The challenge for medical practice managers facing a vacancy of physicians or advanced practitioners right now is arguably more difficult than the same battle faced by their counterparts with ties to larger healthcare delivery systems.

Major hospitals, regional medical facilities, networks comprised of multiple clinics, and practices employed by the like have more resources at their disposal when approaching this issue. Corporate healthcare hiring managers have more provider bandwidth in the event of turnover, more time to react, deeper pockets for prolonged searches, in-house recruiters at their disposal, and access to a number of other resources that are more applicable to an organization of their size.

Contrary to the everyday 'breaking news' cycle, there are positive stories to share from this year, including in healthcare staffing. Maybe it isn't as much about the crisis that we always face, as it is how we respond to be part of the solution.

Each day, the number of Americans joining the ranks of our aging population is increasing more than ever before. According to the US Census Bureau, the population of seniors (65+) in the U.S. has passed 50 million for the first time in history and is projected to pass 70 million in the next 25 years. We simply have more people getting older and living longer than any previous generation.

In health care staffing, the issue of our aging population has long been a major factor in what drives the ongoing physician shortage, which some studies project may reach 100,000 doctors by the year 2030 (AAMC 11/17).

Shaping the Customer Experience

In recent years healthcare staffing made a concerted effort to be held accountable to the customer experience it provides to physicians and medical facilities. I was fortunate to help a firm implement the same system now used as the benchmark for service quality across our industry. From that experience I learned some valuable lessons worth sharing with practices concerned with improving their reputation.

Those who live in remote regions of the country are statistically more disadvantaged than those in metropolitan areas, both socioeconomically and with respect to access to healthcare services. Rural communities are challenged by lower incomes, less access to technology, and higher levels of poverty. It’s an older population, and they’re more reliant on social services than those living in urban centers. It’s also the segment of the population that needs us most yet receives the least amount of medical resources.

The number of physicians per 10,000 people is 13 to 31, rural versus urban, according to the National Rural Health Association. They continue to lack coverage and, even for those who have coverage, they often live hours from the appropriate care they require. What’s astounding is the shortage of specialists when comparing rural to urban communities. The discrepancy is a shocking 30 specialists in remote areas to 263 available to metropolitan areas per 100,000 people.

Last year, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) offered new research on the physician shortage, which is now projected to reach as high as 120,000 doctors by the year 2030. This ongoing disparity between supply and demand continues to drive the cycle of physician turnover.

Last August, the National Association of Locum Tenens Organizations (NALTO) celebrated the first-ever National Locum Tenens Week. The healthcare staffing industry is doing so again this week, and it’s an opportunity to thank locum tenens providers for their dedication to serving millions of patients at medical facilities every day in this country.

As many as 50,000 doctors, more than 5 percent of the physician workforce, practice medicine as a locum tenens doctor in more than 90 percent of our healthcare facilities to provide care for an estimated 7.5 million Americans every year, according to a recent report.

The key to avoiding practice turnover and retaining today's medical providers is to focus on their overall job satisfaction from day one. Keeping a pulse on the health and well-being of your staff to look for early signs of burnout, and paying close attention to the concerns of their loved ones outside your practice are vital.

Top Reasons for Turnover