Remember the Teeter Totter?

Do you remember the Teeter Totter that was in the playground behind your elementary school? The fun came when you and a friend jumped on opposite ends of the long wooden board and took turns being “up” and then being “down”. The trick was getting off, this is what required the skill, one rider needed to slide off but not let go of the teeter board since they had to let the other person down slowly. Without this consideration the other person would be sure to hit the ground with a THUMP.

As our group at Next Iteration works with healthcare professionals that are transitioning from one position to the next we keep in mind the lessons from the Teeter Totter. This being that it is important to ease out of the position that you are leaving to soften the blow for the group that you are leaving behind. So if you are in the midst of a search for a new job and anticipate that you will be leaving your current group here are a few recommendations…

• Finish: If you have ongoing projects try to wrap them up, or at least get them to a position where they can be handed off.
• Organize: Make sure that all of your work is organized and complete.
• Schedule: When possible try to lighten your work schedule so that when you resign there are fewer spots to fill.
• Cross Train: If you have unique knowledge/responsibility then consider bringing another peer up to speed on what you know that they do not.
• Document: Be extra sure to document everything that you do, leaving a strong paper trail will help the rest of the group when you are gone
  

The world is not flat, but it is small; putting some consideration into how you are leaving your current position is well worth the time and effort. Just like the Teeter Totter the group you are with are the ones that you have had fun playing with, it may be time to get off and move on to other fun stuff, just don’t jump off too quickly. If you THUMP the person on the other end it is sure to leave them with a bad memory of you!

Happy and Healthy Hiring.

One successful candidate and employer at a time.

Lynden

Physician Revenue Declines

As you know, all things physician have been my passion for ages. I follow all their trials and tribulations. Here is documentation about how these economic times have been making an impact in the physician space....

A Jobless Recovery Will Prolong Physician Financial Woes

by Elyas Bakhtiari, for HealthLeaders Media, October 8, 2009

If your revenue increased or even stayed the same during the beginning of the recession, then you're doing better than many physicians. The median total revenue in medical practices declined—for the first time in years—by 1.9% in 2008, according to MGMA's latest cost survey.

And revenue wasn't all that dropped. The median number of patients visiting medical groups fell by nearly 10%, and the overall number of procedures declined 11.6% between 2006 and 2008. During that same period, bad debt from fee-for-service charges jumped roughly 13%.

This new information offers some statistical validation for trends that many in the healthcare field have already witnessed firsthand. Patients are cutting back on elective procedures in hard times. In some cases, they're forgoing necessary medical care because they are newly uninsured after a job loss. Or they're struggling to pay their bills after a visit, leading to that increase in bad debt.

The publicly-funded safety net is becoming increasingly strained, as well. In many states, Medicaid rolls are higher than they've ever been—Medicaid covered about 42.6 million people in 2008, up 7.6% from 39.6 million in 2007—and governments are starting to cut reimbursements to physicians in order to ease the pressure on budgets.

Physicians seem to be surviving the way most businesses keep going when revenues disappear—they're cutting operating costs. According to MGMA data, practices reduced overhead expenses in 2008 by about 1.5%, and much of that came from support staff, which dropped in the survey for the first time in a while.

Overall, staffing levels stayed about the same in aggregate, which may indicate that some groups hired while others laid off workers, and it has evened out in the wash. It's also likely that healthcare workers, like employees in almost every sector, are forgoing raises or even taking pay cuts for the time being.

Keep in mind, this data is from 2008. Fresher data from 2009 will likely show an even drearier financial situation for medical groups, as many of the indicators have gotten worse this year.

When the healthcare economy will turnaround is tough to predict. There are already a few green shoots that suggest the U.S. economy has at least bottomed out—the stock market has been on a tear since March and the latest GDP estimates have been better than initially predicted.

But an improving economy doesn't mean physician financial woes will end soon. The underlying factors that have hurt medical groups are unemployment and strains on safety net programs, and those may actually get worse as the rest of the economy improves. Economists are predicting a jobless recovery initially; unemployment may climb past 10% while the rest of the economy rebounds. That means more patients losing their insurance or migrating to already bloated Medicaid rolls, and possibly further reimbursement cuts. And it means more revenue struggles for medical groups.
The old conventional wisdom that said healthcare is recession proof has been soundly dispelled by the current downturn. The new conventional wisdom is that healthcare is one of the last sectors to be affected by a recession, but also one of the last to recover.

It's still too early to tell if there's any wisdom in that.

I'm thinking the article gives us all pause.

Happy and healthy hiring. Success by design - one career and new hire at a time.

Lynden

Success by design. One great candidate and client at a time.

Happy and Healthy Hiring.

Lynden
http://www.NextIteration.net
http://www.NIHealthJobs.com
LinkedIN Profile
Twitter
Job Search Tips and Tools - No Charge
Facebook

AZ - ENT

Sonoran Desert - 1 BE/BC Otorhinolaryngologist

Seeking ENT Talent. This hospital has received the 2007 Excellence Through Insight Award from HealthStream Research for its high community perception of quality. This 144 bed (all private) facility is a regionally recognized leader in healthcare.

1 BE/BC Otorhinolaryngology (prefer candidate with 2 years post resident experience) to join a 3 physician single specialty group. This new need is due to the growing community population. The group has been established for 5 years and consists of 3 ENT's. Currently the call coverage is 1:3. This group typically is able to cover 20-22 days a month. The group offers a partnership track.

Near perfect location offers:
• 300 days of sunshine
• 4 majestic mountain ranges in beautiful Sonoran Desert
• World class golf courses
• 100 of miles of hiking and biking
• Historic Spanish Missions
• Old western towns
• Nationally known schools and universities
• Lots more.....

Curious about Comp? Well it may include:
• Compensation amount determined by group
• CME
• Relocation
• Potential medical education debt assistance
• Potential commencement bonus
• More....Call ME!

Success by design. One talented physician and client at a time.

Happy and healthy hiring.

Lynden
http://www.NextIteration.net
http://www.NIHealthJobs.com
LinkedIN Profile
On Twitter
Job Search Tips and Tools - No Charge
On Facebook

AZ - Radiologist

Here is a hot physician job lead for a radiologist:

This 300 bed regionally and nationally recognized leader in healthcare:

Needs a Radiologist - Womens Imaging/ Mammography - only. Physician will be employed by the hospital and work in a freestanding Women's center which is a hospital department. This candidate must have a Fellowship in Mammography / Women's Imaging and have previous experience and be either board certified or board eligible.

This ideal location offers:
300 days of sunshine
4 majestic mountain ranges in beautiful Sonoran Desert
46 World class golf courses
100 of miles of hiking and biking trails
Historic Spanish Missions
Old western towns
Nationally known schools and universities
Lots more.....


Great recruitment package may include:
Competitive salary
CME
Relocation
Potential medical education debt assistance
Potential commencement bonus
More....

If you want more info - contact me today! :)

Success by design. One great candidate and client at a time.

Happy and healthy hiring.

Lynden
http://www.NextIteration.net
http://www.NIHealthJobs.com
LinkedIN Profile
On Twitter
Job Search Tips and Tools - No Charge
On Facebook