Smaller health systems are relying on compensation to retain physicians and advanced practice providers at far higher rates than large systems, which have shifted toward mentorship, career development and wellness programs, according to a report from the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment.
Organizations with 200 or fewer physicians said they use compensation as a retention lever 89% of the time, compared with 67% among systems with more than 1,000 physicians, the report found.
Larger systems reported far higher use of mentorship programs (75% vs. 44%), career development pathways (75% vs. 44%) and peer support and well-being programs (92% vs. 56%) than their smaller counterparts. Clinical autonomy was the exception, staying relatively consistent across organization sizes at 55% to 67%.
AAPPR said the pattern reflects a resource gap rather than a strategy gap. Many of the retention tools larger systems have adopted, including mentorship and career development pathways, do not require the same financial investment as compensation increases. The report suggested smaller and rural hospitals could adopt similar programs without matching a larger system’s budget.
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