Recruiting tends to be cyclical, and primary care seems to be in demand once again. I wanted to take a few moments to discuss some of the reasons behind the demand as well as some strategies to help you as you recruit primary care physicians to your team. Additionally, with the pending changes in non-competes, I thought this was a suitable time to talk about recruiting for primary care.
I remember an old client once said to me, “Physicians don’t plan their retirement; they just show up one day and say they are going to hang it up at the end of the month.” This is so true for primary care because these physicians practice later in their careers and often continue to practice until their replacement is in place. Many times, these physicians retire before the cavalry arrives. A strong stock market allows these physicians to retire post-COVID, and not everyone is scrambling to replace them.
Over the past ten years, more family physicians have pursued hospitalist paths, depleting the ranks of family medicine physicians. Also, primary care APPs have migrated to other specialties, further depleting primary care providers and increasing the demand for primary care physicians.
Also, with so many physicians leaving private practice to hospital or otherwise employed positions, they have become more transient. It is much easier to extricate yourself from an employed position than a partnership role. We did not realize it at the time, but private practice kept physicians practicing in one place. Lastly, non-competes are not as enforceable (if at all), so physicians are more able to pursue local options.
We have been fortunate to successfully recruit primary care providers. Here are some strategies we have employed.
Think Regionally
During my career, I have not seen interest rates higher which has discouraged physicians from relocating. Coupled with the uncertainty caused by home prices, physicians have been more apt to stay put physically. With most primary care physicians working on an outpatient basis, they are now more able to travel further to go to work since the call obligation is no longer relevant.
Think Regionally Cont.
The primary care physician market mirrors the APP market of recent years, where strong demand has caused APPs to respond to better opportunities in local markets. My experience has been that APPs are less likely to relocate and, therefore, a more regional recruitment target. I think the family medicine physician market has become like the APP market, with these physicians always evaluating local options.
Therefore, we have successfully recruited primary care by changing their commute rather than relocating those physicians. We have become familiar with the broader region for our opportunities and have marketed to candidates in that region. These physicians are much more likely to pursue a better opportunity if they do not need to relocate.
Recently, I connected with a physician who was happily employed but spoke to me because the position that I represented was closer to her home. She was not interested in interviewing, but we had a good conversation. A week later, she was notified that her position had been eliminated, and she called me in a panic. She interviewed the next week and accepted the position the following week.
Bring them home.
Primary care physicians are less likely to relocate for professional reasons because physicians who relocate for personal reasons often relocate closer to family or a more desirable destination. In today’s recruiting world, great resources allow us to learn more about potential candidates, including their hometowns or where the physicians trained or went to medical school.
Also, do not be afraid to play the long game. You are likely to need primary care physicians in five years as you do today, so reach out to candidates with ties to your region. These candidates may not be looking to relocate today, but if you build a relationship with them, they may circle back with you in the future. To paraphrase an old saying of mine, you will need physicians today, tomorrow, and in the future, so look to fill all those buckets, not just the today bucket.
Be creative, flexible, and welcoming.
This has been a focus in physician recruitment in recent years but remains important. A physician’s professional and personal needs have become more individualized and she has been more able to find positions to meet these needs. I often counsel physician candidates to find a place they want to work with people they want to work with for the best chance of success and happiness. When finding a match with these physicians, I encourage working with them to make the position a great fit. She will appreciate the flexibility and may prove to be a longer term fit.
