As a growing niche in the U.S. market, corporate healthcare offers new business opportunities for physicians, hospitals and other providers.  Many organizations – particularly Fortune 500 companies and other large employers – are opening their own healthcare clinics and expanding their on-site wellness programs in order to reduce costs, improve productivity and attract new talent.

In the past two years, corporate giants like Intel, HP and Michelin have invested millions of dollars into setting up employee clinics on their main campuses.  Other regional and local employers are also expanding their on-site healthcare programs in order to stake out a competitive advantage.  In many cases, these employers find it easier to partner with well-established hospitals or healthcare systems that can provide “brand-name” care to their employees.

However, some large companies are taking a different approach, expanding their human resource divisions and hiring physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and other professionals directly. In many cases, these employers turn to staffing firms like All Medical Personnel for assistance in planning their programs and for providing temporary staffing to get them underway.

When developing corporate healthcare programs, it’s important to survey employees and their families to determine what services are most likely to be utilized.  For instance, a recent study by the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C., found that users of corporate clinic services most commonly sought vaccinations and other minor, routine services instead of care for chronic conditions.  When asked the primary purpose of their clinic visits, 63.7 percent of survey respondents in 2010 cited vaccinations.

Employers should also take a careful look at their insurance premiums and other financial outlays to build programs that offer the “biggest bang for the buck.”  For instance, corporate clinics and wellness programs could provide employees with incentives to address obesity, one of the nation’s most serious and costly health problems.  In any case, corporate healthcare is likely to grow in importance in the next decade, opening the doors to new partnerships, alliances and career opportunities.

It’s not easy for physician groups, hospitals, laboratories and other healthcare organizations to find well-qualified job candidates.  That’s why a growing number of employers are turning to outside staffing services that understand today’s complex recruiting process.

Today, there are three key challenges for employers who use their in-house human resource (HR) departments to fill open positions.  The first issue is time.  It can take weeks or months to sift through hundreds of online resumes to identify potential candidates – especially if the HR professional must also juggle other, more pressing tasks.  Second, those candidates must be carefully screened to be sure they have the appropriate educational background, adequate experience and right certifications and credentials.  Finally, the HR professional must also be able to attract and engage the candidate by articulating the reasons for joining the practice, hospital, company or system.

Since all these steps must be taken before the first interview occurs, it’s not uncommon for a vacant position to remain open for an extended period, while other employees pick up the slack.  The HR professional must dedicate considerable time to the identification, screening, and pre-interview process, rather than focus on other organizational priorities.  Finally, there’s always the risk that a new candidate won’t be a good match for the employer, regardless of how good those credentials looked on paper.

For all these reasons, healthcare employers rely on staffing firms like All Medical Personnel to find, screen and present appropriate candidates for open positions.  Today, effective recruiting requires specialized expertise and a distinct set of skills that may not be readily available in a small HR department.  Experienced recruiting firms know where to find suitable candidates and narrow the list to a small and manageable group.  Perhaps equally important, they understand how to appeal to the candidate by conveying both tangible benefits of working for the employer, and the intangibles like mission, values and culture.  For healthcare organizations seeking to fill open positions quickly and efficiently, hiring an outside recruiting firm can be a key step to filling vacant positions quickly and efficiently.

Providing workers with healthcare coverage still makes economic sense for large employers.  However, there are fewer incentives for smaller employers to offer coverage in the new era of healthcare reform.  That was the key message in a new national study for the nonpartisan National Institute for Health Care Reform.

The study, led by University of Minnesota researcher Jean Abraham, who worked with the Center for Studying Health System Change, calculated the economic incentives for employers offering coverage to active workers before and after health reform implementation in 2014.   The analysis used data from the 2008-2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

“The findings indicate that the economic incentives to offer coverage will remain strong under health reform for many businesses, especially larger, higher-wage firms,” Abraham said. “But they will weaken for small and low-wage employers – the very establishments that already were most likely to drop coverage because of rising costs.”

For the nation’s healthcare providers, the study points to the importance of regular verification of current insurance coverage, particularly for patients working for smaller businesses that might decide to drop this benefit. If so, there could well be a significant time lag before the patient purchases coverage from another source.

The institute’s study found that pre-reform, all businesses had an economic incentive to offer health insurance because the U.S. government gave preferential tax treatment for both employer and employee premium contributions.  Post-reform, employer premium contributions remain tax exempt.  In addition, two new policies take effect in 2014: a penalty on larger employers that do not offer affordable health insurance, and premium tax credits for lower-income people to purchase insurance in new state exchanges if they lack access to affordable employer coverage.

In the pre-reform period, the economic incentives of employers to offer health insurance were all positive and increased with firm size.  After reform implementation in 2014, the largest firms with 500 or more workers will continue to have a strong economic incentive, with an average incentive of $2,503 per employee, according to the analysis.  However, the smallest firms with fewer than 50 workers will face lower economic incentives – an average of $990  – in the post-reform period, in large part because these smaller employers will be exempt from the penalty.

Whether you are a job candidate or a recruiter for a healthcare organization, your skill set should include being able to ask questions, talk about yourself and present your ideas in an interview setting.  Having strong verbal skills will help you achieve your immediate objectives and provide a solid foundation for your long-term career.

Most healthcare professionals and executives in their 50s and 60s grew up with the telephone – a key technology for dating and other social interactions – and spent many hours in lengthy face-to-face meetings.  Those personal interactions helped to hone their verbal skills, and many Baby Boomers still feel most comfortable when they are talking to others.

But it’s a different world for the Millennials, now in their 20s and early 30s, who largely communicate by texting, Facebook chats and emails to their older family members.  A younger healthcare employee may send dozens of texts from her mobile phone for every voice call.  That can result in a dramatic decline in conversational skills.  Even in an office meeting, many people find it easier to text each other than to raise their hands and discuss an issue out loud.

However, those often-neglected verbal skills move to the forefront in job screening and interview situations.  Therefore, both job candidates and recruiters should take a moment to assess how well they can handle the following types of situations:

• Setting a friendly and open conversational tone at the start of an interview
• Presenting the key points you want to emphasize
• Asking questions and listening carefully for the answers
• Clarifying statements when necessary
• Closing the interview on a positive note and discussing the next steps

If you’re not sure of your verbal skills in an interview setting, the best solution is to practice with someone else in advance.  Find a family member, friend, neighbor or associate who is willing to listen, and start honing those verbal skills that will last you a lifetime.

With summer approaching, many health care administrators in Florida and across the country are wondering about vacation staffing issues and the benefits of locum tenens programs. At the same time, many physicians are also considering the advantages of taking a temporary position during the peak vacation season through a locum tenens placement.

To answer those questions, All Medical Personnel’s staffing professionals will be on the scene at the Florida Medical Group Management Association (FMGMA)’s annual conference, May 13-15, 2013, at the Caribe Royale in Orlando.  The event will bring together hundreds of administrators and other professionals who belong to MGMA, a well-established organization whose mission is to improve the effectiveness of medical group practices in Florida and the skills of the individuals who manage or lead them.

As a member of MGMA, All Medical Personnel contributes to advancing that mission by providing a wide range of staffing programs, including temporary or long-term locum tenens placements for physicians and other healthcare professionals.  For administrators, locum tenens staffing can meet increases in seasonal demand for services or fill gaps in coverage due to vacations, extended illness, or other causes.

For physicians and other professionals, locum tenens assignments offer variety, providing opportunities to practice skills in a new clinical setting and serve a different patient population.  Many locum tenens physicians also enjoy a change of pace in their lifestyle, such as spending a month or two in a coastal, vacation-oriented community.  Other advantages include flexibility in scheduling.  That might mean working a new shift, taking a temporary assignment for several weeks or moving to a new location for several months or longer.  A locum tenens assignment can also help professionals find a healthy balance between work and family responsibilities.

To find out more about summer staffing options, visit All Medical Personnel’s booth at MGMA2013. For more information on the conference, go to: http://flmgma.com.

It always seems like the month of December sneaks up on everyone.  Suddenly, it’s time for holiday parties, client luncheons, charitable activities and other seasonal events.  At the same time, many healthcare staffers realize they have unused vacation time and decide to take off for a week or two before the end of the year.

As a result, physician groups, hospitals, laboratories and other healthcare organizations often find it difficult to stay fully staffed during the late December – early January season.  Many organizations already have temporary staffing plans in place to fill those gaps in the schedule, while others find themselves looking for help at the last minute.

Since December staffing issues are a highly predictable occurrence, All Medical Personnel urges healthcare organizations to take a proactive approach.  That might involve reviewing last year’s employee schedules to determine how many people took vacation or personal days during the month.  That can help in projecting staffing needs for this December.  Planning ahead for staffing coverage is also important when arranging a holiday party or charitable event.

If everyone in the office is volunteering a half-day to serve meals to the homeless, deliver gifts to needy children or contribute in another way, then be sure to have temporary staffers in place to “hold down the fort” in the meantime.  It may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how temporary staffing issues are often left to the last minute amid the busy activities of the month.  With the biggest holidays of the year just ahead, All Medical Personnel recommends taking a careful look at your December staffing plans to be sure you can continue to provide seamless care to patients and clients during the 2012 holiday season.

Whether you’re just starting out in your healthcare career or a seasoned veteran, you didn’t achieve your goals by accident.  It took training, dedication and a desire to succeed on your part – plus the encouragement and support of other people in your lives.

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, now is a good time to reflect on the family members, friends, teachers, mentors, job recruiters and managers who believed in your abilities and helped you move ahead with your healthcare career.

Perhaps you became interested in becoming a physician or nurse at an early age.  You might have wanted to help a family member with a chronic medical condition or been inspired by the stories a parent, aunt or uncle or older sibling told you about “the helping professions.”  Or the spark might have been ignited by a teacher in high school, a laboratory class in biology or chemistry or the hands-on experience provided by a magnet program.

Other professionals found their way into healthcare during their college years, deciding to earn a certificate or degree that opened the door to a challenging but rewarding career. In many cases, a mentor helped shape the direction of a student’s interest, particularly in graduate-level programs or advanced training in a specialty field.

And don’t forget the importance of those career counselors in high school, college and the “real world,” who helped you develop job-related skills like writing a job application letter and resume, preparing for an interview and making a favorable impression on the recruiter.

In the spirit of the season, we invite you to say “thank you” to the people who provided encouragement, education and support for your goals and dreams. Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’ve just earned your healthcare degree or certification, now is an excellent time to apply for that first job.  After all, there’s a steadily rising demand for nurses, therapists, phlebotomists, lab technicians and other professionals.  You can also tap into the vast pool of online information - including All Medical Personnel’s extensive resources - for tips on preparing an application, writing a resume, and getting ready for the interview.

Here’s another strategy to consider to get that all-important first job: Become a volunteer.  Many hospitals and health systems have formal volunteer programs that allow you to contribute your time, helping patients, clients or employees.  This can be a great way to get your foot in the door, since you meet people within the organization and get a firsthand understanding of the organization’s culture.  And when you apply for a paid position, you can put that experience on your resume and get an “insider” reference from your supervisor or manager.

However, many job applicants don’t realize that a similar approach can also be used at physician offices, outpatient centers, laboratories and other healthcare employers.   Most of these organizations can benefit from volunteer assistance, even if they don’t realize it.  So, think about how you might use this strategy before you go into the job interview.  Then, you can “raise your hand” and offer to help during your conversation with the recruiter.

The nature of that assistance can vary from workplace to workplace.  For instance, a medical office may need clerical help to convert paper charts to electronic medical records.  A rehabilitation center might need help in researching what supplier to use for its next equipment order.  And almost every healthcare organization can use a new or improved social media program.

So, ask the interviewer for an opportunity to demonstrate your skills and commitment by taking on a project or assignment as a volunteer.  It’s a very effective way to separate yourself from the crowd.

Technology will play an increasingly important role in the cost-effective delivery of healthcare services in the coming years, and experienced IT professionals will be in high demand.  There are several key reasons for this trend:

• More and more physician groups, hospitals and other providers are adopting electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) systems.  After the initial investment and learning curve, EMR/EHR systems have the potential to improve clinical care and provide operational efficiencies.  In addition, being able to send patient data from one provider to another in a consistent format will be essential with the growing adoption of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other integrated delivery models.
• Mobile technology will make it easier for patients and families to connect with their physicians and clinics in non-traditional ways.  For example, some hospital ERs are using text messages to promote their services.  Other providers have developed mobile applications to provide healthcare information or strengthen their ties with patients and families.
• Consumers today are using social media, websites and other online services to learn more about medical conditions, check references on healthcare providers or get information and medications and side effects.  Physician and hospital rating services are becoming more popular as well, and healthcare organizations have learned the importance of responding to online comments and opinions.
• Healthcare organizations of all sizes need robust networks with “big pipes” capable of conveying large quantities of data - such as radiographic images - to the diagnostic or treating physician.  Organizations also need to invest in new data mining and business intelligence tools that take advantage of existing databases.

Clearly, IT professionals are becoming strategic partners with caregivers and administrators in achieving an organization’s quality, cost and revenue objectives.  If you are considering an IT career, you may want to focus on the healthcare sector - a field with almost limitless possibilities for the future.

BEN GLATZER TO LEAD ALL MEDICAL PERSONNEL’S NEW EXECUTIVE SEARCH DIVISION

HOLLYWOOD, FL (August 9, 2012) – All Medical Personnel, a national leader in healthcare staffing for more than two decades, today announced that Ben Glatzer will lead the company’s new Executive Search Division.

Glatzer was formerly the owner of CareSearchers, a national search firm that was recently acquired by All Medical Personnel. “Ben is a great addition to our team,” said Neil Bernstein, president. “He has extensive experience in finding and recruiting high-level professionals and executives for clients throughout the healthcare sector.”

Like the company’s other staffing services, the All Medical Executive Search team is available 24 hours everyday to respond quickly to client needs and provide the highest level of service. “Now, we offer our clients a ‘one-stop’ service for finding staff at literally any level of their organizations,” added Bernstein.

Since its founding in 1990, All Medical Personnel has served the staffing needs of the healthcare industry, offering per diem, project, temporary and permanent placements. Today, All Medical Personnel serves clients throughout the United States, including physician groups, hospitals, medical laboratories, ancillary service providers and regional health systems. For more information, go to: www.allmedstaffing.com.