Page 40 - Delaware Medical Journal - March/April 2019
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An HR Alternative
for the Modern Private
Medical Practice
Timothy O’Brien
So a doctor walks into the OR... sounds like the beginning of a good joke, right? Only, it’s no joke! The surgeon has protocols, procedures, and contingent plans in place to
ensure the best possible opportunity of a positive result. The physician has malpractice insurance in place to protect against an unforeseen or undesirable result.
informed by an employee that they have been sexually harassed by a co-worker or a key employee informs the doctor that they need
to take an extended leave to care for an ailing family member. Are there proper protocols, procedures, and contingent plans in place to ensure the best possible outcome? Is there Employment Practices Liability Insurance in place to protect against an unforeseen or undesirable result?
Any business with one or more employees must effectively execute a broad scope of HR management disciplines that involve payroll, host of employment challenges. For new, growing, and even mature medical practices, these responsibilities can become overwhelming,
draining valuable resources at a surprising pace. As the business of employment becomes more complex, many medical practices are discovering that outsourcing the HR function is a strategic business decision that makes sense.
HR CHALLENGES
Whether your practice is a start-up or an established medical practice, your business plan should address how you will recruit, manage, and retain physicians, medical support staff, and administrative personnel to properly protect, manage, and grow your business. Recruiting
and retaining quality employees with “in-demand” skills involves a complex set of responsibilities and challenges. Even with the best of intentions, lacking the proper protocols, policies, and employment does exist.
Consider the time, human power, and resources necessary to tackle the most basic employment responsibilities of just a few employees and the exponential impact as the practice grows. These basics may include:
> Payroll Processing and Tax Filing > Labor Laws and Compliance
> Employee Benefits Management > Unemployment Administration
> Workers’ Compensation > Risk Management
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Del Med J | March/April 2019 | Vol. 91 | No. 2
