In today’s healthcare industry, physician engagement, leadership, recruitment and retention are more important than ever. For Patsy McNeil, MD, executive vice president and system chief medical officer at Gaithersburg, Md.-based Adventist HealthCare, the key to success is moving beyond just compensation, and fostering cultures of communication, inclusion and purpose.
Becker’s connected with Dr. McNeil to discuss her thoughts on best-strategies for retaining physicians, how certain leadership training can reduce workforce shortages, and why physician engagement affects patient care and hospital financial sustainability directly.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: Beyond recruitment, what strategies have you seen work best to retain physicians and strengthen workplace culture?
Dr. Patsy McNeil: There are several strategies that work best to retain physicians, but having an inclusive, wraparound approach is key. Too often, health systems either focus only on compensation as the driver — or ignore retention entirely. In today’s environment, a “compensation race” is expensive and unsustainable, while ignoring retention undermines business outcomes.
The real goal is keeping physicians engaged in the purpose of healthcare. Compensation should be fair, but the factors that matter most are inclusion, communication, and improving the work environment so that physicians can focus on being physicians. The acronym GROSS — “Getting Rid of Stupid Stuff” — is especially relevant. Whether it’s through documentation aids or workflow improvements, eliminating inefficiencies helps physicians avoid distractions and concentrate on patient care.
Equally important is clear, two-way communication. Physicians need to be part of strategy conversations, not just recipients of decisions. That kind of dialogue builds trust, aligns purpose, and should also include recognition of work well done.
Finally, leadership development plays a central role. Building a strong physician leadership group that is educated about industry headwinds, aligned with organizational goals, and clear on expectations helps spread a positive culture throughout the system. Within this group, you can drive expectations for care delivery and professional conduct — behaviors that shape the broader workforce, strengthen engagement, and ultimately improve outcomes.
Key strategies include:
- Creating a clinical environment that allows physicians to focus solely on patient care.
- Strengthening communication through inclusion, bidirectional dialogue and recognition.
- Building intentional physician leadership programs that align individual purpose with organizational strategy.
Q: How can leadership training and physician engagement programs help mitigate the effects of workforce shortages?
PM: Simon Sinek says, “People don’t quit jobs, they quit bad leadership.” That statement rings especially true in medicine. Physicians rarely receive adequate leadership training, and when they either don’t lead well — or are not led well — the effects ripple across engagement, quality outcomes, patient experience and more.
Poor leadership, whether from physicians or administrators, unintentionally drives turnover and contributes to workforce shortages. Disengaged physicians can also erode day-to-day culture, weakening the sense of purpose that keeps the clinical workforce motivated.
On the other hand, when leaders are well-trained, skilled and lead authentically, they can stabilize culture, mitigate turnover, and drive stronger results. These efforts must go beyond baseline training. Hospitals and practices need deliberate, tactical engagement plans designed for their unique realities — plans that are supported at the highest levels of leadership and reviewed regularly for impact.
At the end of the day, the goal is to attract and retain physicians, then build such loyalty and engagement that the culture itself becomes a draw — an environment where physicians can fulfill their purpose of delivering high-quality healthcare.
Key strategies include:
- Providing physicians with formal leadership training so they can lead authentically and effectively.
- Designing tactical, hospital-specific engagement programs backed by senior leadership.
- Creating a culture of loyalty and purpose that naturally attracts and retains physicians.
Q: What role does physician engagement play in improving both patient outcomes and hospital financial performance?
PM: Physician engagement has a direct and measurable impact on both patient care and financial outcomes. Press Ganey’s 2024 Physician Experience Report emphasizes this, showing that engaged physicians consistently deliver better patient experiences and outcomes.
When physicians feel aligned with leadership and supported by reasonable work conditions, both retention and patient experience improve. The data also highlights the financial implications: highly engaged physicians generate more than $450,000 in additional patient revenue per physician each year.
Engagement isn’t just about numbers; it translates into high-quality care, safer and more efficient operations, stronger patient satisfaction, and ultimately a more sustainable model for hospitals.
Key impacts of physician engagement include:
- Enhancing patient care and safety through higher quality and efficiency.
- Strengthening physician retention, which stabilizes teams and culture.
- Driving financial sustainability, with significant gains in annual revenue per physician.
Q: From your experience, what are the most effective steps health systems can take to prioritize patient safety while facing workforce shortages?
Even with limited resources, there is always an opportunity to innovate in thought, process, or approach. Physicians and nurses are deeply results-driven; they want to provide excellent care. What undermines that drive is a constant focus on shortages, whether of staff or materials. That narrative erodes motivation rather than inspiring solutions.
Regardless of resources, health systems can always improve safety by streamlining policies and processes in ways that make care both safer and more efficient. A yearly Culture of Safety survey is a strong starting point, providing a baseline for improvement and showing physicians how the system is measuring progress.
Too often, physicians don’t have visibility into what safety work the hospital is already doing or how they can contribute. By involving and inviting them into multidisciplinary groups, they see not only their own challenges but also the struggles and successes of their colleagues. When physicians are included in problem-solving and physician influencers actively lean into process improvement, the culture shifts. The result is a system that becomes measurably safer for patients.
Key steps include:
- Conducting an annual Culture of Safety survey to establish a baseline and measure progress.
- Inviting physicians into multidisciplinary problem-solving to increase visibility and ownership.
- Empowering physician influencers to champion process improvement and strengthen safety culture across the system.
