Employee Turnover: Why Medical Practices Lose Good Employees

Summary:

This study suggests that there are simple institutional fixes that can be implemented to better retain high-performing employees.

Abstract:

Turnover is always a challenge for healthcare organizations, with significant financial implications and negative repercussions for employee satisfaction and patient satisfaction. As medical practices grapple with the Great Resignation, retaining sufficient staff to maintain operations has become even more challenging. The purpose of this study was to better understand factors that underlie employee retention and turnover. Qualitative data were collected from 24 medical practices administrators and thematically analyzed. Data analyses revealed two key findings. First, organizational structure emerged in developing and retaining high-performing employees. Second, physician owners emerged as both a critical enabler and a critical barrier for employee retention.