One of the primary goals for a physician liaison is growing admissions from referring physicians, mid-level providers and other clinicians to the health system.
That said, as value based care initiatives take hold, forward thinking health systems are expanding the liaison role to fill the needs of network development, engagement with network physicians, and advancing collaboration among providers throughout all levels of care, internal and external to the health system.
These health system leaders not only recognize the destructive nature of departmental silos and turf wars, they are taking swift steps to eliminate them while implementing strategies that enable cooperation, mutual respect and shared successes. Skill development in consultative communication for leaders, managers, physician liaisons and others equips these individuals with the ability to understand and assist providers with the challenges that are unique to community physicians and post-acute providers.
Some physician liaisons serve a "customer service" / "physician representation" function, whereby the liaison would elicit complaints or issues about the hospital to take to management to resolve. Of course, any assurances made by the liaison are at risk. Sometimes the issues do not rise to the level of priority within the hospital, and other times the requests or complaints by the physician are viewed as unreasonable, or the issues with the hospital are overstated.
However, since few liaisons receive the training required to 1) constructively communicate with physicians on a professional level, and 2) discern real issues to be addressed vs those to be managed within the physician office, health system executives are often unaware of the problems referring physicians encounter.
Although health systems and independent hospitals have different needs and expectations for liaison staff, there are several areas all liaisons can benefit from learning, such as:
• Demonstrating an intent to help providers solve problems,
• Engaging providers around their needs and interests and
• Building affinity with physicians around patient-centered care.
Demonstrating an Intent to Help Providers Solve Problems and Attain Goals
The liaison's intention in meeting with a physician can either build trust and pave the way for collaborative partnership, or create feelings of suspicion and discontent. Too often liaisons' intentions revolve around "receiving more referrals", "talking about hospital services", "referral processes and expectations" - all of which send the message to physicians: "We want something from you".
Intentions are demonstrated in the content of our communication – questions we ask, our responses to the physician's comments – and in voice tone, body language, and demonstrated thinking processes.
Understanding the ramifications of ACA on the physician and the group practice, spending time in a physician office, being informed on how your organization is looking to align with providers and receiving training in the right communication skills will help liaisons gain clarity on framing intentions and inspiring interest.
Engaging Providers Around Their Needs and Interests
Inviting physicians "to participate" in hospital planning processes, exercises in alignment strategies and/or discussions on their greater involvement can be easily misinterpreted by the physician as "taking up my time to assure I refer to your health system". Understanding and displaying insight about the physician's perspectives is a critical first step toward engagement. For the most part, physicians are paid when they provide clinical care, and participating in planning projects, as important as they may be, takes time away from their primary responsibility and source of income.
Building Affinity Around Patient Care
Although the current process of change in our healthcare industry seems highly volatile, the industry has been in a continuous state of change dating back to at least the introduction of Medicare's Prospective Payment System in the early 1980s. One notable factor that is unchanged and especially relevant today is physicians' dedicated interest and diligence in caring for their patients. The clear majority of physicians hold medical care, appropriate treatment and patient well-being above all else.
If, as liaisons and other physician contact personnel you want to build collaboration with physicians, consider your understanding of physician priorities and your agendas for meetings and discover more effective ways to approach them.
Kathleen Harkins is principal of Harkins Associates, a healthcare consulting and training firm focused in business development, consultative selling and strategic communication. Ms. Harkins brings twenty-five years of expertise in both healthcare and business development / communications to client organizations helping them achieve sustainable growth through a variety of initiatives, including referral development, physician engagement, ACO expansion and employer-direct programs (provider-owned health plans and wellness programs). She has authored numerous healthcare training programs, including Healthcare Consultative Selling™ and has conducted hundreds of seminars over the course of her career.
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