By Amanda Piwonka 

Times are tough — especially in healthcare. Inflation continues to keep costs high, and physician burnout rates continue to rise, making it tougher to retain skilled clinicians and reducing the pool of those available. A report from Medscape published in January 2023 showed that physician burnout rates climbed from 47% in 2021 to 53% in 2022, and have increased 26% overall since 2018. Among the physicians surveyed, burnout was most often due to too many bureaucratic tasks, followed by a lack of respect from coworkers and long hours.

Physician burnout and the associated turnover cost the U.S. healthcare system $5 billion annually. Burnout is linked with adverse outcomes, such as an increase in medical errors and reduced quality of care, as well as higher rates of substance abuse and even suicide in physicians.

As an independent practice, what can you do to mitigate burnout and keep your top talent happy, satisfied in their careers, and providing optimal patient care? These 5 strategies will help you make your practice a more attractive place for potential new hires as well as keep your current providers engaged and eager to remain a part of the team.

Strategy 1: Offer competitive compensation and benefits

If you don’t pay your staff what they’re worth, your competitors will. Offering a competitive salary and benefits package makes your practice a more attractive employer, giving you an advantage when recruiting skilled practitioners, both those who are new to medicine and those with more experience.

How can you determine what’s competitive for your area? If you live in a state where salary ranges must be disclosed in job ads, it might be as simple as browsing LinkedIn. Currently, these states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington. If you live in a state without that requirement, consult industry resources like Medscape’s Salary Explorer. Make sure you check for salary details specific to your area to factor in issues like the cost of living. A physician in Boston can expect to be paid more than one in Green Bay. Don’t forget to take experience and qualifications into account. If you are seeking a pediatrician rather than a general practitioner, prepare to pay for that specialized experience.

If your practice has a human resources department, make sure to discuss salary and benefits packages with them to get their professional guidance.

Strategy 2: Offer flexible work arrangements

Even in an independent practice setting, there are ways to offer more flexibility, something today’s job seekers want and expect. Depending on the hours your practice is open, you may be able to allow your physicians to work varying hours or days. You can also offer part-time schedules or job sharing. Paid time off is also important for physicians, especially when it comes to preventing burnout.

If you don’t already offer telemedicine in your practice, adding it as an option can support providers and patients. In addition to greater flexibility for patients, telehealth is a great way to offer more flexibility to physicians since they can hold appointments with patients from home.

Strategy 3: Provide professional development opportunities

Whether your physicians want to be as effective and skillful as possible or seek to advance their careers with specializations, help them get there with professional development.

Consider offering:

• In-person, onsite continuing education opportunities
• Paid subscriptions to professional organizations that offer continuing education
• Paid conferences and seminars, in-person or online
• Reimbursement for the costs of obtaining advanced certifications or credentials

Strategy 4: Recognize and reward your team

Everyone wants to feel appreciated for what they do. Unfortunately, well-meaning employers sometimes attempt to provide recognition but miss the mark — in other words, don’t buy your employees pizza a couple of times a year and call it good.

Ask your staff what kind of recognition they would find meaningful. Their suggestions might include:

• Performance bonuses or stipends for staying with the practice
• Dinner arrangements through a delivery app for employees who have to stay late
• Company wellness programs, such as gym memberships
• Mentorship opportunities to help career advancement
• Highlighting them and their accomplishments on your practice’s social media (if they are comfortable with that)

Talk to your team members and listen to what they have to say about whether or not they feel appreciated. Consider conducting an anonymous survey, both to gauge current morale as well as to identify ways to recognize your team and the incredible work they do every day.

Strategy 5: Create a positive practice culture

Your practice culture is the culmination of shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that drive how your team works together. A positive culture established on the premise of inclusion and support often fosters a positive connection between employees and the workplace. As a result, this boosts morale and job satisfaction, which influences performance. According to a recent Gallup poll on culture and performance, only 2 out of 10 employees in the U.S. feel connected to their organization’s culture. No wonder we’re in a crisis.

Of course, shifting your practice culture isn’t something that happens overnight. It requires thoughtfulness, communication, and consistency. Start by defining a vision. How do you want employees and patients to view your practice? What values does your practice stand for? Once you have a clear vision, communicate this to your team, along with an actionable plan to get you there. Incorporating work-life balance into your practice’s culture is a great starting point, as it is cited to help employees’ mental health and increase productivity. For instance, encourage employees to take breaks, leave work on time, utilize vacation time, and prioritize self-care.  

Above all else, having open and honest communication with staff will go a long way in keeping company culture positive and ultimately retaining talent. Commit to your organizational values and have regular check-ins with your team to make sure you’re continuing to support your values over time. Fostering a positive work environment and culture where employees feel supported and empowered will have long-term benefits for your practice.

Reduce burnout over time to retain talent

You don’t have to implement all of these strategies at once. In fact, doing so could stress your employees. Create a thoughtful plan for executing these and be transparent with your team. Let them know the changes you are making to make your practice a better place to work.

Potential new hires will appreciate the effort you go to make your employees’ lives better, and you’ll soon become known as a practice where people want to work.

As Senior Vice President of People for Tebra, a leading cloud-based healthcare technology platform, Amanda Piwonka empowers Tebra’s people and aligns personal achievement to company objectives to drive results, accountability, and growth. In 2021, Kareo and PatientPop merged to form Tebra, and Amanda eagerly accepted the opportunity to oversee people and culture. At Tebra, Amanda brings extensive knowledge in leadership development, compensation and benefits design, talent management, and people process and system design.