How to Attract and Retain Your Hospital Accounting Staff

The medical industry has an unusually high rate of turnover in the field of accounting.

If your hospital is losing staffers in the accounting department on a regular basis, there are some tactics you can use to turn things around.

Here are just few ways to ensure your hospital's accountants are happy, long-term employees:

1. Ensure Long-Term Accountants

There are a number of reasons an employee might want to leave his or her position.

Whether there's better pay elsewhere or there's no room to grow, medical accounting turnover is at an all-time high. With that said, it's important to create a working environment that's conducive to long-term employment.

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Long-term employees are beneficial to the medical field because it reduces training procedures and work overload for other accountants in the department.

Once an accountant learns the numbers particular to your hospital, they work more efficiently. Losing employees on a regular basis decreases this accounting efficiency.

Likewise, the recruiting process costs your hospital money, especially when accountants decide to leave shortly after their training period.

It's always more cost-effective to keep an employee rather than hire a new one. Fortunately, keeping your trusted accountants is easier than you might think.

2. Hire the Best Fit the First Time Around

As the following article looks at, when it comes to addressing the effect of high turnover rates on medical accounting, the most effective way to keep employees is by hiring the right fit the first time around. This means your hospital might have to put more effort into the recruiting process.

During the interview, you'll want to make sure candidates are qualified as well as settled down in their life outside of work. Relocation is one of the main causes of turnover, so make sure this isn't a factor in the future.

Likewise, you'll want to check the candidate's references to make sure they got along with past managers and co-workers.

3. Stay Up to Speed with Pay Scales

Qualified medical accountants expect appropriate compensation for their work.

If your hospital doesn't offer competitive pay, your staffers will likely look for work elsewhere. Because of this, it's crucial to ensure your hospital doesn't neglect wage increases and changing pay scales.

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Rewarding accountants with raises and regularly reviewing their salary and benefits will keep them satisfied and in a long-term mindset.

Keeping track of national salary averages and what other hospitals are paying their accountants will keep you up to speed on salaries and help your hospital retain accountants.

4. Cater to Personal Requests When Possible

When employees don't have work flexibility, it makes them feel trapped, which increases turnover.

By simply catering to your accountants' personal needs, you'll make them happier with their career and thus less likely to leave their position.

You shouldn't jump through hoops to please your accounting staff, but if there is wiggle room, just be willing to compromise. This might mean letting your accountants take longer lunch breaks or work from home on occasion.

If you're struggling with constant turnovers in your hospital's accounting department, try a few of the tips above.

About the author: Adam Groff is a freelance writer and creator of content. He writes on a variety of topics including health care and job hunting.

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