Strategies to Enhance Physician Engagement

Healthcare reform and other externally driven healthcare initiatives have introduced a number of new healthcare requirements that are restructuring the way we provide healthcare services. With a growing focus on health plan efficiency and accountability for value-based performance metrics extending across the full spectrum of care, healthcare organizations are looking to develop new models of care to meet the needs of today's healthcare environment. Physician alignment and engagement are keys to success. But many physicians feel threatened, overwhelmed, and frustrated with the changes, and it's beginning to take its toll on physician attitudes and perspectives about care. Enhancing physician engagement requires a multistep process that includes making an effort to better understand their world; encouraging opportunities for input and participation in care redesign; providing education, training, guidance, and support; and making the effort to recognize and thank them for what they do.