The challenges are stark: America’s healthcare needs are growing, but it’s pool of available doctors isn’t keeping pace. America is already short tens of thousands of doctors. By 2036, that number will reach 86,000 as demand for physician services rises and the available pool of doctors shrinks.
Fortunately, a variety of new tools can help address these challenges. Many of these tools are tech-based. They include telemedicine, AI, IT improvements, and more.
As good as this new technology can be, it isn’t enough. Your executive search for physicians must incorporate human-based technology with the latest technological tools. Hospitals and doctor’s offices must include a holistic recruitment strategy to solve the physician shortage crisis.
The Role of Technology in Healthcare
Technological advancements in healthcare come in many shapes and sizes. These include:
- AI that can help doctors find problems, identify solutions, and provide better treatment.
- Automation that can handle routine record-keeping or appointment tasks.
- EHR optimization that can give doctors the data they need. This can save time and increase outcomes.
- Virtual care that can provide patients with answers to certain inquiries.
- Remote patient monitoring, which can enable healthcare professionals to monitor how a patient is doing remotely.
All of these technological advances accomplish the same goal: They allow doctors to apply their skills and expertise to critically needed areas, ensuring that they can optimize their schedules. When successfully implemented, a doctor can access a patient’s healthcare data. By seeing this information, doctors can use their time more efficiently.
The benefits are obvious for a recruiter. Doctors are less stressed and can better make healthcare decisions. The right technology may even reduce the number of doctors needed.
The Limits of Technology
As good as technology can be in this space, fundamental limitations exist. Your practice needs more than the latest technology to address the physician shortage fully.
Human clinicians have an irreplaceable role in patient care. Technology cannot — as of yet — understand nuance in communication, interact face-to-face with patients, pick up on body language, or perform a slew of other duties necessary in healthcare. Furthermore, technology remains vulnerable to hacking or errors, particularly as technology continues to evolve.
Furthermore, our new technological prowess can lead to dangers. By over-relying on technology, clinicians and other healthcare staff risk forgoing their own judgment. Technology and AI can make recommendations, analyze data, and help doctors make better decisions. Unfortunately, by over-relying on technology, a doctor may miss critical information. They also risk allowing their own skills of analysis and diagnosis to atrophy.
This can lead to major gaps in care delivery.
The Need for a Comprehensive Recruitment Strategy
Comprehensive recruitment strategies are critical. When executed properly, they can help you attract and retain more physicians and advanced practice providers (APPs). This means developing incentive programs, adjusting pay, and creating the right work atmosphere for your staff. You’ll also need to recruit with an eye to the future and develop work pipelines. You can do this by providing continuing education opportunities.
Healthcare recruiters can provide significant assistance. The right recruiting expert will know the market, understand your needs, and help you to identify and secure top talent. They can also help you move forward, allowing you to hone your talent acquisition skills.
Integrating Technology with Human Solutions
Solving the physician shortage crisis is not an “either-or” problem. Instead, it requires integrating technology with human solutions. When used right, technology can complement healthcare providers.
There are many examples of how technology and human resources work hand-in-glove to enhance care:
- AI and human resource experts can identify professional advancement opportunities. These advancements can keep staff happy while expanding your talent pool.
- EHR programs allow practitioners to share data, ensuring appropriate staff has needed information.
- Smart technology can negate the need for frequent disease monitoring or diagnosis visits, freeing up invaluable clinician time.
- Telehealth ensures doctors can minimize their time in transit from appointment to appointment.
What does this mean for your practice? You need to develop a personalized recruitment strategy. This plan should take into account your unique strengths and weaknesses. It should also develop ways to implement technological tools that will advance your recruitment efforts.
The Path Forward for Healthcare Recruitment
Better healthcare requires a balanced approach. Your practice must leverage existing technology, monitor for new technology, and prioritize recruiting skilled healthcare providers.
For many healthcare practices, this can be a challenge. Most healthcare offices are experts in practicing medicine, not recruitment solutions or implementation of the latest technology. As such, your challenge is to identify partners to help you execute better healthcare. This may include additional healthcare institutions, recruitment agencies, and technology developers.
Developing these partnerships can create a long-term solution to develop a sustainable healthcare workforce. When done right, this solution will be future-proof and enable you to prepare for additional staffing needs.
What You Need To Know
Technology must be a piece of any solution to the current physician shortage crisis. However, it cannot be the only piece. Healthcare recruiters must utilize technology in a holistic approach that also takes full advantage of existing human resources.
Fortunately, by blending these two sectors, recruitment companies can gain expertise and adopt a “best of both worlds” approach. This enables recruitment companies to understand generational differences, fully exploit technological advances, and create a comprehensive recruitment strategy. As a leader in recruitment, MRINetwork is ready and able to help with your executive search for physicians. Want to learn more? Contact us today for additional information.