PRACTITIONER SPOTLIGHT:  
Physician Recruiter Discusses Contract Negotiations 

	Ms. Barker

In this video interview, Audrey Barker, Vice President, Physician Recruitment and Retention at US Urology Partners in Columbus, Ohio talks about contract negotiations and tips for interviewing with potential employers.

Ms. Barker has an extensive background in physician recruitment and business development, most recently leading the physician recruitment efforts of US Urology Partners, a Private Equity platform consisting of five affiliate groups, and over 100 physicians across four states.

Watch the full interview with Audrey Barker here or read the transcript.  

Photos and Video Testimonial from Resident Summit 

LUGPA’s Urology Resident Summit and Job Fair was held March 3-4 in Chicago. More than 65 residents were in attendance, plus more than 35 industry partners and representatives from LUGPA practices were on site to participate in the job fair and exhibit hall. 

Rohit Tejwani, MD, a senior resident at Duke University was one of the attendees. "This has definitely been a super-informative experience and I've learned a ton," said Dr. Tejwani. "I think the session on contract negotiation was the most invaluable thing I've heard so far. Everything was very, very useful, but I really enjoyed that kind of dialogue."  Watch a video interview with Dr. Tejwani here. 

The Summit covered topics PGY2, 3, 4 and 5 urology residents need to know, including employed urology, careers in private practice, academic urology, employment contracts and finances for young physicians. The program offered residents an opportunity to personally engage with potential employers from some of the largest independent urology practices in the country. 

The meeting ended with a social event at SPiN, a ping pong club in downtown Chicago, where attendees could network and socialize in a fun environment. Visit LUGPA's Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages to see photos from the Urology Resident Summit. 

Looking for a Job in Urology?

Independent urology practices from throughout the US were on site in the exhibit hall for the duration of the Summit. Residents who attended were able to meet with numerous employers from LUGPA's most prominent practices!   

Watch the videos here to get to know a few of the Urology Practices that were recruiting  at this year’s resident job fair. 

Apply for our Resident Award

LUGPA's Resident Clinical Innovation Award recognizes and celebrates urology residents' innovative clinical work that promotes - and has the potential to enhance -  quality clinical outcomes. The award acknowledges the value of clinical innovation to harness new technologies, access to big data and/or the development of systems of care to prevent, diagnose or treat urological disease and promote urological health.  

ELIGIBILITY   

The applicant must be actively enrolled in an ACGME-approved urology residency program in the United States or in an approved fellowship. 

CASH AWARD   

The recipient(s) will be recognized at the LUGPA Annual Meeting in early November with a plaque and cash award of $1000. Travel expenses will be supported by LUGPA.   

SUBMISSION DEADLINE  July 31, 2023 

PAST RECIPIENTS    

	Dr. Waisanen (left) accepts the 2022 Award from Tim A. Richardson, MD, at the 2022 LUGPA Annual Meeting.

Mathew Fakhoury, DO, received the 2020 Resident Clinical Innovation Award for his project, “A Multi-Institutional Quality Assurance Patient Safety Project Across Urban Chicago; Changing County’s/Christ’s Catheter Culture.”

David T. Miller, MD received the 2021 Resident Clinical Innovation Award for his project, "Decreasing Traumatic Foley Insertions: Implementation of a Standard Process of Coude Catheter Insertion."

Kyle Waisanen, MD, was presented with LUGPA Forward's 2022 Resident Clinical Innovation Award for his project, "Direct Urethral Sphincter Stimulation for Stress Urinary Incontinence."     

Our Media Monitor newsletter provides a curated view of news headlines relevant to LUGPA members. Here are a few selected articles from recent issues.  

CMS Must Level Playing Field for Independent Physicians

Evan Goldfischer, MD, Medical Economics

In this opinion piece, LUGPA President Evan Goldfischer, MD discusses the recent Medicare physician payment cuts. “These cuts are particularly destabilizing for independent physician practices…This reality highlights a need to educate policymakers and patients about why these payment cuts will only exacerbate the rising challenges for Americans to access individualized care throughout the U.S.” Dr. Goldfischer argues that Congress must focus on leveling the playing field between hospital and independent physician reimbursement so that independent practices can compete with hospital systems and provide more options for care. “It is my ardent hope that Congress seeks out innovative ways to reform physician payment, so all physicians can provide their patients and communities with timely access to high-quality and cost-effective care.”

How Can We Ensure the Future of Independent Practices?

John Machata, MD, Medical Economics

In this opinion piece, family physician John Machata, MD, discusses the disappearance of small independent practices (SIPs). Dr. Machata explains the negative impact of healthcare consolidation and notes that most Americans are in favor of congressional action to limit consolidation. He adds that “Big Medicine” has not improved quality or lowered costs for patients, and SIPs are better for both patients and physicians. “In my own practice, costs per patient are among the lowest in my state, and my quality metrics rank among the best. But low costs and high quality offer no guarantee of success when faced with a system seemingly dedicated to extinguishing small practices… If the personalized medical care offered by SIPs is to be preserved, the rules of the game must change.”

Surgeries Cost Far More at Hospitals in Networks vs. Independent Facilities, Study Finds

Alan Condon, Becker’s Hospital Review

The prices for surgical procedures at hospitals in networks are far higher than at independent hospitals, according to a recent JAMA study. Researchers examined the negotiated prices of nearly 3,200 hospitals. For 15 out of the 16 surgical procedures analyzed, the median negotiated price was significantly higher at hospitals within networks compared with independent hospitals. For example, the median price for prostatectomy was $9,567 at facilities in hospital networks and $8,601 at independent facilities. The study comes on the heels of a recent report that found only a quarter of hospitals were compliant with federal price transparency rules, with many of the country's largest health systems having no compliant hospitals. 

Read more news articles about the importance of independent practice here.  

Advocacy Update 

As the leading voice of independent urology group practices in the US, LUGPA educates policymakers on the benefits of integrated urologic care. LUGPA's Health Policy and Political Affairs committees drive grassroots efforts by developing thoughtful analysis and engaging public officials through comment letters on major legislative and regulatory proposals.

Here's some of the latest headlines from our advocacy news center:

• LUPGA Opposes the Proposed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Rules that Would Restrict Non-competes in the Healthcare Marketplace  
• Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) Reform Update
• Recent Focus on Noncompete Agreements Could Have Wide-Ranging Effects on Providers
• HHS Secretary Responds to the President’s Executive Order on Drug Prices  
• Public Health Emergency Ending May 2023: What You Need to Know

Click here to learn more about LUGPA's advocacy efforts.

See Who is Hiring in LUGPA's Career Center

LUGPA's Career Center website is a place where urology residents can post their resumes, apply for jobs and get job alerts.

The site also features: 

Career Coaching - Coming from a variety of professional backgrounds, LUGPA's Career Center offers certified coaches that have the experience, training, and expertise needed to help you achieve your career goals.

Resume Writing - LUGPA's Career Center offers experts who are ready to critique your existing resume or help you craft a document that gets you noticed.

Reference Checking - Get your references checked, confidentially and professionally so you can be confident your past employers are helping, not hurting, your candidacy.

Visit the Career Center now: careers.lugpa.org. 

Looking for Past Issues of this Newsletter?

LUGPA launched this quarterly resident newsletter, Inroads, in 2020.   

Now you can go back and look at all the great content in one place – including previous Practitioner Spotlight video interviews with Kari Bailey, MD, Robert Jansen, MD, Benjamin Lowentritt, MD and others.   

Visit the newsletter archive here.  

Enjoying this newsletter? Forward it to other urology residents to let them know about all LUGPA has to offer.  

If you are not the direct recipient of this e-mail, sign up for future issues of LUGPA's Resident Newsletter here.