Build Your Physician Onboarding Process Map in 5 Steps

There’s a period of time between when a physician signs on with your organization and when they join their new community. During this transition, new physicians sometimes report feeling disconnected. This feeling, along with other stressors related to taking on a new position, can lead to unwanted provider attrition.

To resolve this, identify all of the touchpoints within your organization that can help new physicians bridge potential gaps during this transitional phase. In my experience, these often include recruitment conversations, relocation, credentialing, orientation, practice/system integration, practice development, and community integration. 

When recruiting and onboarding new physicians, education is essential to ensure they assimilate well with your organization and support its growth strategies. Be committed to transparency by having candid conversations about expectations on both sides (e.g. a physician’s need for equipment and staff, or your expectations that he/she will reach a set level of productivity in a given amount of time). This type of open communication can be the key to a lasting and mutually beneficial partnership.

In addition, don’t forget to give new physicians the lay of the land when it comes to your organization’s political dynamics, which can be difficult for new entrants to navigate without help. 

One crucial element for your physician onboarding process map is helping new providers make connections with others inside the practice, health system, and community at large. Use any PRM and/or business intelligence tool at your disposal as the conduit(s) for your newly employed physicians to build strategic partnerships with operational leaders, referral partners, and others. Anyone who can enable your physicians to successfully care for their patients.

According to retention surveys, about 85% of physician relocations are influenced by the needs of their family. Considering this statistic, paying attention to the well-being of your new physician’s family is not only valuable, it’s crucial to helping that physician’s long-term partnership with your organization. Provide new physicians and their families with networking opportunities and other resources that will allow them to grow strong roots in your community.

In an ideal world, physician attrition wouldn’t exist. You could recruit and onboard new physicians, get them set up, and move on to the next. However, this isn’t realistic.

Remembering to check in with new providers is easy when they’re in the middle of onboarding and have specific needs you’re scheduled to take care of at key points tied to their start date. It’s keeping up a regular check-in cadence post-onboarding that’s critical when building your physician onboarding process map.

Schedule regular maintenance visits with new physicians after the typical onboarding period ends to ensure they’re adjusting well. This also helps to uncover what additional professional or personal support they may need to ensure a smooth transition. Making a habit of this will ensure that you are aware of any risks of their leaving the organization or the community and have time to work through these concerns before the initial contract terms expire.