The strongest onboarding experiences happen when every team focuses on what they do best, and trusted partners help carry the load.
When I talk about provider onboarding, I always come back to the same picture:
“I want our providers to feel like they’re walking the red carpet on day one.”
I want them to know where they’re going and have a working badge and computer. I want them to focus on getting to know their new team and taking care of patients right away. Our mission is to enhance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.
That’s the experience we’re trying to create.
At Carson Tahoe Health, we partner with 300 providers to deliver quality care to more than 250,000 patients in northern Nevada. We’re recognized for our work in cancer, cardiovascular, emergency, and surgical services, among others. In my role, I work across human resources, medical staff services, IT, employee health, informatics, Epic training, payer enrollment, health information management, department leaders, and partners to create this strong onboarding experience. Everybody owns a different piece of the process, but the provider only sees one organization.
The provider sees one experience, not many departments
By the time a provider walks through our doors, dozens of tasks have already been completed behind the scenes: Credentialing has moved forward, enrollment is underway, system access has been prepared, employee health requirements have been completed, schedules have been coordinated, and orientation has been planned.
Every team has its own responsibilities, but if one piece slips, everybody feels it.
The provider doesn’t know (or care) which department owns which task. They just know whether their first day feels organized or chaotic.
That’s why I don’t think about onboarding as HR’s job or medical staff services’ job. It’s our job. We are one team.
Great partnerships start with relationships
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that great provider onboarding starts with great relationships.
I talk with our medical staff office all the time. We ask questions, share updates, and help each other solve problems before they become bigger issues. That collaboration exists because we invested in building trust rather than just process documents.
I’ve also learned that great onboarding isn’t built on one thing alone. It takes the right people, well-defined processes, technology that keeps everyone informed, and trusted service partners who can step in with specialized expertise. When those pieces work together, the experience becomes much smoother and far more predictable for everyone involved.
Build a better onboarding experience by letting every team focus on what they do best
Every team brings unique expertise to the provider onboarding process.
Human resources focuses on welcoming providers into the organization. Medical staff services ensures providers are properly credentialed and privileged. IT prepares technology. Employee health supports clinical readiness.
Trying to have one team do everything usually makes the process more complicated. Instead, we’ve found success by allowing each team to focus on its area of expertise while staying closely connected throughout the process.
Over the past 26 months, I’ve helped onboard 175 providers, and only 36 were permanent Carson Tahoe Health employees. The majority were locum tenens physicians helping us meet immediate patient care needs.
While a locum assignment can come together quickly, the work behind the scenes isn’t any less important. It means every team has to communicate clearly, understand its role, and move efficiently so providers can begin caring for patients with confidence.
That philosophy extends to the partners we work with as well.
The right partner becomes a part of your team
Credential verification is highly specialized work, and it’s an essential part of bringing providers onboard safely and efficiently.
For us, partnering with symplr CVO feels like an extension of our own team and truly strengthens it.
“I think of our symplr CVO team as a coworker who’s just working remotely. They’re part of our team; we just happen to be in different locations.”
While our CVO partner focuses on credential verification, our internal teams can dedicate more attention to coordinating providers, communicating across departments, answering questions, and preparing for a successful first day.
Provider onboarding success isn’t just measured by a start date
Everyone wants providers to start as quickly as possible, but speed alone isn’t the goal.
“In onboarding, readiness is just as important as speed.”
Providers are often wrapping up responsibilities at another organization before joining us. They need time to transition their patients, complete commitments, and prepare for what’s next.
For the health system, if a provider begins seeing patients before enrollment is complete, reimbursement may be delayed. If other onboarding steps aren’t complete, it can create unnecessary challenges for the provider, staff, and ultimately the patients we serve.
When HR, medical staff services, IT, employee health, and our partners are aligned, providers know what to expect, leaders know where things stand, and our teams have the information they need to support a smooth transition.
That consistency creates confidence for providers and for everyone involved in the onboarding process.
Successful provider onboarding takes a connected team
Provider onboarding touches many departments, but it should never feel fragmented. We’re all working toward the same outcome: helping providers feel prepared to care for patients from day one.
When I think back to that idea of rolling out the red carpet, I realize it isn’t something that happens on a provider’s first day. It’s something that’s built in the days and weeks leading up to it.
Your credentialing and onboarding process is the physician’s first impression with your organization. When everyone plays their part, they don’t see the complexity behind the scenes. They simply feel welcomed, supported, and ready to do what they came here to do: care for patients.
David Gazlay serves as a Provider Onboarding Specialist at Carson Tahoe Health, partnering with clinical and operational teams to help ensure new providers have the resources and support they need to deliver exceptional patient care.
