The Challenge
If the pace of medical education remains unchanged, the United States soon will be facing a shortage of physicians that will become increasingly more severe. According to a recent study in Health Affairs, a deficit of 200,000 physicians is anticipated by 2020. As a result, hospital systems and physician groups across the country are competing for an ever-dwindling supply of physicians. Physician recruitment can be expensive and complex when using outside search firms. Fees for search firms can be as high as $30,000 per candidate, depending upon the difficulty of the search. Search firms themselves are a competitive business and so can lack the commitment needed to keep the candidate and client’s best interests in mind.

The Solution
A trend is growing among hospitals and physician groups across the country to develop in-house physician recruitment services. Clarian Health Partners’ executives and physician leaders created an in-house physician recruitment program to assist Clarian hospitals, affiliated physician groups, and statewide affiliates identify physician vacancies and fill these in the most timely, cost-effective manner.