87% of Physicians Signed in First Half of 2015 Hired as Employees
August 19, 2015 - Dallas, Tex. -- Only 11.7 percent of physicians signed by clients of The Medicus Firm, a national physician search agency, were placed in private practice settings (as a physician owner/partner) in the first half of 2015. The majority of the physicians placed in the first half of the year, an overwhelming 87 percent, were hired on as employees of hospitals or group practices. Additionally, the majority of physicians placed were in hospital settings (66.1%), while only 4.2% were placed into a solo practice setting. An additional 24.6 percent of the placements occurred in group practice settings. The Medicus Firm analyzed all the physician placements made in the first half of 2015, from January 1 to June 30, to identify emerging trends for the year. In addition to the extremely high rate of employment, several other trends were identified based on placements made nationwide. The volume of searches and placements of psychiatrists has increased significantly for 2015. "Our fourth most-frequently placed provider so far this year is psychiatrists," states Jim Stone, president of The Medicus Firm. "This is a very dramatic increase in the demand of psychiatrists for us, as they were not even in the top ten providers placed last year. They were the ninth and tenth most placed providers in 2012 and 2013, however," Stone added. Other top placements by specialty for the first half of 2015:
- Family Medicine - 18.6% of total placements
- Internal Medicine - 11%
- Ob/Gyn - 5.9%
- Psychiatrists and Hospitalists - (tie) at 5% each
(The above specialties are among 40 different types of specialists and sub-specialist providers placed by the firm in the first half of 2015.) "Primary care is still the single most significant need among our clients from coast to coast," Stone states. "Primary care placements comprised 33.6% of total placements for us in the first half of 2015, which is comparable to 2014. However, hospitalists declined a bit in activity from second most-placed provider for 2013 and 2014, to tying for fourth place so far this year." Another interesting trend continuing to develop is the added growth of physician placements, especially by a retained, specialized firm, in urban and mid-sized communities. This is another dramatic shift over the past 10-15 years, Stone confirms. "Back then, the vast majority of clients seeking assistance from a highly specialized retained firm such as ours would have been rural hospitals," he states. "However, more of our placements happened in urban, suburban, and mid-sized communities, than in rural settings. Stone added that the placement mix for the first half of the year is not significantly variant from the mix of active searches (which includes open, unfilled searches). "The increase in search and placement volume in metro, urban, and suburban communities is indicative of the intensified competition for providers across the board, regardless of how attractive the hospital's location or community may be," Stone concludes. 2015 placements (January-June) by community size:
- 35% Mid-sized communities (up from 28% in 2014)
- 33% Urban (same as 2014, but high compared to previous years)
- 32% Rural (<25,000 pop) (down from 37.56% in 2014)
About The Medicus Firm: The Medicus Firm is a national, retained search firm based in Dallas with an additional office in Atlanta. The agency specializes in permanent placement of physicians and advanced practice providers, and employs one of the largest, most experienced teams of retained permanent physician recruiters in the nation. The Medicus Firm has achieved several notable awards and distinctions in the industry since its inception in 2001, including "Best of Staffing" awards based on client satisfaction surveys, "Best Places to Work in Healthcare" by Modern Healthcare, and has also been designated as an Admini-Serve partner of the MGMA. To learn more, visit online at www.TheMedicusFirm.com. For media inquiries, contact Andrea Clement Santiago [email protected].