Inside the retention gap: How authentic communication builds loyalty

At the 2025 MGMA Leaders Conference in Orlando, Helen Falkner, regional vice president of recruiting and partner at Jackson Physician Search, said that creating a culture where physicians want to stay begins with one essential element: communication.

“As the report talks about, it’s really the communication piece — encouraging open, authentic, two-way communication between administration and providers,” Falkner says. “It’s equipping your leaders to know how to engage in that type of authentic communication.”

Falkner adds that listening is just as important as talking. “It’s being open to feedback, evaluating the feedback that’s coming from your providers,” she says. “Maybe you can’t act on it all, but what are some small, immediate wins that can help make your providers’ lives a little bit easier?”