How is it that Hospital CEOs Don’t Understand “Word of Mouth”​ and that Doctors are Talking to Each Other on Social Media?

HELPING HOSPITALS KEEP GOOD DOCTORS

How is it that Hospital CEOs Don’t Understand “Word of Mouth”​ and that Doctors are Talking to Each Other on Social Media?

Every business in the world understands the concept of “word of mouth”. If your customers love you then they will tell others and if they don’t then they will tell even more people. So, how is it that hospital CEOs don’t understand that their physicians are talking to each other? I see it on LinkedIn. I see it on FB. I see it on Twitter. If the environment at certain hospitals is nonconductive to their careers then these doctors will tell other physicians. And they say it over and over again in very descriptive and non-flattering terms. As a CEO, however, you may not see this because these online groups are private. Trust me, it is happening. I talk more about this in my book (just look on Amazon under Physician Retention).

The pain points for physicians are getting more pressing every day. Doctors feel isolated. Doctors feel lonely. Doctors are people, too. If administrators strengthen the relationships with them, care about them and connect with them and help them connect to each other, then you have more than a chance to fix this issue. You could even be one of those physician-friendly hospitals that doctors are talking about and that sure would make recruiting easier, wouldn’t it? Imagine a hospital where physicians recruit their friends!!! I’ve seen it. The end result is that they want to stay. And, again, that saves you money. 

So, how do you stop the chatter? You can’t. You can, however, put a Physician Retention Program in place to show you care and want to change the environment for the better. Great leaders, or great CEOs, create great environments. Your doctors will appreciate this effort only if it is done right. Doing it wrong will make things worse. 

If you are a CEO then you can make a positive change in the narrative in which your doctors are speaking. Or, do nothing and the negative narrative will leak virally. The choice is yours. Word of mouth of your customers (physicians) is much more important than you may know.