An international presence carries value beyond branding. HR stands to benefit in at least three important ways.
Healthcare used to be a locally sourced service, but no more. Not only are telemedicine services bringing healthcare into the homes of patients all over the world, but some health systems are exporting their own brand of world-class patient care to all corners of the world.
A pioneer in international health system partnerships is University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), which has since 1997 partnered with overseas healthcare organizations to share best practices and to help those organizations create their own world-class institutions.
With projects in places as diverse as Italy, Singapore, and Qatar, UPMC's leadership takes a different approach with every project, says Eric McIntosh, director of human resources at UPMC International."There's no single model that we follow. This is done on a case-by-case basis," he says. Details such as ownership and management arrangements vary based on need, partnership type, and local laws.
In many cases, such as that of its soon-to-open cancer center in Colombia, UPMC doesn't directly employ the staff. Instead, clinicians and other workers are employed by the foreign partner. UPMC's HR department takes on a consulting and recruiting role.
"We were more like headhunters," McIntosh says of UPMC's role on the Colombian project with local partners FCV (Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia), where UPMC's main role was primarily driving applicant flow and finding the right candidates for that campus, in addition to hiring a local workforce and training them.
Having an international presence can be helpful to HR in many ways, says McIntosh:
1. Recruitment and Retention
"[Having an international program] is great for recruitment, both foreign and domestic," McIntosh says. "When trying to set up international projects, many foreign healthcare workers are excited to work for western institutions," he says.
Large healthcare systems may have an advantage, but US healthcare institutions of all sizes are respected worldwide.
International projects can also be an excellent retention tool, says McIntosh. Many US healthcare workers are excited by the idea of living and working abroad, even if only for a few weeks or months.
And having an internationally recognized brand can help to expand an organization's presence, says McIntosh. While some might think that keeping a brand top-of-mind would be a greater asset to finding new patients than anything else, they would be overlooking the benefits of brand awareness as they relate to recruiting new employees.
Extending a healthcare provider's brand abroad is a good way to show the organization's influence, which can help hang onto veteran employees.
2. Growing Skills
Inviting foreign colleagues to the US for a training or sending staff to a foreign institution are great opportunities for organizations to learn something from their foreign partners, says McIntosh—and some foreign partners have specialized knowledge they are happy to share with the US staff.
"Some locations are very good at this," says McIntosh, mentioning that healthcare professionals in Singapore are very advanced in patient care were happy to share new techniques and different ideas with visiting US staff during a recent UPMC partnership project there.
3. Increasing Cultural Competency
Cultural competency is swiftly becoming a required skill for all employees in healthcare, and there are few better ways to enrich cultural competence than time spent abroad or helping international colleagues adjust to American culture.
Why Cultural Competency Matters in Hospitals
Even working with a team that is familiar with English language and American business etiquette can yield surprising challenges.
McIntosh recalls an incident during a UPMC project in Qatar, where some American workers began eating at their desks, having failed to take into account that they were eating in front of their colleagues during the holy month of Ramadan, when eating is forbidden for Muslims from sunrise until sunset.
The locals politely asked their American counterparts to be considerate of their customs. "It was a learning experience," for the American staff, McIntosh says.
International experiences can teach hospital workers of all levels to be culturally sensitive, conscientious, and adaptable, while adding value to an organization's HR department and beyond.
Lena J. Weiner is an associate editor at HealthLeaders Media.