Successfully Onboarding a New Provider
Successfully Onboarding a New Provider
In the rush of trying to meet the demand to recruit future partners, many practices move too
quickly through the planning process for a new doctor, only to regret not having taken the time
to set expectations for the new hire—as well as current partners.
Failure to do so often leads to frustration and disappointment, and in some cases, threatening
feelings, as the new provider’s schedule doesn’t fill as fast, the recruit questions his/her
decision, and current partners start to wonder how much of their own practice may suffer if the
new doctor gets busy?
There is no question there was a need for the hire, but did you plan adequately for their
arrival? Did you establish expectations and benchmarks with the recruit? Or, possibly and
more importantly, did you set expectations with current partners about what the practice is
willing to do on his/her behalf?
While many practices nationwide have onboarded their new doctors in the past 60 days,
many have failed to put that new hire and the practice in the best position to be as successful
as possible in their first 90 days with the group.
For example, are your schedulers offering the new doctor’s schedule first if the patient is not
requesting an existing provider? As simple as this may be, chances are that even if they were
told to do so, they are not. At Venel, our staff listens to over 100,000 appointment phone calls
a year and can attest that scheduling departments rarely get it right. While many factors can
play into this lost opportunity, managing the onboarding process is where it starts, as time
consuming as it may be.
By now, we would hope that you and your staff have this and the following below as part of
your onboarding process:
1. Completed pre-arrival preparation (licensing, insurance contracting, scheduling
templates, EMR/practice management system training, etc.)
2. Provided an in-depth tour of the facility to allow them to be efficient with their schedule
3. Emphasized the organization’s values, mission, and vision to align with their practice
goals
4. Held an orientation with staff to introduce and celebrate their arrival
5. Strongly encouraged all providers to have patience with staff given the difficulty
practices face in recruiting
6. Assigned a successful senior partner, ideally within the same specialty, to mentor your
recruit and prioritize this mentorship to avoid it being missed due to ‘insufficient time’
7. Provided the new doctor with the patient-experience training and expectations you and
your staff have worked hard to consistently offer day in and day out to reach and
display
Orthopaedic practices typically have at least a minimal marketing strategy to announce a new
doctor's arrival. This may include announcements on social media, website updates, digital
advertising, etc. Still, there are areas practices miss, like:
1. Ensuring that the new doctor (and their spouse) understands the strategy to promote
their arrival
2. Governing policies on self-promotion driven by the new doctor, such as managing their
own websites, social network profiles, online reputations, and more
3. Strategically communicating to current referral sources the messages those contacts
need and want to know
Effective onboarding with clear expectations and mutually beneficial objectives not only helps
the new doctor feel welcomed and supported, but it also contributes to better patient care and a
more cohesive team.
For over 35 years, Venel has exclusively pioneered orthopaedic patient-growth strategies for
practices nationwide, guiding thousands of orthopaedic surgeons through intricate discussions
on business development, strategic practice positioning, and tactical execution that fosters
sustainable growth year after year.
Venel is trusted by more orthopaedic surgeons than any other firm in the country. Learn why –
schedule a discussion today: https://www.venel.com/#contact