Kaplan University LS 622 Unit Six Townhall June 27, 2011 John Gray (slides from various sources)

Tonight our focus is on hiring practices for medical personnel. Hiring practices are important for several reasons: 1.The organization wants to avoid discrimination claims as to its hiring practices. 2. The organization wants to avoid vicarious liability situations that place organization assets at risk. Let’s discuss vicarious liability, especially as it relates to choice of entity for medical practice groups and hiring practices of hospitals. What is vicarious liability? Why is it important to avoid it?

Before hiring a new employee: First, identify the practice’s/hospital’s needs. Is an additional employee really needed? If a new person is needed, will it be for a short-term need or a long-term need? If the practice/hosptial has a strategic plan, consider how this new employee fits into your strategic plan. Changes in your practice or the economy may necessitate changes in your staffing practices.

Secondly, reevaluate the employees that are currently working within your practice/hospital to determine whether or not everyone is working to their full potential. Could job responsibilities can be reallocated within the practice/hospital, eliminating the need for the new employee or reducing the number of hours needed to be worked by the employee, which will result in cost savings to the practice. You do not want to hire someone, place them under a contract of employment, only to need to lay them off in a few weeks.

Secondly, do you have a job description for this position? If a job description does not already exist, one should be created. It should describe in detail the job requirements and the types of tasks that will be expected of the new employee. It should set forth the number of hours that the employee will be expected to work per week. It should state that these hours are subject to change at your practice’s/hospital’s direction and that overtime may be required (if applicable) for the position. Carefully list the qualifications necessary for the employee to perform the job. It is important for these to be truly necessary for the position. Explain BFOQs and why they are important.

Thirdly, Consider whether your practice/hospital has an employee referral program for finding new employees. An employee referral program rewards existing employees with a varying amount of money for recommending friends and acquaintances for employment with the practice. Although an employee referral program often saves the practice time and money in alleviating the need to place advertisements, this must be balanced with potential problems that may occur within the practice/hospital if discipline or termination is later required of one of the employees participating in the employee referral program or of the new person who is hired.

Determining where you want to look for a new employee is a significant decision. Many times the Internet is used for this purpose. Before placing ads with an Internet site, see how many ads they have posted which are similar to the position you want to fill. You want to post your ad on a website that is known for listing similar positions. People who are looking for a job like the one you are seeking to fill need to be those who would be likely to visit such a site. Some ads list salaries offered, or at least salary ranges. This information can be used to determine whether what you plan to offer is reasonable. Many factors determine whether a salary offer is reasonable: the expertise of the individual being hired; the cost of living in the area; ease of relocation as it relates to family circumstances and current employment limitations. Tell about Bob and Diane and her great job offer.

Prior to the first job interview, an up-to-date standardized job application form should be available for the job applicants to complete. It should list standard items as the applicant’s name, address and phone number, and an area with adequate space for the applicant to detail the applicant’s employment and work history. The application should contain adequate space for the applicant’s references and their contact information for each reference. When interviewing potential employees, prepare in advance a scripted list of questions to ask the potential employee. Avoid comments or questions regarding the employee’s personal life. It is important to be consistent in the types of questions that you ask similar potential employees to avoid potential claims of discrimination. Having as much of the hiring process standardized is important. Also, when hiring people for high level positions, it is important to have finalists meet with other staff. Example of when Charles was hired as dean of a professional school.

When checking references provided, it can be useful to ask, "Would you hire this employee back?" Listen carefully to the tone of the conversation to try and determine the employer’s feelings about your job candidate. Tell about the call received when Nathan moved to another state and gave me as a reference.

given-exclusive-deals-at-kettering-medical-center html Here is a link to an article that appeared last week about an exclusive contract given to a group of physicians at a hospital in Ohio.

Here is another link that is very useful: resources/physician-job-contract-2.aspx Here is the link to MedAccord: Questions/Comments/Thanks, JG