Today, nearly 70% of healthcare providers are employed by large corporate entities. While there are benefits to large healthcare systems, providers in these organizations are feeling disengaged and disempowered due to the inability to effectively advocate for their patients or themselves. This lack of voice contributes to provider burnout, directly affecting the quality of care being delivered and physician attrition.

At AHS, we saw an annual 11% attrition rate of quality physicians compared to the national average of 4-6%. The cost of replacing one physician ranges anywhere between $250K to $1M. In addition, we areconcerned about physician shortages, it is predicted that California will have the highest shortage ofhealthcare providers by 2030. After talking to numerous providers, I discovered that the main reasonsfor low morale were the inability to effectively advocate for patients, below market compensation andbenefits, and lack of influence on the workplace environment. My goal was to develop a retention planthat incorporated these factors to retain high quality physicians in a safety net system. Myunconventional but not unprecedented approach was to unionize the physicians at AHS.