The physician recruiter was the rudest and least knowledgeable that I have encountered. She was also very slow to respond to emails, though I wasn’t going to hold her communications against the hospital. She was, however, my introduction to meeting HCA.
The Medical Director interviewed me over the phone and I had a site interview with him, the CFO and a woman of similar job title. The first red flag was that all were new to their positions in the last 4 months. My impression of the ER was that it was understaffed. It was also staffed with 60% locums physicians and the Medical Director mentioned how he was unhappy with that as their productivity was lacking. I met a new hire who was a few months out of residency and he looked miserable, but I understood why. I understood further when I saw a sample contract. It was extremely one-sided and detrimental to any physician under their employment. I can compare it to my business with EmCare, ECI, TeamHealth and Tenet. HCA leaves you feeling like an indentured servant.
Lastly, I was told that they would reimburse my visit. I traveled 1200 miles roundtrip. They emailed that they would reimburse my meals for two days and the roundtrip mileage from my place of stay to the hospital, or a total of $63.Their excuse? I was already visiting family in the area so no need to reimburse for part of my lodging or 1200 miles in gas.
This is the first time that I have dealt with HCA. I had been warned by a former colleague of mine that HCA was not the best company to deal with. Their reputation was confirmed by the physicians at three other hospitals that I have interviewed at under 2 other staffing companies and a private group.
I hope this review helps you make an informed decision.