If the thought of contract negotiations brings to mind images of tense conversations and hardball offers, it’s time for a perspective shift. This stage in the recruitment process actually offers the opportunity to set your organization and your physician up for greater success.
"A lot of us think of negotiation as being like an adversarial relationship," says Bradley Block, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Garden City, New York, and host of the Physician’s Guide to Doctoring podcast. "But…you both want the same thing. [The employer] wants to fill the spot, and [the physician] wants a job."
Taking this attitude into your negotiations will keep conversations open and friendly, improving the experience of your new hire and and, ultimately, the experience of your patients.
Encourage informal negotiations
Long before an offer letter is drafted or a contract is sent for a signature, informal negotiations have begun.
"Negotiations start at the first meeting," says Block. "[The physician is] trying to find out what [the employer is] looking for and what their needs are so [the physician] can use that later on."
Be direct with your candidates about your organization’s needs, even those beyond seeing patients. By identifying additional value that a physician could bring to your organization, you also give them leverage to ask for additional value from you, thereby increasing the likelihood that both sides end up happy.
Flex on what’s negotiable
Your physician candidates, especially new attendings, may not know which contract terms are negotiable.
"When I used to hire docs, they would sometimes come in [without understanding that] in large health systems, the contract is largely a template," says Gerda Maissel, M.D., a New York-based physical medicine and rehabilitation physician, board-certified patient advocate and founder of My MD Advisor.
Though you may not be able to change certain terms and must treat employees equally, find the areas you can flex on and use those to provide additional value to your new hires.
For instance, Maissel recommends that physicians f ind out whether employers can offer a suitable start date, favorable sign-on terms, help to find a spouse a job, moving reimbursement or transitional housing, among other perks. Do some homework on your candidate’s behalf to find out if you can offer these. If your organization gives the goahead, use perks like these to show a candidate just how much they’re wanted at your organization. Put promises in writing Maissel also warns against making promises that aren’t part of the contract. Anything guaranteed out loud needs to be guaranteed in ink, such as location and call boundaries.
Put promises in writing
Maissel also warns against making promises that aren’t part of the contract. Anything guaranteed out loud needs to be guaranteed in ink, such as location and call boundaries.
Do right by your candidates
At the end of the day, doing right by your new hires is what will keep them happy.
Ethan Nkana, J.D., spent 10 years in hospital administration before starting Rocky Mountain Physician Agency. The main areas of frustration for which physicians seek his help include excessive call and lack of clinical and administrative support.
Knowing that these areas may also cause distress for your physicians, consider how you can guarantee during contract negotiations that the call expectations will be reasonable and that support will always be sufficient.
Foster a congenial tone
This tip goes for physicians and employers alike. Both sides should maintain a congenial tone during contract negotiations, asserting their needs while also recognizing the value the other side needs to gain from the relationship. Ultimately, strive to make a deal that will keep your new hire satisfied for years to come. After all, your best recruitment tool is a team of happy, appreciated physicians.
Kate Brannen Smith
