Increasing physician engagement: start with what's important to physicians.

Physician engagement has never been more important in this environment of healthcare reform--yet few healthcare organizations can define it or identify the elements of engagement that make increasing it possible. This may explain why a recent survey of physicians on the specifics regarding engagement from their perspective found, among other things, that levels of engagement over the past three years have increased at a lukewarm pace, at best. The survey confirmed that feeling engaged was very important to physicians' job satisfaction. It delved into what was important to them--and where there are gaps between what they want and what they are currently experiencing in their organizations--at a granular level, as well as measuring their current levels of engagement with their organizations and their work. It also explored the impact that feelings of engagement have on physicians' decisions around accepting or leaving a job or practice. A companion survey with administrators pointed out areas where there were gaps between their perceptions and those of physicians. The results point to actions that healthcare organizations can take to increase engagement--and, by extension, participation and buy-in--among their physician populations to reach critical goals and achieve greater success with key initiatives at a time of increasing physician shortages and competition between health systems for top physician talent.