How can you ensure you’re hiring the best doctors?
We use a style called behavioral interviewing. We query not just ‘what would you do if …’ but ‘please remember a specific event, and tell us what you did to resolve that situation.’
The idea is that your past behavior is the best predictor of your future behavior and future success. It is a very challenging interview for people to go through and to give. You quickly get a sense of who is a fast talker and who really does have the skills to effectively connect with patients, work with families and team members, and who has not just the technical skills, but the communicative and integrative skills that are necessary today.
That’s what we look for as we interview a doctor. Quality gets you in the door. Your ability to lead teams and connect with patients is what gets you into OPMG.
How can employers do their own research on physicians?
There are ways employers can research individual physicians online or through medical associations like the Ohio state board of medicine, which has public information records on doctors. The best way for employers to get a sense of the type of physicians an entity has is to have an opportunity to meet with them.
One thing we do is make our physicians available to meet and speak with employers, employees and/or HR personnel about medicine, our philosophy of integrated care and our delivery system. We give them the opportunity to ask direct questions to physicians.
It’s very difficult to get a sense of the quality of the doctors in a particular institution. You’d like to think the doctors you see are qualified doctors, but it’s difficult to know for sure. That’s one reason we’re proud of our rigorous selection process, which goes on even after you’re hired. You don’t become a shareholder in the Permanente Medical Group until you are approved by a committee and your peers to become a member of the group. The ongoing peer evaluation makes sure these doctors serve not only in good technical capacity but also as good citizens for the medical group.
With shared values, integrated/evidence-based medical practices and top talent, what can employers expect?
Employers can expect quality care, great service and an entity that is responsive to their needs and that will partner with them in order for their employees to maintain the best health possible. Our incentives are aligned. The doctors want patients to be healthy, the patients want to be healthy, and the employers want to maximize their employees’ health.
We want to keep employees healthy so they are on the job, fully present and productive. By identifying medical problems early, by treating them aggressively and getting them into chronic disease management programs, the employees are more productive and over the long-term, it helps control costs for the employer. This is a case where the employer wins, the patient wins, and the doctors feel good about the care they deliver.
Dr. Aaron Smith is the assistant medical director of external affairs and organizational effectiveness for Ohio Permanente Medical Group, the physician group that contracts with Kaiser Permanente to care for Kaiser Permanente members.
