Physician Community Need Studies for Multiple Specialties
Client/Profile
Multi-hospital system serving a population of 1.2 million
Challenge/Situation
To conduct a specialty-specific community physician need assessment to support the client’s physician recruitment initiatives. The client’s strategic plan identified a recruitment goal of 113 physicians in various specialties over a five-year period. The client’s intent was to structure financial assistance arrangements, when necessary and appropriate, to support selective recruitment efforts while complying with federal guidelines for community need determination.
Process
Veralon conducted 15 separate specialty-specific community need studies requested by the client. Our standards-based methodology resulted in a finding of physician deficits in all of the studies conducted.
Results
Based on our findings, the client is proceeding with physician recruitment efforts. Financial assistance is being provided to support recruitment in selected cases. We also prepared a policy document and methodology to guide the future assessments of community need for physicians, in order to maintain compliance with federal regulatory guidelines. This document has been adopted by the system’s board of directors as the guiding instrument in ongoing physician recruitment efforts.