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(L-R): James Ross, Tina Prescott and Ron Hill, all Vice Presidents of Hospital Services for West Tennessee Healthcare, prepare to meet with service-line medical directors.

In today’s healthcare environment, physicians and hospitals find themselves in many types of relationships with one another, some symbiotic and some adversarial. Those on the frontlines of healthcare management in West Tennessee, like their counterparts across the country, face this daily. Like any relationship, though, key elements can make it work.

Hospital-physician relationships on a fundamental level are based on the fact they need one another. Physicians enable hospitals to provide a full range of healthcare services to the community. While hospitals, in turn, offer the physician the environment in which to use their knowledge, ability and skills in the practice of modern medicine.

In West Tennessee, the hospital-physician relationship is enhanced by a common goal of compassionate quality care for patients, said Steve Grubbs, CEO for Regional Hospital of Jackson. “A hospital’s purpose is to provide the care prescribed by the physician. At the end of the day, we all want to do this in an efficient and compassionate manner, and we all are passionate when it comes to issues relating to patient care.”

“Our goals as a hospital and those of a physician are not that far apart; we all want to provide excellent care,” said James Ross, vice president of hospital services at West Tennessee Healthcare. “Being a community-owned hospital, our physicians are just as invested in the community as we are. We all rely on each other and, because of that, we understand more about one another, how we operate and work toward a common goal of providing quality patient care.”

“At West Tennessee Healthcare, high quality compassionate healthcare is our mission,” said Tina Prescott, vice president of hospital services for West Tennessee Healthcare. “We are all part of a team and have to work together to accomplish our mission. Doing what is best for the patient is in line with what the physician wants to do, and it is what drives what we do and how we make decisions.”

“I like the saying, ‘people won’t care how much you know...until they know how much you care,’” Grubbs said. “We are all passionate about providing excellent care, and I’ve found that this common bond is a catalyst for building solid relationships.”

Communication is also an important factor in building a strong relationship between hospitals and physicians. “Communication is the key,” said Grubbs. “Most often conflicts are easily resolved by just listening to the concern(s) and serving as a mediator while the parties work through an issue. Physician relationship issues are normally centered around both parties wanting what is best for their patients.”

“It is about respect,” said Ron Hill, vice president of hospital services for West Tennessee Healthcare. “To do a good job, we have to work on it, communicate our goals and what we want to accomplish. It is not our business to tell a physician how to practice; they have autonomy in their practice of medicine. When there is an issue, we have to get down to the basics of what is best for the patient.”

“I work very hard to gain the support and trust of our medical staff,” Grubbs added. “I think the most important characteristic to have in order to build a relationship is that of integrity. I want to be viewed as someone who is honest, trustworthy, and dependable. It is always difficult to tell someone something that they may not like, or want to hear. But to build a friendship and/or relationship we must be willing to do that.”

Regular departmental meetings have been a traditional means of increasing communication with medical staff and hospital personnel. Service-line medical directors are another tool that can help communication and understanding between hospitals and the medical staff. As a service-line medical director, a physician takes a leadership role in the management of a medical department.

“Many of these physicians have demonstrated their leadership skills in other areas and are interested in improving the department,” said Hill. “Being a service-line medical director can provide a physician an insightful education on the complexity and dynamics of running a hospital. But the education is on both sides; they learn some things and they teach us some things as well.”

Unfortunately, the relationship between hospitals and physicians can be adversarial at times. Many economic pressures facing both parties, such as managed care and reimbursement, can put the hospital-physician relationship at odds. “Physicians, like hospitals, continue to feel pressure from decreases in payments combined with rising costs,” said Grubbs. “In today’s healthcare environment I think you see a greater effort on both sides to integrate. Physician employment, and service-line joint ventures and investments are becoming much more commonplace.”

“We want our medical staff and the hospital to be collaborative in their efforts. It can be a difficult business to be in at times, but physicians deal with many of the same issues in their practice that the hospital faces,” said Prescott. “By involving our physicians in the management of service-lines be it as a service-line medical director or joining forces as a medical directorship team, we get past some of the issues unique to a smaller rural area.”

“I view my role as one who manages relationships,” said Grubbs. “Physicians desire the best possible care for their patients and so does the hospital. To provide this high level of care, we must focus on building relationships with our physicians so that they feel comfortable in communicating their needs and feel confident that the hospital will respond appropriately in a timely and consistent manner. The relationship dynamic is the same regardless of whether a physician is employed.”



June 2008

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