ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Tips for Creating a Dynamic Otolaryngology Workforce

by Andrew J. Tompkins, MD, MBA • July 13, 2022

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

One of the uncomfortable truths of medicine is that we compete against one another. We have a shared history, having gone through the crucible of training together—in some cases even in the same program, at the same time. Many of us are friends. Some of the things that attracted me to our specialty and that I continue to be enamored by are the intellect and kindness of our members.

You Might Also Like

No related posts.

Explore This Issue
July 2022

But we must also grapple with the fact that as high-minded, compassionate, and friendly as we are, we still compete with one another. And our organizations’ growth aspirations and our shared marketplace’s competitive dynamics have real implications for the complexion of our workforce.

Andrew J. Tompkins, MD, MBATransparent outcome data, with appropriate controls, that patients care about should replace the current quality mandates put out by CMS. These transparency changes allow for more efficient allocation of capital—patients will choose to go where they perceive the value is, and workforce changes will follow. —Andrew J. Tompkins, MD, MBA

One of the most basic structural elements of our workforce is our practice environment (hospital, private practice, academic center, etc.). Where job seekers go will largely depend on work availability in these environments, which, of course, will vary geographically and over time. Even group size is changing over time, with unique otolaryngology practices on the decline and a trend toward larger practice size (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2022;6:1–6). Whether from competitive dynamics, practice expenses, or real-term decline in physician fee schedule payments, job creation through solo practice is waning. Therefore, job opportunities are increasingly set through the labor demand in these larger practice environments, which are based on things like referral volume, subspecialty need, and advanced practice provider (APP) integration. Of these items, referral volume is paramount for creating job opportunities. The upshot is that if referrals aren’t growing in a given practice environment, the preferences of a job seeker matter little—they have to take what’s available.

Medical Market Details

Before exploring competition for patient visits, we should take a step back and examine what competition looks like in a normal workplace market. In a normal market, competition occurs based on consumer value. Firms jockey to provide different products to different market segments at different costs. Better quality and/or lower cost usually wins, and the consumer wins. Transparency of quality and cost is vital to optimizing consumer value.

Unfortunately, we don’t operate in such a market. We operate based on referral control with hidden quality and cost. Worse yet, we have disparate payments for the same service based on service location, with asymmetric inflation figures applied annually by our government. In 2020, for example, Medicare paid the average hospital 2.3 times more money for a level 3 follow-up visit than they did an average private practice (American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology code 99213, HCP Code Set G0463, CMS.gov 2020 payment files). Keep in mind, patients also pay that higher cost sharing for arguably the same service, and they have no idea how much they’re paying in advance. Normal markets don’t operate like this.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 | Single Page

Filed Under: Departments, Home Slider, Viewpoint Tagged With: career development, otolaryngologyIssue: July 2022

You Might Also Like:

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • What Happens to Medical Students Who Don’t Match?
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Why We Get Colds
    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?
    • Some Challenges Remain to Having a Universal Resident Leave Policy, But Otolaryngology Programs Are Getting Closer
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • What Happens to Medical Students Who Don’t Match?
    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Neurogenic Cough Is Often a Diagnosis of Exclusion
    • Why We Get Colds
    • Are the Jobs in Healthcare Good Jobs?
    • What Really Works in Functional Rhinoplasty?
    • Is the Best Modality to Assess Vocal Fold Mobility in Children Flexible Fiberoptic Laryngoscopy or Ultrasound?
    • Three Primary Treatment Strategies Show No Differences in Swallow Outcome for Patients with Low- to Intermediate-Risk Tonsil Cancer

Polls

Do you have physician assistants in your otolaryngology practice?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Preferences

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2023 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939