Las Cruces, N.M.-based Three Crosses Regional Hospital has grown its physician workforce by making culture the centerpiece of its strategy.
Since the 46-bed private hospital opened in 2020, Chief Medical Officer Muhammad Owais Khan, MD, has leaned on physician experience — and daily visibility with the medical staff — to recruit and retain physicians.
In a state where Dr. Khan described malpractice risk as a persistent barrier to recruitment, his approach is to focus on what he can control day-to-day: whether physicians feel heard, supported and able to practice effectively. Those touchpoints, he suggested, are where trust is built and retention is achieved.
“If we want to give excellent patient care, if we want to be profitable, we have to listen to the doctors and be patient with the medical staff,” Dr. Khan said in a recent episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast.
Dr. Khan has leaned into a physician-first approach built on direct communication and visibility by staying clinically active, spending time with physicians and prioritizing day-to-day conversations over formal surveys.
Three Crosses has rarely uses physician recruiters, instead relying largely on personal contacts and relationships to bring physicians to Las Cruces, including from outside the region.
The hospital has also paired culture with a clear growth strategy that supports physicians’ work and community needs. Since opening, Three Crosses has expanded its subspecialty presence from two specialties — anesthesia and podiatry — to more than 15.
To strengthen the pipeline of future physicians, the hospital launched a three-year internal medicine residency program last year. Dr. Khan, who also serves as the hospital’s designated institutional official, pointed to the achievement as proof that an independent hospital can build a strong graduate medical education program and expand physician workforce initiatives, even with limited resources.
“I am very hopeful that with the culture I have created in my hospital, I will be able to keep my residents after they graduate to practice here and stay here, despite the dwindling healthcare landscape and difficult litigation laws,” Dr. Khan said.
Listen to the full podcast episode here.
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