Challenge

Gritman Medical Center is a 25-bed, critical access hospital in Moscow, Idaho, about 90 minutes south of Spokane, WA. For nearly 20 years, Gritman and two competitor hospitals shared three surgeons. Due to call issues with the physicians and concerns about the hospital’s risk, Gritman decided to terminate its relationship with the surgical practice, and recruit and employ its own surgeons.

Octave Leadership Advisory Services’ Solutions 

Recruiting new surgeons to relocate and work in a rural area is challenging. Yet, in less than nine months, Gritman’s President & CEO Kara Besst successfully recruited two surgeons, and officially opened the Gritman General Surgeons in the summer of 2021. Critical to her effort were Octave’s strategic planning insights, an analysis of outmigration behavior and expected surgical volumes, and an evaluation of various models to employ surgeons.

Results

Dr. Bryan Anderson joined Gritman in July 2021, and Dr. Brian Newell started in September. Together, between July and October, Drs. Anderson and Newell have had 775 patient visits.

Client Quote

“ Octave’s analytic insights helped Drs. Anderson and Newell envision what their practice could look like with Gritman General Surgeons. To date, our surgical volumes are exceeding expectations and providing more access to high quality care for our community.”

Kara Besst
President & CEO
Gritman Medical Center