Adjusting to the New Norm: Recruitment and Retention in Cardiovascular Practices

Illustration: Lee Sauer

I’ve worked in the healthcare field for more than 20 years – most of them in cardiovascular and surgical practices. But I’ve never seen anything like what is happening in the current workforce. Sure – the pandemic changed the way that we think about our jobs. But when the job is caring for patients who need their providers, it’s important to have a solid plan in place for recruiting and retaining staff.

Robert Half Talent Solutions conducted a Job Optimism Survey of more than 2,500 professionals, 46% of which reported that they would be seeking new employment in the first half of 2023.¹ Why? The reasons are clear. Providers want higher pay, better work-life balance and more flexibility in their schedules. 

Keeping your employees means keeping them engaged, motivated and inspired to do their best work. The success of your practice depends on high-performing staff members. If your team members are tempted to accept better offers elsewhere, what kind of care can your practice offer to your patients? 

But take heart – the following benefits are proven strategies for staff retention, allowing your practice to run smoothly to better serve the patients who rely on you. It’s important to note that a private practice can make the following changes more swiftly than integrated practices merely because large organizations have to abide by salary guidelines and equity in “boxed in” job classes. However, there are still some tactics that integrated practices could use to implement these strategies. 

1. Offer Competitive Pay

The leading reason why employees leave their jobs is to seek a boost in salary.¹ Are you a leader in your market in terms of compensation and rewards?

In addition to offering higher salaries and hourly wages, you can build a pay scale that ties compensation to seniority. For example, increase vacation time with the number of years served or offer retention bonuses. 

While pay isn’t everything, it’s a reasonable place to start when thinking of ways to maintain your current team. Healthcare is in a job war with the service industry, which is offering higher wages and less stressful work expectations. It isn’t enough to only conduct a market analysis of your medical assistants’ pay. Leaders in healthcare are competing with other service entry-level positions (big box retail, Amazon, etc.). Should practices be paying an assistant a lower salary to ensure excellent patient care than they could earn at Target? I would argue no when healthcare employees are expected to provide a consistent patient experience and to support our cardiovascular physicians and other clinical providers. 

In an integrated group, the minimum best practices are to request a detailed annual market analysis and benchmark employee salaries against that analysis. With that said, you can also consider revising job descriptions as an opportunity to increase compensation. A medical assistant in a cardiology practice requires a more complex skillset than other primary care or lower acuity specialist practices. Taking the time to incorporate all the expectations and skills necessary for a given employee to care for your patient population is key when crafting the job descriptions. Most health systems have one or two job classes of medical assistants. The creation of a cardiology-specific job class with tiers for growth is a proven method to retain top talent and appeal to potential new employees. In a private practice setting, job descriptions and expectations can be changed more quickly. Having creative ways to offer timely competitive pay, sign-on bonuses and monthly bonuses bode well for higher rates of retention with this workforce. 

2. Consider Whether Remote Work Can Work for You and Your Staff

Since the pandemic, the entire world seems to have redefined its collective values. While many industries can offer remote options to their teams, the requirements of the healthcare setting can make consistent telework more challenging. 

Are there employees at your practice who could work from home? If not, consider the alternative option of flexible scheduling. Everything can be measured and the utility of seeing your team members in person every day is no longer a requirement. Take a serious assessment of what work can be done remotely (chart preparation, returning phone calls, prior authorization, etc.). Real estate expenses are continuously rising. Thus moving team members out of the office setting to increase patient care space and potentially cut costs is ideal. 

3. Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance

This is true not only for employees but also for owners and leaders. Set the tone by encouraging staff to set clear boundaries surrounding emails and other communications outside of the parameters of the workday.   Send out periodic surveys to get a sense of how your employees feel about quality of life, both at work and outside of the office. Short questionnaires can shed light on issues that can be fixed before you lose team members. A survey is a cost-effective tool to save money on the additional recruitment costs that accompany higher rates of turnover. 

4. Engage With Your Employees

People crave connection. No one wants to go to work, sit at a desk alone and then come back the next day to do it all over again. Give your employees a reason to stay by creating a company culture that makes them excited to be a part of the team.  

Support your staff by managing them in a way that is less “boss” and more “coach.” Give them opportunities to thrive and set clear goals for career advancement. Creating opportunities for learning and a roadmap for growth will motivate your top talent. 

You can also implement a social committee that reports directly to senior leadership. This can connect leaders with select team members across the organization to implement opportunities for engagement. Show team members your appreciation through monthly birthday cake, signed birthday cards from the administration, biannual outings, recognition programs for top performers, holiday parties, etc. 

5. Beat Burnout

Working in healthcare can be physically and emotionally draining. You can help your care team beat burnout by offering wellness options, from reimbursement for fitness classes to staff courses in mindfulness, meditation or yoga. Make sure that their healthcare will cover therapy and other mental health visits. How many times have you been thanked for a job well done? Sometimes a simple “thank you” goes a long way in terms of motivating your staff.

Conclusions

The solutions provided in this blog are not a “one size fits all” approach. Tailor rewards to the individual and find ways to recognize those who go above and beyond. Preferences vary with job levels, personalities and individual values. Survey your team to understand what recognition looks like to them. A best practice is to conduct the survey upon initial hire. Leadership can return to the individual’s preferred recognition mentioned during their onboarding to reward the staff member appropriately. 

Our team members are the most vital aspect of any institution. In our ever-changing world, leaders must continuously invest in human capital to ensure the appropriate return on investment. It is nearly impossible to provide great care if you are not taking care of your team first! 

Are you ready to adjust your current staffing solutions and learn more about leadership in cardiovascular business? 

• Access MedAxiom Talent Solutions, which connects healthcare organizations with seasoned cardiovascular experts to fill interim staffing gaps and provide on-demand project support.
• Learn more about the Cardiovascular Business and Management Essentials Program.
• Register for CV Transforum Fall’23 to connect with fellow leaders and industry innovators to discuss organizational performance solutions and much more. 

Reference:

1. Nearly Half of U.S. Workers Plan to Look for a New Position in the New Year. RobertHalf.com. Published December 14, 2022. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://press.roberthalf.com/2022-12-14-Nearly-Half-of-U-S-Workers-Plan-to-Look-for-a-New-Position-in-the-New-Year.