If you have a hospitalist program that is not growing, you can do a few things to accelerate its development. You might have helped in the care of unassigned patients, reduced their stay in the hospital, and cut down on costs. But it doesn’t seem to be enough. You might feel like you have plateaued with the program. Here are a few growth strategies you will want to implement into your hospitalist program.
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5 Success Strategies for Hospitalist Program Growth
Optimizing the growth of your hospitalist program can be a challenge for many administrators. Let’s look at the top five strategies that you can implement into your program for continued success.
1 – Define Scope and Rules
There needs to be a shared understanding between hospitals, medical staff, and your hospitalists. You will want to define the expectations and scope of the program with clear guidelines. When you have those rules outlined, it can remove any interpretation or subjectivity within your faculty. As a result, the hospitalists will have more transparent standards for their work. It can also reduce any pressure and resentment from having to complete additional tasks. Take a look at issues around the facility and look for problems. If anything creates disagreement or raises questions, it needs to be addressed to avoid ambiguity among your staff members. A few of these examples can include:
- Defining the age that separates a pediatric from an adult patient
- Deciding who will admit subspecialty patients and offering consulting
- Setting times for standing meetings
Related: The Story Behind OptiMed Hospitalists
2 – Recognize and Reward Hospitalists
Generally, the emergency department is considered the “front door” of the patient’s experiences. With that in mind, the hospitalists are known as the lobby. Hospitalists play a vital role in caring for patients, and it is one role that many people might not understand. For that reason, the hospitalist is a critical piece of the patient experience. However, these professionals have a challenging role. They must take care of a patient, explain their role in the healthcare process, and answer those questions, such as “where is my regular doctor?” Being competent is essential for any hospitalist.
In many cases, hospitalists often must assume the care of patients that were not initially assigned to them. Hospitalists must stay on-site and be accessible to all members of the staff. Recognizing these individuals for their “above and beyond” duties is one way to thank them for their skills and patient care. These professionals do not have easy jobs. Not only are rewards and recognition great, but they need the tools and processes to do their jobs correctly. Take this time to recognize their hard work. Something as small as a handwritten note can go a long way to convey appreciation and gain loyalty from these professionals.
3 – Inform Patients and Families of the Role of Hospitalists
Hospitalists are not a new concept in the world of medicine. But many patients do not know what a hospitalist can bring to their care level. For that reason, it became important in the admission process to share information about the hospitalists, providing patients and families with more information about the role of hospitalists. By proactively providing answers to these individuals, the admission staff can help clarify the functions of these professionals.
4 – Align Goals of the Hospitalists and the Emergency Department
This step might be the most critical for all programs. Any first impression of the hospital will likely influence the rest of the patient’s experience. The admission process can affect whether patients and their families feel comfortable and confident in the hospital staff. The hospitalist and emergency department staff need to develop their exceptions and standards for each other. All of the criteria must focus on creating an effective, safe, and efficient patient-centered experience that services the needs of those departments. Transferring care between the hostility and the emergency department is essential, and you should address it by their standards.
5 – Provide Training and Development
All hospitalists need to have education and training in communicating with a patient. The best hospitals and groups provide the training and education that allow hospitalists to connect and care for their patients. Along with that, administrators can also identify future physician leaders by enrolling them in leadership training. In the future, they can guide and lead other physicians so that everyone can work together to achieve excellence in the program.
Related: How Much Do Hospitalists Make?
The Current State of the Hospitalist Market
The hospitalist market is not saturated. Many new hospitalists emerge from several pools, including internal medicine and family medicine residents. Those in family medicines play a significant role in filling the demand gap. Many physicians have provided substantial medical care in the past. They are already positioned to fulfill these roles. Along with that, nurse practitioners and physician assistants can also fill these positions. When they are properly trained, they can help complement the shortage of hospitalists in the field.
A Few Key Challenges in Building and Maintaining a Thriving Program
Private hospitalists will face a few challenges in providing services. Care must still be provided while maintaining costs. Many of these practices do not have the financial resources of a hospitalist group or hospitalists management company. Private hospitals must be more adept at staffing their programs by implementing both short- and long-term recruitment and retention. These practices must work together with the administration to deliver cost-effective and quality care in the medical industry.
Related: What Is a Hospitalist?
Final Thoughts
With these key strategies, you can help to boost your hospitalist program for many years to come. The ability to adapt and change is essential. Use these steps to develop a successful hospitalist program for your practice or facility.
Do you need a reliable and caring team that strives for exceptional patient care? OptiMed Hospitalists is here for you! Find out more today!