Case Study: National Network Transforms Island Health Recruiting

Background: Hospital Needed Candidates Who Prefer the Rural Job Environment

Surrounded by islands and situated on the western edge of Washington's Padilla Bay, Island Health is a cornerstone of its community, running one of the only hospitals in the region. It provides critical healthcare to residents of three counties, plus the seasonal influx of tourists drawn to the area for whale-watching and tulip festivals.

This 5-star rated Medicare facility is one of the top 100 rural hospitals in the U.S., but in 2015, vacancies were sitting open for more than a year, sometimes two. Patients were waiting months to see a specialist or even their Primary Care doctor. Island Health leaders realized that to attract top talent, retain a full staff and mitigate burnout, they needed an experienced partner with a national network.

They needed a recruiting organization that understood how to source candidates and market its jobs to doctors who would see their role as more than just a stepping stone. They needed doctors who would prefer a 43-bed hospital and put down roots in their close-knit community, population 17,800.

They reached out to Provider Solutions & Development (PS&D), who they knew handled all the recruiting for the much larger nearby Providence health system. Island Health became PS&D’s first commercial client, launching a successful recruiting partnership that still thrives today.

Challenges: Physician Retention, Specialist Shortages, Attracting Candidates to Smaller Community

Island Health describes itself as a small but mighty health system. Recruiting and retaining employees is essential to ensure that its rural region has adequate health access and positive outcomes. Its challenges reflect those of similar suburban communities:

• Difficulty with retention. It’s challenging to recruit providers who don’t look at an Island Health role as a pitstop on their way to a bigger hospital in a bigger city. Long-term fit is paramount for Island Health, since onboarding and training a new provider takes a great deal of time, resources and money. It needs candidates who won’t just take the job for a year, but who will put down roots in the community and stay.

• Specialist scarcity. Doctors at Island Health are resourceful and creative in treating complex cases, but if they need to refer to specialists, those resources are sometimes outside the community.

• Higher staffing shortages. According to the National Rural Health Association, the physician-to-patient ratio in rural areas is just 39 Primary Care physicians per 100,000 people, compared to 53 physicians per 100,000 in urban areas. These shortages typically extend to support staff, including medical assistants and nurses.

• Less anonymity. In rural communities, doctors are a bit like celebrities. Physicians may enjoy being appreciated and honored, but they also can have a hard time walking down the street without being recognized — and maybe even stopped for medical advice. It takes the right candidate to enjoy and even prefer a more rural environment.

Approach: Tapping Into National Reach and an Emphasis on Nurturing Candidates Long-Term

Since day one, PS&D Senior Recruiter Nick Boring has been up for the challenge. Nurturing relationships and building trust with Island Health was key. Nick visited Anacortes and met CEO Elise Cutter, Executive Business Partner Kim Graf, and the rest of the Island Health team. He toured the hospital and experienced the community firsthand.

Nick used a personalized approach to get to know candidates as well, evaluating if they’d be happy long-term working at Island Health hospital and living in Anacortes.

Sourcing was a key differentiator that Kim noticed as she began to work with Nick. He could cast a wide net and had the bandwidth to nurture relationships with candidates over time.

Nick was able to hire several providers within the first two years, which he attributes to the fact that PS&D can scale quickly and has a national reach — two things critical to recruiting physicians.

“Speed is important. When positions sit open for too long, it can be harmful — for patients who are having to wait longer, and for health systems, which suffer from lack of revenue,” Nick says. “Our priority was to get in there and get things moving for Island, and I was pleased we were able to do that.”

Over the years, and especially during the height of the pandemic, there have been ebbs and flows in Island’s staffing needs and budget.

“No matter what we were going through, we knew that PS&D was there for us and proactively searching for the ideal doctor for each opening,” Kim says. “That’s one thing about Nick — he never gives up on finding the right provider and that has been invaluable for us.”

Kim says she finds Nick’s approach reassuring.

“I trust Nick,” Kim says. “He knows Island Health. He knows who is going to be a good fit here, and who won’t be. When he sends a candidate my way, I’m excited, because I know he’s really vetted that person. I know there’s a strong chance they’re going to be a good fit.

“PS&D makes it possible for small rural hospitals to compete with the larger health systems for qualified candidates. They’re very thorough with their screening, and they stay aligned with our needs. We’ve had many strong candidates come through them.”

Solutions: Proactive Outreach, ‘Always-On’ Recruiting and Full-Service Marketing

In addition to sourcing top-tier candidates, Nick immediately began advising Kim on how to sharpen and shift Island’s recruiting strategy.

“PS&D helped us realize we needed to be proactive with our recruitment efforts,” Kim says. “For a long time, we were reactive — only opening up a search when we had a vacancy to fill. But with PS&D’s guidance, we’ve been more successful by taking a strategic, bold approach. Now, with Nick’s help, we consistently recruit.”

PS&D’s national network of 1.3 million providers and full-service marketing team gives Island Health the exposure it needs. Nick and the PS&D team, which have the ability to reach 92% of the nation’s physicians, NPs and PAs, have become a seamless extension of Island’s own hiring department.

Part of what makes the partnership work so well, Nick says, is that it’s a two-way street.

“There was one point where we identified some gaps in benefits, and when we brought this to Island’s attention, they added those options to their plan. They’re very receptive to feedback,” he says.

Nick continues to assess Island’s recruitment data, through physician and community needs assessments, to continually evolve their recruiting strategy.

Results: High Physician Retention Rate, Opening New Service Lines, Low Time-to-Fill

Today, Island Health maintains a high physician retention rate, Kim says.

“Our physician recruitment efforts focus on patient access and growth,” she says. “With help from PS&D, we’ve been able to add the providers we need to open up more service lines to meet our community needs.”

One particularly key hire, a Urologist, helped Island re-open and expand that service line, which had been dormant for years.

“I first engaged with this physician during the early stages of the pandemic. I knew he’d be a good fit. He loves hunting and fishing, and he wanted to live in the Anacortes area,” Nick says. “We stayed in touch for 18 months while Island put the position on hold. I made sure to email him or call him once a month.”

Recruiting a specialist for a service line that didn’t exist yet was challenging, Nick says, but the consistent connection paid off when Island was able to hire him. Now, patients don’t have to leave the community when they need to see a Urologist.

Island Health: Top Benefits of Working With PS&D

1. Deep understanding of health systems. PS&D has a vast network and national reach, partnering with over 100 integrated delivery systems, hospitals and medical groups. PS&D offers guidance on national recruiting trends and strategies, access to hundreds of jobs boards and national marketing efforts.

2. Thorough screening process. PS&D builds and maintains relationships with providers throughout their careers so we can match them with roles, locations and work cultures that align with their expectations and improve chances of long-term fit and fulfillment, both on and off the job.

3. Personalization. PS&D recruiters serve as consultants. Nick continues to work with Kim and the Island Health team to evolve their strategy, innovate to meet new challenges and recruit with a proactive approach.

Impact of Partnership

• Providers hired: 20
• Service lines opened or expanded: 4
• Average providers hired per year: 3-5
• Average time-to-fill: 9-12 months

PS&D and Island Health: A Partnership That Continues to Thrive

Island Health and PS&D share similar values, which helps explain why the partnership continues to thrive. Island is committed to investing in their people and supporting the Anacortes community, today and in the future.

“Physician recruitment is about relationships. It’s a people business. That has been key to our partnership with PS&D. It’s about our relationship with Nick and the team, and it’s about PS&D’s relationship with medical schools, residency programs and physicians. We enjoy our partnership and the success it continues to bring.”
~ Elise Cutter, CEO, Island Health

“Physician recruitment is about relationships. It’s a people business,” Elise says. “That has been key to our partnership with PS&D. It’s about our relationship with Nick and the team, and it’s about PS&D’s relationship with medical schools, residency programs and physicians. We enjoy our partnership and the success it continues to bring.”

As the physician shortage and financial pressure continues to affect health systems across the country, Nick remains a steadfast advocate for Island Health, helping the organization reduce turnover and improve its bottom line.

“Our partnership with Island is a great example of how we can come in as a third party and complement a health system’s existing recruiting efforts,” Nick says. “It starts and ends with building that trusted partnership. Kim and I have worked together for so many years on so many positions.

“We’ve given each other a lot of honest feedback. Our working relationship is less transactional. Every phone call, she asks how my son is doing — we have that kind of rapport. We also have the same goals, and it’s really satisfying when we can hire that ideal fit, and we both feel really good about it.”

PS&D works with healthcare organizations of all kinds to solve recruiting challenges big and small. If you’re ready to build a lasting partnership that helps you reach your provider recruitment goals, from marketing to sourcing to interviewing and beyond, PS&D is here to help. Reach out today.