6 Ways to Reduce Physician Turnover

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Karen Minich-Pourshadi, for HealthLeaders Media, December 12, 2011

Build social and community connections for the family—Baystate began hosting family events, such as trips to outdoor music concerts, to encourage a stronger connection between the new physician, his/her family, and the other physicians and community. "This is where we spent a little money," Larson says. "The whole retention program cost maybe $25,000. And some events we funded, others we didn't. We helped schedule them but made it clear that these were events that the employees had to pay for to participate in."

Build leadership—Not every boss is a natural leader, Larson says, so the task force developed a list of expectations for the physician leaders, including:

Get to know the physician personally
Set clear expectations
Give feedback
Provide recognition
Listen
Provide opportunities for the physician to influence and be involved in the work environment
Hold the entire team accountable for effective on-boarding of new physicians
Help the physician and their families adjust to new environments

Create a "workplace of choice"—This entails ensuring that fundamental needs for work, such as autonomy and a sense of belonging, are being met, Larson says.

Just a month after the retreat, Baystate Health enacted the retention plan. "These aren't rocket science and everyone was in agreement we needed to do this," Larson says. "But then we hit the next hurdle: accountability."

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