Balancing excellent care with increasing patient volumes is a challenge many physicians encounter. Hiring additional physicians or Advanced Practice Providers (APP) may be a good option to consider to help reduce scheduling backlogs, which can support ongoing quality patient care and a solid revenue stream.
Properly onboarding a physician or an APP is a critical step to ensure that your standards of care and expectations are met.
First, you must identify which type of practitioner will be best suited for your practice. Is an APP the right option to support your operation, or would a second physician with their own panel of patients be more beneficial to the practice?
Once you’ve evaluated your needs and made your decision, you can begin your hunt for the perfect candidate through a search firm, or by posting the position on a medical job board such as the California Board of Registered Nursing, Physician Assistant Board, American Osteopathic Association, or American Medical Association.
As soon as you have found the right candidate, there are basic and essential steps you should take to ensure your new practitioner is currently licensed and in good standing with the State of California. A license status check should be made prior
to a formal job offer for the following:
MD - Medical Board of California
https://www.mbc.ca.gov/License-Verification/default.aspx
DO - Department of Consumer Affairs
https://www.ombc.ca.gov/consumers/license_ver.shtml
Physician Assistant https://search.dca.ca.gov/?BD=950&TP=9501
Nurse Practitioner https://www.rn.ca.gov/online/verify.shtml
Once you have confirmed the candidate is in good standing and have performed a background check, a formal offer can be made, and a start date put on the calendar.
Before the practitioner begins, you will want to make sure a structured onboarding program is in place to orient your new team member to the practice’s values, standards, and processes.
For detailed guidance and resources on physician and APP hiring and onboarding, please contact Andie Tena, Assistant Vice President of Practice Management Services at CAP, at ATena@CAPphysicians.com, or at 213-473-8630.
As a reminder, members must notify CAP when new providers join their practice. Please contact Membership Services at 800-610-6642 or via email at MS@CAPphysicians.com for assistance.
Andie Tena is CAP’s Assistant Vice President of Practice Management Services. Questions or comments related to this column should be directed to ATena@CAPphysicians.com.