Healthcare Cultural Gaps Probed
A new study by the Minneapolis-area firms Cejka Search and Physician Wellness Services concluded that there is often a fundamental disconnect between the expectations of physicians and the healthcare organizations they work for.
The study surveyed more than 2,200 physicians and more than 120 hospital executives to determine their specific healthcare delivery ideals and the gaps between the two groups.
According to the data compiled, the most important cultural attribute to physicians is patient-centered care – it also had the smallest gap between what physicians wanted and what they perceived their organizations delivered.
However, there were large gaps in other key attributes physicians desired from their organizations, specifically transparent communication, collaborative leadership and organizational adaptation to change. According to the data, the gaps ranged from three to 4.3 points on a 10-point scale.
“At a time when physician engagement is of paramount importance and healthcare organizations seek to promote satisfaction and loyalty, closing these organizational culture gaps can have a strong positive impact,” said Dan Whitlock, M.D., a Cejka consultant for its physician wellness services division.
Cejka officials noted that it can cost up to $100,000 to recruit a single doctor, meaning significant savings if such gaps can be closed.
However, the study also found that healthcare administrators tended to underestimate the influence of organizational culture on a physician’s decision to accept or leave a job.
“Physician respondents said that cultural fit has prompted them to leave or decline a position to a higher degree than administrators estimated was the case,” said David Cornett, a Cejka senior executive vice president. “This reveals a gap that organizations can fill by more objectively assessing cultural fit and engaging physicians in on-boarding and team-oriented activities that support a strong cultural fit. This is especially critical in the first three years of joining a practice, when recruits are highly vulnerable to turnover.”
