues and is good marketing, third, it will be much easier to be profitable when you leverage technology to make your practice more efficient and streamlined.”

Strengthen your flexibility “muscle.” “Change,” the post states, “will be the new norm. Practices that can turn on a dime will be consistently profitable. Those that can’t adjust without months of evaluation and debate will be burdened with lag time between what used to generate income and what works now.”

If you’re looking for new opportunities – or if you’re thinking of leaving private practice for work in a hospital setting – contact an Integrity Healthcare recruiter. We look forward to helping you jumpstart your medical career or restart it after a lull.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is finding a new position, you’re eventually going to find yourself answering questions in a job interview (possibly two or more interview sessions with different people at the hospital or medical facility, depending on how large the facility is and how high on the employee roster the position for which you’re interviewing is).

Below are some of the more “trickier” interview questions you may encounter, and some suggestions on how to answer them.

Why should we hire you and not someone else? This can sound combative, but you should look at this question as a way to “toot your own horn” (in a professional manner, of course). Talk about your successes in a way that benefits the hiring manager. Be specific and give numbers, if possible (number of patients served, amount of budget saved, etc.) and as applicable to your background and the position for which you’re interviewing.

How did you prepare for our meeting today? The hiring manager wants to know if you’re interested enough in his opening to have done some digging regarding the hospital/medical facility, the people who run it, the practice’s strengths and weaknesses, etc. Research the hospital online, talk to anyone and everyone who you know who has information about the facility’s past and future goals.

Why do you want to work here/leave your current position? (Or: Why did you leave your last position)? First of all, never (never!) say anything negative about your current or past employer(s). Instead of making them look bad, you just come across as an immature whiner. Always reply in a positive vein: you left because the commute was too long, you felt you’d gone as far as you could at your former employer, etc. As for why you want to work at this hospital/medical facility, talk about how your skills and experience will be of value to the hiring manager. (Again, this means you’ll have to do some research on the hospital/department, its goals and challenges.)

And, here’s a great one that easily could trip you up: Would you rather be liked or feared? The best answer is neither – tell the interviewer you’d rather be respected.

If you’d like to find a new position in 2012, Integrity Healthcare can help. We have many positions for physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners at hospitals and medical facilities across the country. Contact a recruiter today and talk to us about your professional goals for the coming year – we can help you meet them!

Do you use an electronic “mobile tablets” in your practice and working with electronic health records (EHRs)? If so, you’re definitely not alone: a recent survey by the maker of Epocrates software found (as reported in a December 19 blog post at PhysiciansPractice.com) the following:

• Twenty percent of primary-care physicians surveyed currently use a tablet, with nearly 45 percent planning to purchase a tablet within the next year;
• Almost 54 percent of primary-care physicians currently use or plan to implement e-mail within the next year as a form of communication with patients;
• Nearly 48 percent of physicians currently use or plan to implement a patient portal;
• Twenty-one percent of physicians currently use or plan to implement text messaging;
• Ten percent currently use or plan to implement video chat.

The survey consisted of 632 primary care physicians.

What’s more, the survey found that more than 50 percent of those surveyed said they planned to meet the deadline for Meaningful Use standards. (MDNews.com reported on December 20 that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pushed back the Stage 2 Meaningful Use deadline to 2014.)

In addition, the survey found that 65 percent of physicians have an EHR system in place that meets Meaningful Use standards, an increase of 10 percent from 2010.

If by chance you don’t already have an EHR system in place but you plant to implement one in 2012, you’re joined by 36 percent of the survey’s respondents.

Where are you in the EHR/Meaningful Use spectrum? Is your practice meeting standards? What do you think of using tablets in your EHR?

If you’re considering taking on a new challenge or want to pursue new opportunities in your medical career, contact Integrity Healthcare. We have many positions for physicians in hospitals and medical centers all over the country and we’d love to discuss them with you. Contact us today!

A couple of blogs caught our eye this week. Read more below.

Is it OK for Patients to Call Doctors by Their First Names?

A KevinMD.com blogger posted recently that she’s noticed patients speaking to and referring to physicians by the physician’s first name.

“I have seen this same phenomenon in the hospital when I’m on the inpatient service,” writes Jennifer Middleton, MD. “I’ll reference the family medicine resident caring for a particular patient by title and last name, and the patient will say ‘who?’ I have since learned to then provide the resident’s first name, to which the patient will invariably sigh with relief and say “oh yes.  He/she has been so nice.”

Dr. Middleton takes a bit of umbrage at the familiarity, writing, “I may be only in my mid-thirties, but perhaps I belong to an earlier era.  I address my patients (over the age of 18) by their titles and last names unless they have given me permission to do otherwise. … My expectation is that they will address me as I prefer to be professionally addressed: ‘Dr. Middleton.’”

What do you think? Is she going a big overboard with the formality? Do you address your patients by their first or by their last names? What do wish them to call you?

Patients Who Bill Their Doctors for Being Late

Another physician wrote on KevinMD.com about a friend of hers who announced at her physician’s office that she would start billing at $47 an hour if she wasn’t in to see her doctor within 30 minutes of her arriving on time for her appointoment. The friend also told about the time her therapist was running late with another client. The friend billed the therapist for the delay…and the therapist paid her!

“I was intrigued, Pamela Wible, MD wrote. “Who pays for waiting?

“Cab drivers charge hourly for waiting,” she continued.  “Restaurants may provide a discounted meal for the inconvenience.  Airlines cover hotel rooms for undue delays. Some physicians apologize. I offer a gift.”

This is an interesting scenario. What do you do when you’re running late?

Dr. Wible offers three suggestions:

• Doctors should remember that “respect is reciprocable. If physicians are on time, patients will be on time.”
• Keep your medical practice functioning well so that delays are at a minimum.
• Should you pay the bill if a patient charges you for being late? Yes, and a physician should do so gladly. “Fortunately, most patients don’t bill at the doctor’s hourly rate,” Dr. Wible concludes.

What about you? Have you ever received a bill from a patient for your delay? If so what did you do? Did you pay it? Apologize?

If you’re looking for new opportunities, contact a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare. We have many great physician jobs at hospitals and medical facilities across the country and we’d love to discuss them with you. Contact us today!

If you read the papers or websites, if you read physician forums/discussion boards, if you talk to current practicing physicians, it appears the career of physician has become a no-man-wants-it-land.

Too many hoops to jump through with insurance companies. Not enough face time with patients. Too hard to collect on Medicare or Medicaid payments. Insurance premiums through the roof.

Hard to believe anyone would want to be a doctor today.

But, according to a December 12 KevinMD.com blog post, more and more people truly do want to become physicians.

“Many [disgruntled physicians] say that they advise young people not to enter medicine as a career,” the blog post, written by George Lundberg, MD, says.

“Fortunately for the medical profession, and for the public, those disgruntled docs seem to have little influence with anybody, including students.”

The blog then links to an October 24 article on MedPageToday.com that reported that first-time applications to the country’s medical schools reached an all-time high in 2011, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

The number of total applicants to medical schools (including first-timers and those who have applied in previous years) also rose: by 2.8 percent to bring the total to 43,919 applicants vying for 19,000 slots.

Total enrollment in medical schools also rose this year – by 3 percent.

(Note, these figures don’t apply to applicants to osteopathic medical schools. Therefore numbers of people applying for training as a physician could be much higher.)

So who is applying to medical school?

According to the AAMC, 2011 was a record year for minority applicants. Applications from Hispanic/Latino students increased by 5.8 percent, compared to 2010 and African-American applications increased by 4.8 percent (this was following the 2010 decline in African-American applicants).

Applications from Asian-Americans increased by 3.8 percent.

American Indian applicants decreased in number, however, declining to 191 from 200 applicants in 2010.

White applicants continued to the largest group of applicants, at 62 percent with the majority of enrollees in medical schools also being white (66 percent).

Enrollment in medical schools has increased by more than 16 percent since 2002. The AAMC called for a 30 percent increase in 2002 levels in order to combat the projected physician shortage. The AAMC reports that that 30 percent increase should be reached by 2017 if current projections hold.

If you were able to do “it all over again,” would you rethink your decision to become a physician? If so, why? Comment here on this post.

In the meantime, if you’re looking to make a career move, contact a recruiter at Integrity Healthcare. We have many terrific physician career opportunities at hospitals and medical facilities all over the country and we’ll love to discuss them with you. Contact us today!