San Diego health system's national recognition and improved employee retention offer practical lessons in leadership development, staffing policies and workplace culture for independent physician practices.
Scripps Health's No. 1 ranking among large healthcare employers in Fortune's 2026 workplace survey offers San Diego physician groups an opportunity to examine how they recruit, develop and retain employees.
Scripps reported that its voluntary employee retention rate increased from 89% to 92% over the preceding year. According to Fortune and Great Place to Work, 93% of surveyed Scripps employees consider it a great workplace, while 95% said they are proud to tell others where they work.
The recognition comes as independent medical practices face persistent staffing challenges.
In a May 2026 Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) poll with 297 responses, 56% of practice leaders reported increased difficulty hiring medical assistants. Only 7% reported improvement.
A separate MGMA poll with 303 responses found that 29% reported increased employee turnover, 30% reported improvement and 39% reported no change.
The Scripps Approach
Scripps executives identify leadership development, professional advancement, workplace safety and employee support as components of their workforce strategy.
In an April 2025 interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder described the health system's Leadership Academy, which trains managers to strengthen workplace culture.
"The more we invest in our people, the more likely they are to stay with us," Van Gorder said.
Scripps also provides mentoring, career development and employee assistance programs.
Although smaller physician practices cannot necessarily replicate these programs, they can evaluate several underlying management principles.
Practical Lessons for Independent Medical Groups
Strengthen frontline management.
Scripps emphasizes the role of managers in creating a productive workplace culture.
Physician owners can apply this approach by training office managers and clinical supervisors in communication, conflict resolution, employee coaching and performance evaluation.
Practices should clearly define managerial responsibilities, establish expectations for employee treatment and schedule monthly meetings to review staffing concerns.
Improve onboarding and mentoring.
Rather than rely exclusively on informal training, practices can establish structured 30-, 60- and 90-day onboarding plans.
These plans should address clinical responsibilities, EHR procedures, patient communication, scheduling systems and physician-specific workflows.
Assigning experienced employees as mentors can provide new medical assistants and administrative personnel with continuing guidance.
Managers should assess competency during onboarding and identify additional training requirements before employees assume responsibilities independently.
Establish regular employee feedback.
Brief weekly staff meetings can help identify workflow bottlenecks, scheduling problems and administrative frustrations.
Quarterly individual meetings, sometimes called stay interviews, can explore job satisfaction, career interests and reasons employees might consider leaving.
Managers should document concerns, assign responsibility for corrective actions and report progress to employees.
Physician owners should also encourage staff to identify inefficient processes without fear of retaliation.
Create career development pathways.
Independent practices may have limited supervisory positions, but they can still provide professional growth opportunities.
Examples include senior medical assistant responsibilities, referral coordination, billing certifications and training for supervisory positions.
Practices can establish written competency requirements for advancement and consider educational assistance when employees acquire skills that benefit clinical operations.
Review compensation and working conditions.
Competitive compensation remains essential.
Medical groups should periodically compare salaries and benefits with local employers and review internal pay equity.
Predictable schedules, manageable workloads, employee recognition and appropriate flexibility may complement financial compensation.
Practices should also maintain procedures addressing workplace violence, employee emergencies and confidential requests for assistance.
Measure Workforce Performance
Physician owners should evaluate retention initiatives using measurable indicators.
Useful measures include voluntary turnover, vacancies, recruitment time, overtime, absenteeism and retention among newly hired employees.
Administrators should also monitor patient rooming times, appointment availability, telephone response, claims processing delays and physician productivity.
Quarterly reviews can help determine whether staffing changes coincide with operational improvements.
Practices can begin with one or two initiatives, document baseline performance and assess results before expanding their programs.
Nevertheless, its experience illustrates a management principle relevant to independent physicians: employee development and workplace culture deserve sustained attention alongside compensation and recruitment.
For San Diego IPA physicians, strengthening management practices and measuring workforce performance may provide a practical foundation for more stable staffing and efficient clinical operations.