Memorial Medical Group Engages Tiller-Hewitt to Develop Provider Integration Program

Building a Best-in-Class Process for Rapid Practice Ramp-Up, Mentorship and Long-Term Retention

Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies and Memorial Medical Group (MMG), are partnering to develop a best-in-class provider integration program. Through the program, new physicians and advanced practice providers experience rapid ramp-up into their practice and experience strong engagement. This leads to long-term retention crucial to sustainable, strategic growth.

Memorial Medical Group, the physician enterprise of Lake Charles Memorial Health System, is southwest Louisiana’s largest affiliate physician group, comprised of over 100 employed physicians and specialists who are leaders in their fields. These professionals come from leading medical schools and premier health systems around the country. Along with over 60 advanced practice providers (APPs) and Certified Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), MMG’s healthcare experts work together to coordinate the best possible care with over 20 specialties and sub-specialties.

“Staffing shortages and turnover are concerns for everyone, but that can trigger a short-term recruitment frenzy rather than a laser focus on the fundamentals of provider integration and retention,” said Brian Walsh, Executive Vice President Physician Practices. “Sometimes you have to slow down and hardwire a process that speeds up execution of a sustainable, smart growth strategy.”

“Building a retention culture begins way before - and extends long after – recruitment,” said Tammy Tiller-Hewitt, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer of Tiller-Hewitt. “Medical staff turnover is costly, and far too many organizations make the million-dollar mistake when they provide a cursory or disconnected orientation that does nothing to eliminate the ‘revolving door’ syndrome.”

Tiller-Hewitt’s Provider Integration Program elevates onboarding far above simple orientation by:

• Gaining buy-in from all stakeholders to create a smooth entry and year-long onboarding experience
• Applying Lean principles and best practices across departments to help new providers rapidly ramp-up in their practices
• Integrating the provider and family into the practice and community
• Establishing a mentorship program that improves engagement and helps prevent burnout and turnover

“Mentorship is how we build bridges for newly recruited providers and give them the support they and their families need to be successful in their practice and in the community,” said Manley Jordan, MD, Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs/CMO/CCO. “Done right, it’s the cornerstone of successful provider integration, engagement and retention.”

Offering mentorship is a significant competitive advantage and is shown to measurably increase satisfaction and retention. The Tiller-Hewitt program provides the structure and physician-led training that equips highly engaged physicians and APPs as mentors that guide their peers in navigating the organization’s cultural and operational landscape in their first year of practice.

About Memorial Medical Group and Lake Charles Memorial Health System

The region's largest not-for-profit, community healthcare system, serving the healthcare needs of southwest Louisiana. Memorial Health System is locally-owned and operated by a Board of Trustees from the community it serves. The hospital is a shareholder of Voluntary Hospitals of America (VHA), and is fully licensed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. CEO Devon Hyde joined Lake Charles Memorial Health System in 2021, bringing 15 years of healthcare leadership experience.

Today, the health system includes 314 licensed beds on the Oak Park acute care campus, 54 beds at the Women's campus, 44 beds at the behavioral health campus and outpatient clinic serving uninsured and underinsured at the Moss Memorial Health Clinic. The system has 2,500 employees and 300 staff physicians representing more than 60 specialties and subspecialties, as well as the largest emergency services department and the only trauma center in southwest Louisiana. Memorial has the area's only teaching facility for physicians through the Memorial/LSUHSC Family Medicine Residency Program, and serves as a clinical training site for nursing, medical technology and radiologic technology students through various universities, including McNeese State University.

About Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies

Access the full range of Tiller-Hewitt’s key strategic growth programs, services and resources:

Strategic Growth

• Operational Strategic Growth Readiness Assessments
• Network Optimization and Care Consolidation
• Lean Process Improvement
• Service Line Development

Data Analytics and Referral Tracking Tools

• trackerPLUS PRM
• Market Intelligence
• Quick Issue Resolution and Accountability

Physician Integration and Retention

• onboardPLUS and Mentorship
• Rapid Practice Ramp-up
• Provider Family Integration

Physician Liaison

• Physician Outreach/Business Development Programs
• Training
• Program Assessments

For more than 20 years, Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies has partnered with healthcare organizations to consistently deliver strategic growth and measurable results. Tiller-Hewitt designs and executes high-performance programs that drive strategic growth, network optimization, and physician retention for hundreds of health systems, hospitals, population health and provider organizations nationwide.

Tiller-Hewitt delivers rapid, measurable return on investment by working as partners with leadership, operations and physician outreach/liaison teams to hardwire a collaborative culture. Together we build and execute strong strategic growth programs on the Tiller-Hewitt Pillars: Systems, Data and People.