The medical director
The medical director can be a versatile position. Leading the employee health department puts the medical director at the intersection of occupational health, workers compensation, leading any medicolegal work and overseeing wellness within an organization. The balance of the tasking varies by size and sector of the organization. Heavy industry leans on occ health and work comp while light manufacturing and service industries might focus more on wellness. At the end of the day the medical director must drive more organizational value than their salary costs to remain relevant. “Fractional” medical directorships have traditionally been delivered by part time medical directors testing the waters of retirement. The differentiator between fractional and part-time is not purely marketing semantics. The fractional medical director can seek full hours and can cross pollinate ideas across companies and sectors. This is not to diminish the role of a part time medical director who brings a career of experience to bear but to differentiate between the overlapping terminology not always transparent to employers.
How can the fractional medical director be of service?
Having a medical director can enable self-insurance programs. On-site medical care can be convenient for employees who will leave work for less time, not defer care and receive work injury care by someone well informed of workplace hazards and with better connections to oversee modified duty.
Policy support
Reviewing organizational policy where medical expertise is another area where a medical director can shine. Having the ability to revise policies around work place accommodation with someone more familiar with your workplace is an opportunity for value. Organizations with internal expertise were more agile in pandemic response and interpreting conflicting public health guidance into action.
Right size = right price
Matching the medical director’s schedule to workload is an intuitive way to get maximal value without committing to employ a medical director full time. Being flexible with scheduling can scale work up and down as business needs change or even in response to seasonal variability.
Results
The value of the fractional medical director is greatest in the small to medium size businesses that have usually relied on off-site medical clinics for care. Larger employers may benefit from temporarily increasing staff to expand facilities or support projects. Having a medical department on-site can remove barriers and indirect costs for employers and employees alike.