Adding a psychiatrists to your staff listings can broaden the quality of care for your patients. Elderly patients who are taking psychotherapeutic medications, for example, can benefit from a psychiatry service. Considering the mental as well as the physical health of all of your patients can benefit your medical practice in the long run.

Studies suggest you should include a geriatric psychiatry department to ally with other health professionals. This can benefit elderly patients by shortening their stay in the hospital and decreasing the likelihood of discharging them to a nursing home. Most medical practices currently use the standard medical-referral model that only includes psychiatrists as a last resort. However, by embracing the Consultation-Liaison (C-L) psychiatry method, your medical staff can benefit with a more comprehensive view of the medically and surgically ill patient. Your C-L consultant should possess these qualities:

1. Be knowledgeable about psychiatry service as well as physical and neurological disorders.

2. Be able to diagnose and create effective treatment plans.

3. Be able to work with a multidiscipline staff.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a psychiatrist consultant

Screen healthcare consultants by searching through an employment database. There are plenty of employment search engines out there to help you to find the ideal candidate.

I recommend: Browse through a psychiatrist directory using HealthGrades. Target psychiatry applicants specifically, marketing your job for the skills you're looking for on PSYCH-career.com.

Expand your staff's knowledge of psychiatrist info

Join a nonprofit organization that can provide you and your staff with management and educational tools to assimilate the new consultant into your practice. Your staff can then easily adapt to the psychiatrist's recommendations.

I recommend: The American Management Association (AMA) has a management assessment tool available to maximize professional development. Take this seminar class to train yourself on how to coach and manage team members both new and experienced. Advantage is a nationwide healthcare firm that provides hands-on training to develop your staff.

Include a psychiatrist business by having a hiring firm do it for you

You may be too busy to search psychiatrist listings to recruit the healthcare candidate yourself. You can hire a recruiting team to do it for you. This can save you the time and hassle of hiring when other work-related issues are coming your way.

I recommend: TheraKare is a staffing and employment agency that hires healthcare professionals for vacancies at hospitals, home health agencies, nursing homes and rehab clinics. Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has been around since 1963 assisting with diverse issues surrounding the healthcare industry. They have a number of vendors they recommend for recruitment that you can contact directly.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Join MGMA (Medical Group Management Assocition). They have a wealth of unlimited resources on today's medical profession, ranging from practice management to professional development.