If you’re considering a career in healthcare, take a look at becoming a physician assistant (PA).  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment is expected to grow much faster than average, and job opportunities for PAs should be particularly strong in rural and inner-city healthcare facilities.

There are two key reasons that physicians, hospitals and other healthcare institutions are expected to hire more PAs in the next decade. The first is growing overall demand for healthcare services with the continued aging of the 77 million Boomer generation. The second is productivity. By providing primary care services and assisting with medical and surgical procedures, PAs help physicians make better use of their time.

In general, PAs are valued members of an organization’s healthcare team, providing diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive services under the direction of a physician.  PAs must complete an accredited education program and pass a national exam to obtain a license, and many professionals have college degrees and other healthcare experience.

While the exact duties vary from employer to employer, PAs typically take medical histories and examine patients. They may order laboratory and radiology tests and make diagnoses. Many PAs can treat minor injuries as well. They advise patients and may be able to prescribe some medications.

Recognizing their importance to the healthcare system, many states are allowing PAs to take on more responsibilities under their licensing programs.  In medically underserved areas, such as rural communities and urban clinics, PAs may become the principal providers of healthcare services.  They may consult with physicians via regular meetings or phone or video conferences as needed.  As a well-established healthcare staffing provider, All Medical Personnel is continually seeking qualified PAs for potential assignments, and we invite you to explore these career opportunities.

In just a few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).  Since its passage in 2010, the far-reaching federal act has been challenged by 26 states and a number of business organizations.  Now, the court will hear more than six hours of oral arguments on March 26-28, deliberate for perhaps a month or longer, and then issue its decision.

Whatever the outcome, the Supreme Court ruling will have a profound impact on the nation’s healthcare system, impacting patient access to care, insurance, reimbursement, staffing, technology and other issues affecting the livelihoods of physicians, hospitals and other providers.

If the court upholds the act – or at least some of its provisions – approximately 16 million more Americans will have Medicaid coverage beginning in 2014.  Since only about two-thirds of physicians now accept Medicaid patients, those providers will need to make plans to increase their staffing to address that higher demand.  Another 16 million Americans would be eligible for health insurance coverage in 2014 through the “individual mandate,” again increasing patient demand for healthcare services.

On the other hand, the court could agree with the act’s opponents, who call it an overreach of federal authority, and strike down the entire act, or some of its provisions.  That could put more regulatory power back in the hands of the states, and undoubtedly leading to more litigation in the future.  It’s also possible that the court could decide to wait until 2014, when the act’s provisions go into effect, before tackling some or all of the substantive issues.  In any case, this spring will be a momentous time for U.S. healthcare providers, who are hoping for a court decision that shows them a clear path forward.

One of the nation’s biggest medical conferences is just a few weeks away, and All Medical Personnel’s locum tenens team will be part of the trade show.  Hospital Medicine 2012 (HM12), taking place April 1-4 in San Diego, will offer physicians an opportunity to re-energize their practices, and learn about the latest research, clinical care advancements, and recent innovations in their fields.

It’s an ideal opportunity to connect with other subspecialists, build your professional network, and explore new career options, such as locum tenens opportunities.  Based on All Medical Personnel’s 20-plus years of locum tenens experience, these temporary or long-term placements offer significant benefits for physicians and other healthcare professionals, including:

• Flexibility.  You can choose a schedule that meets your needs.  That might mean working for several weeks at a different organization in a nearby community or spending the summer at a popular seasonal destination.
• Work-family balance.  A locum tenens assignment can help you find a healthy balance between work and family responsibilities.  That’s particularly important to parents of young children or caregivers for aging parents.
• New experiences.  You can gain experience in different clinical settings, handling different types of cases and working with new patient populations.

Hospital Medicine 2012 will be the largest national conference in hospital medicine, offering countless education and networking opportunities in a broad range of practice areas.  The HM11 conference brought together 2,700 healthcare professionals focused on transforming healthcare and revolutionizing patient care, and an even larger number of attendees is expected this year.

Take a moment and talk with All Medical Personnel’s locum tenens team at Booth 724.  For more information on Hospital Medicine 2012, go to: http://hospitalmedicine2012.org.

In light of federal and state pressures to reduce costs, healthcare organizations will need to clearly demonstrate they are delivering better value.  That was one of the key findings in a recent report by the PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) Health Research Institute.  In its study, the PwC institute forecast the top healthcare trends for 2012, along with consumer data from online surveys of 1,000 U.S. adults.

The PwC report found that 52 percent of respondents would be interested in a value-based insurance plan. For example, such a plan might have lower fees for treatments known to be effective, while new treatments with unproven benefits would cost more.

Another key finding was that 65 percent of the people surveyed believe that health plans should offer a wide range of choices in terms of hospitals, doctors and treatment options. That’s an important consideration for healthcare organizations now in the process of building integrated partnerships and alliances to deliver more cost-efficient care.  In the last year, health insurers committed more than $2 billion to acquire or align with physician groups, clinics, and hospitals, according to PwC.

Finally, the PwC report also noted that more than half of respondents (52 percent) who were familiar with the health insurance exchange concept said they believe it will be easier to find and purchase a competitive health plan when the exchange markets open to consumers in 2014.

So it’s clear that consumers want value and choice from their providers, along with a lower cost of care.  Finding the right balance will be a continuing challenge for healthcare organizations of all sizes.

If you’re interested in downloading the full PwC report, click here.

If you are seeking a career in the healthcare sector, taking a temporary position makes a great deal of sense.  Perhaps you are a physician, nurse, laboratory technician, administrator or support person who already has at least some experience in your chosen line of work.  Accepting a temporary employment position allows you to get a first-hand impression of the workplace, the patients or clients, and the roles and personalities of the current staffers.  It’s an ideal way to find out if a hospital, physician’s office, laboratory or other setting is the right one for you on a long-term basis. It certainly lowers the risk of making a bad choice – both for you and the healthcare organization.

A temporary staffing position can be even more valuable if you are making a career change into healthcare. Let’s say you recently earned your nursing degree or lab tech credentials. In that case, a temporary position allows you to get your foot in the door with a potential long-term employer.  It lets you develop and use your skills and training, so that you have practical on-the-job experience to go with your degree or credentials. That gives you more material for your resume and a potential reference from the temporary employer if you decide to continue your career search elsewhere.

In both situations, you can be on the job, building your confidence, earning money, and putting your skills to work helping others – without necessarily making a permanent commitment. Instead, you have flexibility in regard to scheduling and in the length of a temporary assignment – an important consideration if you have young children or are planning to start a family.  That flexibility is also important if you may need to relocate in the not-too-distant future.  If you are interested in temporary employment in the healthcare and  insurance sectors, All Medical Personnel can help you achieve your goals!

Imagine that you’re a recruiter responsible for filling a vacant healthcare position.  One candidate arrives in a freshly ironed blouse and blazer, shakes the recruiter’s hand firmly, makes eye contact and waits to be invited to sit down.  A second candidate shows up in a wrinkled t-shirt, mumbles a hello and plops down in the chair.  Which one do you think has the better chance of landing the job?

When in any job interview, your appearance and your actions make a big difference in the outcome.  Recruiters respond much more positively to a candidate who looks and acts like a professional.  Here are several suggestions for making a good impression.

• Dress like a professional.  That usually means wearing a suit to the interview.  Make sure it’s clean and pressed, with no dog or cat hair on the sleeves.  Wear dress shoes, not sandals.
• Get a haircut or a trim before the interview.  Again, a neat and tidy hairdo beats an unkempt mane any time.
• Present a clean, fresh face.  Wash your skin and don’t overdo the makeup.
• Practice your handshake - not too firm and not too limp.
• Speak like a professional.  Your voice should have a warm and friendly conversational tone.
• Use healthcare-related words.  When talking with the recruiter, be sure to throw in a few technical terms or other healthcare-related words.  That helps to convey your professional knowledge and understanding of the position.
• Role play with a friend.  If you’re not sure about your appearance, manners or conversational ability, hold a practice interview with a friend or family member.  It’s a great way to spot any flaws in advance so you can make a great impression during the interview when it really counts.

If you’re a practicing physician, your work life revolves around seeing patients, diagnosing and treating their conditions.  In that regard, technology plays a key supporting role.  As patient data is converted to the electronic medical record (EMR), you will have faster and easier access to radiology and lab reports, current prescriptions and prior conditions.  It’s a much better system than flipping through page after page of another doctor’s written notes, or wondering if the file is complete.

But the EMR is just one of the ways the continuing advance of technology is changing medical practices.  As network bandwidth keeps increasing, video will become an increasingly common form of communication from hospital to doctor, from doctor to doctor and from patient to doctor.  That evolution of video, combined with the rapid proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, opens the door to new types of patient encounters.

Technology also creates new growth opportunities for your practice, by removing two big obstacles to office visits: geographic distance and time constraints.  For example, a patient could use a mobile device with a two-way video connection to describe her symptoms and send real-time images of the affected area, while you access her medical history from your database. Once you have made the diagnosis, you could send her an e-prescription for immediate downloading, and upload your notes and the video conversation to her EMR.  While “e-consultations” will not be suitable for all patients or practice areas, they are likely to grow in importance, particularly for general practitioners and primary care clinics.  So, keep building those technology skills to stay current with trends in healthcare delivery.

Having a strong social media presence is an important aspect of a healthcare job search strategy for administrators, physicians, nurses, lab techs, therapists and other professionals.  Recruiters today regularly visit LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to take a closer look at a potential job candidate.  Therefore, your information on those sites needs to be accurate and up-to-date, while highlighting your skills and experience.  Here are several suggestions for developing an effective strategy.

• Make a list of all your social media sites (including older ones like Friendster or MySpace) and see what your profile looks like.  You could do a quick online search for your name to be sure you have all the sites, and uncover any potential surprises. Remember that a recruiter can also do a quick search on your name.
•  Update your profiles to reflect your current position, skills and accomplishments.  Make sure to highlight information that will support your job search, such as “15 years of hospital nursing experience,” or “strong financial skills including A/R management.”
• Be sure you have appropriate privacy settings for Facebook, particularly if you have uploaded personal photos or comments that you don’t want a potential employer to see.  Do the same thing for your Twitter account.
• Consider uploading a YouTube video where you discuss your accomplishments and career goals.  This gives a recruiter a chance to “meet you” prior to a face-to-face interview.  Include a link to your video in your job search emails or other social media accounts.
• Join relevant social media groups, including business, alumni and civic organizations.  It gives you a chance to network online, and make new professional contacts. It won’t get you a job, but it might open the door to your next interview!

One of the key provisions in the 2010 federal healthcare reform law focused on better coordination of patient care through the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).  The idea was to move away from the traditional fee-for-service model in which a patient might get multiple bills from different providers of diagnostic or treatment services. 

Under an ACO, those providers would team up to treat an individual patient across care settings, including doctor’s offices, hospitals, and long-term facilities.  The Medicare Shared Savings Program will reward ACOs that lower health care costs while meeting certain quality standards. 

 ”For too long, it has been too difficult for health care providers to work together to coordinate and improve the care their patients receive,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last April.  “That has real consequences: patients have gaps in their care, receive duplicative care, or are at increased risk of suffering from medical mistakes.   Accountable Care Organizations will improve coordination and communication among doctors and hospitals, improve the quality of the care their patients receive, and help lower costs.”

Now, after tinkering with the rules and incentive programs in 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency administering the voluntary ACO program, is ready to accept applications.   Analysts expect the first ACOs to launch in April.   The results will be followed closely by healthcare organizations throughout the country to see if this concept will make a difference.  But with its goals of lowering cost and providing more coordinated care, the ACO concept is clearly pointing the way to the future delivery of healthcare services.

Locum tenens physicians ensure continuity and quality of care for your patients, help preserve your referral networks, and generate revenue.  Though each client situation is unique, below are the top reasons we find our clients using locum tenens.

1. Coverage for a physician, who is on vacation, has taken ill or on maternity leave.
2. Often, clients need locum tenens coverage while perm recruiting.  This allows for continued revenue streams and patient care as well as preventing physician burnout within the existing practice.
3. Many of our clients utilize locums physicians to test new service lines and new markets to assess the potential for expanding revenue streams.
4. Clients enjoy the ability to work with a physician on a temporary basis prior to offering them a permanent contract.  This “working interview” scenario is an excellent option for the provider as well as the client and makes the transition to a new practice more seamless.
5. Supplemental staff.  Many clients like the flexibility that locum tenens give their practice.  They can have a reoccurring provider as a part of the staff without having to worry about a long term contract.