If you have a question about your career at the Duluth Clinic that isn’t listed here, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 800-342-1388 or send us an e-mail.
 

What is the SMDC Health System?

We are a nonprofit integrated health system of 17 clinics and four hospitals serving northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and northeastern Michigan. We provide a full range of outpatient and inpatient services, as well as a full array of primary care and specialty medical services. With revenues of more than $800 million annually and a staff of over 400 physicians, 300 credentialed practitioners, and 5,500 additional employees, SMDC is the region’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare provider.

What are the benefits of joining an integrated health system?

At SMDC, we believe that fully integrated models of health service delivery provide benefits in many areas, ranging from greater opportunities for physician collaboration to professional management of billing, reimbursement, and regulatory functions. Moreover, our size provides stability and staying power in an environment of change. Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Park Nicollet Medical Center in Minneapolis also use similar models.

What will joining an integrated health system mean for my income?

In the early stages of practice development, Duluth Clinic physicians receive a competitive and secure salary and benefits. After a clearly prescribed time period, most physicians progress to a production-based compensation formula. We also offer a competitive benefits package that includes at least six weeks vacation and an array of retirement investment options that further enhance our compensation package.

Are there benefits to joining a nonprofit organization?

Yes. By joining a nonprofit, you will never have to bear any personal financial risk for bad debt or charity care compensation. Physicians are not required to make the long-term, personal equity investments to support ancillary services that are often required in for-profit organizations.

What does your physician practice look like?

It’s a balance of primary care and clinical specialists. Primary care physicians provide a “medical home” for patients and are a major source of referrals into the Duluth Clinic’s extensive specialty services. That said, patients also have the opportunity to access specialty services directly, and we have a significant number of self-referrals to specialists. We also have a culture that encourages primary care physicians and specialists to work collaboratively on cases that cover a full spectrum of health issues, from long-term management of chronic disease to acute events.

What opportunities will I have for professional learning and growth?

Plenty. Physicians at the Duluth Clinic enjoy freedoms to pursue professional interests in innovative clinical care programming, adoption of new technologies and techniques, and research and teaching. A significant number of our physicians participate in clinical trials and research studies, which are often supported in part with grants from one of our three foundations. Many Duluth Clinic physicians also teach courses at the University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School, and we regularly host medical residents through the Duluth Family Practice Center, a home-based teaching opportunity.

Do physicians have a voice when it comes to clinic and system operations?

Yes, and it’s getting stronger. The Duluth Clinic is currently led by a physician president and a 12-member physician board. Physicians also serve in a number of other leadership roles, including program directors, clinical chiefs, and as members of the SMDC Health System Board of Directors.

The senior leadership roles mentioned above are only one component of physician leadership at Duluth Clinic. The current physician leaders believe that physicians at the section and site levels are the key decision makers for success within their areas of expertise. Clinical and service quality, professional practice development and growth, and financial performance are dependent on excellence at these levels, so it makes sense to give them more accountability and responsibility.

Is there room for new leaders?

Absolutely. Our goal is to create a system of strong physician leadership that begins with leadership opportunities at the section or site levels. Leaders developed on the front lines will then have the opportunities to move into roles of program directors, clinical chiefs, board members, even clinic president.