Rusk County Memorial Hospital's nurse practitioner hospitalist program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Rural Health
• Physician Recruitment & Retention

Background:

• Rural hospitals face challenges in recruiting and retaining primary care physicians.
• Physician burnout due to call burden and inpatient rounding is a significant issue.
• Rusk hospital experienced a decline in services and patient volume due to physician shortages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the impact of establishing a hospitalist program on physician recruitment and retention in a rural hospital setting.
• To address the crisis of declining patient care and services caused by a lack of primary care physicians.
• To assess the feasibility and benefits of hospitalist programs in small, rural hospitals.

Main Methods:

• Rusk hospital initiated its own primary care clinic to address physician shortages.
• The hospital implemented a hospitalist program to attract and retain physicians seeking lifestyle balance.
• Analysis of the impact on physician recruitment, retention, and hospital services.

Main Results:

• The hospitalist program facilitated the recruitment of younger physicians.
• Implementing the program was crucial for retaining physicians and keeping the hospital operational.
• Despite lower patient census, the program addressed critical staffing needs.

Conclusions:

• Hospitalist programs are a viable strategy for rural hospitals to overcome physician recruitment and retention challenges.
• Addressing physician lifestyle concerns through hospitalist programs can ensure the sustainability of rural healthcare services.
• While costly, hospitalist programs offer significant benefits for rural healthcare access and hospital viability.