Medical Staff

Ask the expert: What is the staffing model for a startup program?

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, November 30, 2010

For a startup practice, there are some common-sense staffing guidelines that hospitalist programs should observe. For example, if the projected number of daily encounters is a relatively low number (e.g., 15), most would agree that one physician can easily manage that workload on any given day. However, it is not reasonable to assume that one physician can work 365 days per year or be on call every night. In very small programs, the staffing model has no relation to the encounter volume. In these smaller programs, the staffing model should be designed with retention in mind. For example, a startup might employ two full-time physicians because it expects, at most, only 20 daily encounters. This equates to only 10 encounters per physician per day on average. Even so, it is difficult to sustain a program with only two full-time physicians regardless of how low the encounter volume might be. Physicians on call every other night and every other weekend will burn out quickly. A two-physician program will likely require additional coverage, which can be expensive. Accordingly, it is recommended that even for small programs, the hospital should commit to hiring a minimum of three full-time hospitalists.

The above excerpt is adapted from Practical Guide to Hospitalist Recruitment and Retention, by Kirk Mathews, MBA, and John Nelson, MD, FACP, FHM, published by HCPro, Inc.
 

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