By Diana Whittle
A doom-and-gloom prediction describing an
increasingly worrisome doctor shortage across
the country is not proving true in the Valley.
The report of a possible scarcity, by a websitebased
research organization, was countered by
Dignity Health Arizona, which operates Chandler
Regional Medical Center, along with Mercy Gilbert,
St. Joseph’s and Barrow Neurological Institute in
Phoenix.
The Dignity administrator interviewed about the
report said, in partial agreement with the research
organization’s predictions, if Arizona’s population
continues to increase substantially, the number of
primary-care doctors could fall short, particularly in
rural areas of the state.
However, he noted, the number of specialists
is holding steady in Arizona and even increasing in
some disciplines.
This is partially due to the strategic planning
and partnerships developed by the Dignity hospital
network.
Brett McClain, the chief administrative officer of
the Dignity Health Medical Group, has responsibility
for recruiting, hiring and training the 250 physicians
who are employed by Dignity.
Another 2,500 doctors maintain clinical
privileges to practice medicine within the hospital’s
network. It’s these doctors, who remain in private
practice but are affiliated with Dignity, that are
critical to the system’s success in the East Valley.
“Our hospitals maintain very loyal, long-term
relationships with local doctors,” said McClain. “We
know patients have choices, and these physicians are
a big part of our network.”
McClain says that Dignity has several strategies
to help ensure that doctors in Arizona are not in
short supply.
“We have developed a residency program in
partnership with Creighton University in Omaha that
has exceeded our expectations,” said McClain.
Creighton University School of Medicine and
St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center created
an academic partnership in 2005. The collaboration
is designed to strengthen the medical reputations
of both institutions, promote the sharing of faculty
and administrative expertise, create collaborative
research opportunities and enhance medical services
for Arizona patients.
In the beginning, Creighton sent medical
students to Phoenix for one-month rotations. Under
a more recent agreement, Creighton sends residents
to a fully operational campus at St. Joseph’s that
offers two full years of clinical training to 43 thirdand
43 fourth-year medical students.
“Our residency program is a strategy that
allows us to attract doctors to town and to create
a welcoming place for them. It’s known that many
doctors continue to live and practice in the city where
they were trained,” said McClain.
“Last year, Dignity was able to hire about 25 of
our residents, which is really a great testament to
the quality of physicians who provide the training to
them.”
The program is an example of Dignity’s
commitment to quality care, says McClain, and
developing a skilled group of well-trained physicians
for the Valley.
“Dignity is investing in the community, and we
are funding this graduate medical education. We
believe that, without a hands-on setting, residents
won’t gain appropriate patient-centered experience.
“Through working with our physicians in an
inner-city trauma center, the residents graduate after
witnessing a full spectrum of medical problems and
are prepared for the complexity of
medical care,” said McClain.
McClain says that residents apply
for the program at St. Joseph’s and go
through a match process. Residents
are attracted to this program due to
the reputation of several programs at
Dignity, including the internationally
renowned Barrow Neurological
Institute, the Heart & Lung Institute
and a Level I trauma center.
Another Level I trauma facility,
currently awaiting full accreditation, is
now operational at Chandler Regional
Medical Center.
Dignity is also a respected
provider of maternity care,
orthopedics, oncology and other
medical services.
In addition, Barrow Neurological
Institute recently expanded to offer
a medical presence at Chandler
Regional, where there is also a primary
stroke center.
Both are reasons that, in a
popular polling administered by Rank
AZ, Chandler Regional is its residents’
choice as the state’s top medium-sized
hospital.
It’s a rating that doesn’t surprise
McClain.
“Chandler has taken their focus
on quality care and has really grown
in a positive way, with a strong base of
staff and physicians; it offers a highend
level of service lines and now has
become a Level I hospital.”
So where does that leave the
discussion of a predicted shortage of
doctors?
The concerning health care trends
are forecast in a study released by the
leadership of a website called “Better
Doctor.com.”
Their research lists the top 25
U.S. cities that do not have enough
doctors, including New York City as
number one and Phoenix as number
seven. It also lists the top 25 U.S. cities
that have an abundance of doctors. No
cities in Arizona are found on that list.
As for the Valley, McClain believes
that Dignity’s success rate in attracting
physicians will remain on track.
“It is a competitive market to
retain physicians, but we do have a
great quality of life in the Valley to
sell.”
“Our hospitals maintain
very loyal, long-term
relationships with local
doctors. We know
patients have choices,
and these physicians
are a big part of our
network.”
— Brett McClain
Dignity Medical Group CEO
