How these health system leaders are addressing doctor shortages

Physician shortages are affecting health systems and organizations nationwide and are predicted to have long-lasting effects on public health. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. is facing a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034, including 48,000 primary care physicians. That trend is running in tandem with an aging population living longer than before and needing more care as they get older. 

There is hope in the form of creative solutions by health systems across the country to maintain staff numbers—and improve working conditions. 

Here is a list of how members of the AMA Health System Program—which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine—are taking steps to appeal to new hires, and encourage physicians to stay on longer with these health systems. 

1. Hattiesburg Clinic takes long and fruitful path with detailed onboarding

   1. Most health care organizations live and die by the productivity of their physicians. Still, many are slow to adopt a fundamental process that boosts physician satisfaction, according to new research. Among physicians and other health professionals who had a positive onboarding experience, 56% reported they were highly satisfied with their jobs, compared with just 19% of those who had had a negative onboarding experience. In addition, just 2% of those who had had a positive onboarding experience said they were dissatisfied with their jobs, compared with 12% of those who had had a negative one.
   2. “It doesn't surprise me at all that more robust onboarding leads to higher job satisfaction,” said Rebecca W. Lauderdale, MD, an internist and a physician well-being champion at Hattiesburg Clinic. “What does surprise me is how many organizations have a very short onboarding process or no process at all.”
   3. Hattiesburg Clinic launched its Onboarding Academy, a one-year program featuring monthly meetings for new physicians, in 2020. New physicians simply jump in whenever they’re hired. This shared experience helps with communication, cohesion, and has been found to boost practice efficiency. Find out more about Hattiesburg’s forward-looking approach to onboarding. 

2. Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group is always working on recruiting

   1. While physician shortages have become common across the country, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group has emerged with a notable increase in hiring. Since the start of 2023, nearly 250 physicians have joined the medical group—more than they have ever hired in a single year. These doctors have experience and expertise from more than 45 physician specialties. 
   2. “Our goal is to make sure that we’re the best place to get care. That means we also have to be the best place to work,” said Richard McCarthy, MD, executive medical director at Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group. “I don’t think you can do one without the other, because whoever’s going to succeed in health care is going to be able to both recruit and retain excellent physicians.”
   3. Dr. McCarthy attributes Mid-Atlantic Permanente’s growth to ongoing recruitment efforts, making relatively swift hiring decisions, encouraging referrals, and cutting down on physicians’ burdens. Learn more about how the health system keeps their staffing numbers healthy. 

3. Ochsner Health takes a DIY approach to address staff shortages

   1. When the nation’s health care organizations were scrambling to find personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ochsner Health came up with a sustainable solution. The New Orleans-based health system partnered with a local company to start a PPE-manufacturing business, SafeSource Direct, to ensure that it had a reliable source of quality exam gloves, N95 respirators, hair-bouffant head covers and isolation gowns.
   2. Ochsner Health is taking the same approach in addressing its shortages of physicians, nurses and other health professionals by partnering with local institutions to educate and train staff to build its workforce. The health system invested more than $5 million to operate 29 workforce programs with more than 1,200 people participating in 2022, Leonardo Seoane, MD, executive vice president and chief academic officer at Ochsner Health, told the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in 2023.
   3. “We have focused efforts on increasing the supply of nurses, growing the pathway of high school and college students entering health care-training programs, and advancing existing employees by offering ‘earn as you learn’ programs,” Dr. Seoane told senators. Read on to find out more about how Ochsner is shoring up their staff numbers. 

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