The Benchmark Email

...benchmarks, strategies and ideas for improving your agency
A service of Fazzi Associates, Inc.

July 30, 2007

Strategies for Attracting
High Quality Therapy Staff
 

Question: Given the CMS proposed regulation changes and their implications for therapy visits, the role of therapist will become more important than ever. A high quality therapy program is critical to the achievement of desired clinical and financial outcomes. With the shortage of available therapists across the healthcare continuum, how can home health agencies position themselves to attract the level of clinician really needed in this setting?

Answer: The primary tools currently in circulation for attracting therapy staff have been the flexibility of home health and offering a high level of pay. Sign on bonuses and pay rates continue to increase across many aspects of healthcare and it can be a challenge for home health to stand out as a viable and clinically challenging option. Although there is no magic formula guaranteed to bring a flock of therapists looking to join your agency, here are a few strategies to consider:

Strategy I: Focus On the Clinical Opportunities Available In Home Care: Home health is a unique practice setting available to therapy in which only one patient is seen at a time and an average visit length of 45 minutes is encouraged. Episodes of care are 60 days long, unlike a typical hospital stay, and care can be continued as long as it is medically necessary. Therapists in home health are called upon to case manage patients, looking beyond what is considered to be “traditional therapy” into such areas as medication management, family dynamics and the comprehensive assessment. This more holistic vision is one that can excite, entice and attract candidates.

Strategy III: Consider Therapist Recruitment as an Ongoing Process: When looking for therapists, timing can be everything. As opposed to a reactive staffing model, being proactive and looking for therapists year round can present opportunities that can be missed….and it doesn’t require running expensive ads all year. What’s the answer - “word of mouth” from the current staff. Happy clinicians want to bring more clinicians on board. Unhappy ones will scare potential staff in a matter of minutes. Letting staff know you are always willing to talk to therapists that might be interested opens the door to hiring opportunities as they present themselves.

Special Note: This benchmark email is being answered by Fazzi Associates newest member, Cindy Krafft, MS, PT, COS-C and vice-president of the American Physical Therapy .Cindy is one of home care’s most recognized and respected PT consultants. She is an outstanding trainer and presenter and author of numerous articles. Cindy will head up Fazzi’s Rehab Consultation Services.

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If you would like an individualized assessment of your therapy recruitment plan or are looking for insights into building the therapy team your agency needs, please contact Lindsay Doak ldoak@fazzi.com 413-584-5300 for more information.