American Radiology distinguishes ourselves from competing employers in the following areas:
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
We pride ourselves on the personal involvement our recruiters invest in each hire, our recruiters possess an intimate knowledge of each position they hire for, we move quickly to hire talent when we find it, and we don't just fill positions, we hire members of the ARS family.
The only way recruiting efforts can improve is to constantly evaluate the process, and determine what is done well and what needs improvement. Each week during new hire orientation, every new employee is given the opportunity to express their opinion on the recruitment process. We are consistently praised on the amount of personal attention we have given each candidate, and this personal attention does not stop after they are hired. Our recruiters become the point of contact for new employees until they have built relationships with their supervisors and fellow co-workers. We follow-up with phone calls and lunches, as well as decorating work areas to help the new hire feel welcome and comfortable.
Our recruiters spend time at our outpatient centers, billing office, and call center to experience positions first hand. This has proven to be an invaluable tool in understanding the workplace dynamics of each outpatient center and further understanding positions at every level of the organization. We realize we could not make good hiring decisions if we never left the confines of the corporate office to experience the different environments of our outpatient imaging centers located throughout Maryland.
ARS operates in an extremely tight labor market. Quality radiologists and technologists are difficult to find so ARS has also built a decision making process which responds quickly to hiring opportunities and quality candidates. This process is successful due to the open lines of communication between our recruiters and top level management. ARS recruiters are given autonomy to negotiate and make job offers within certain guidelines. We remove the bottlenecks in the hiring process and are flexible and creative in how we hire talent when we see it. We can offer our employees four day work weeks, forty hour pay for permanent twelve hour weekend shifts, flexible schedules complemented by all the other benefits ARS employees enjoy such as cross training opportunities, tuition assistance, and health benefits.
Lastly, we believe we aren't just hiring employees; we hire members of the ARS family. These are not just co-workers; they are a group of people who share a common goal and posses the same core values. Our company has dramatically grown over its first 8 years in existence, from an organization of a few hundred people to over 800 employees, but we pride ourselves in retaining that small company feel. We are a family friendly organization that promotes open dialogue and flexibility to deal with the challenges of the 21st century. We have received this feedback consistently from employees who have worked for our major competitors.
ARS is outperforming its competitors in the marketplace by leaps and bounds, and this all starts by bringing in the quality people with a quality recruitment process.
BENEFITS
ARS distinguishes itself from competing employers in a number of ways. Three, however, stand out above the rest: the health plan, profit sharing 401(k) plan, and the customer service provided by the human resources department.
As a healthcare company, we consider the health of our employees and their family members a top priority. ARS employees and their family members must have a health plan that meets their personal needs. Our health plan does this, and it does it reliably. Our health plan has utilized the same PPN network, third party administrator, and overall design since the formation of ARS in 1997. This consistency is rarely seen in today's uncertain healthcare landscape, and it is something our employees have come to rely upon. Our health plan offers the additional perk of free radiology services when provided through our American Radiology out-patient centers. ARS encourages family health and wellness by offering free annual physician exams and bi-annual eye exams for everyone enrolled in the Plan. In today's environment of escalating health care costs, there is a delicate balance between an employer's need to reign in costs and the pressure applied to an employee's wallet as more costs are shifted. Through creative design strategies and progressive utilization review, our heath plan continues the delicate balance between the two. Approximately eighty percent of health plan costs are provided by the company.
Just as important as the quality of the health plan our employees receive is providing ARS employees a superior retirement plan. We have done just that with the American Radiology Profit Sharing 401(k) Plan. Implemented in 1999, the ARS Profit Sharing 401(k) Plan is a multi-fund family plan that provides a cutting edge way for employees to save for their retirement. Through interactive websites, personalized communication, and individual meetings American Radiology pushes the envelope on retirement education.
Superior customer service is ingrained in the culture at ARS. We spend hours training employees about the importance of handling customer service problems quickly and efficiently. The human resources department is no different, where customer service is the backbone of successfully managing the employee benefits function. Typically, an employee contacts the HR department because they are having a benefit problem, and are under duress. Our goal is to successfully work the employee through their problem, helping the employee in any way possible and resolving their issue quickly as possible. Bottom line - an employee's concerns are our concerns.
The ARS's human resources department is focused on providing high quality benefits that meet the needs of our employees and their families, while at the same time balancing benefit cost. Superior customer service will always be central to these efforts.
TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
ARS provides staff development and training programs to assist employees in achieving individual goals and objectives while encouraging participation in various in-house learning experiences and training sessions. Some of the programs include company sponsored Continuing Education courses, the in-house MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Training program, Patient Loyalty through Service Excellence, Medical Terminology, CPR and IV Certification Classes. Several incentives are also offered to our technical staff to encourage growth within their specific modality such as Ultrasound RVT (Registered Vascular Technologist) certification incentives and Mammography certification incentives. Cross training in CT (Circular Tomography) is also offered to those Technologist interested in learning another modality. Tuition Assistance is provided for those employees who wish to expand their job knowledge, upgrade their skills, prepare for a promotion, or to even obtain a college degree.
ARS is committed to providing clinical and academic education in MRI to ensure that our technologists understand the physical properties behind quality MR imaging. Students in the MRI training program are provided with strong clinical experiences combined with academics. ARS relies on this combination of academic study and clinical education in order to produce the highest quality technologists.
The RVT incentive program was created for those Ultrasound Techs who are not RVT certified to encourage gaining the certification. Some of the incentives include paying up to $1,000 for seminars to prepare for boards, paying for mileage to and from seminars, a 4% hourly increase and a $2,000 bonus upon becoming RVT certified. Mammo incentives are also offered to those Radiology Technologists who are interested in becoming registered in Mammography as well. A 4% hourly increase and a $2,000 bonus are also offered to those once they become certified in Mammography.
The Patient Loyalty through Service Excellence customer service program was created in hopes for ARS to become the #1 radiology provider of choice. This program, pioneered by Disney, puts an emphasis on customer service excellence. Successful organizations throughout the country and abroad are placing more and more focus on achieving superior customer service. Improving service has a positive impact on financial performance, future growth potential, staff job security, and industry market-share.
Command Spanish, with the partnership of the Community College of Baltimore County, is customized Spanish language and cross-cultural program offered to employees who interact with individuals from the Spanish-speaking communities. Learner-friendly language materials are provided and no prior knowledge of Spanish is required. Due to the diverse group of clientele treated at ARS, it is important for us to be able to breakdown the language barrier we may incur and help those individuals to the best of our ability.
There is no limit to what ARS will do and does to provide its employees with every possible opportunity to grow professionally. ARS takes pride in its staff and by providing these opportunities, knows that the staff is what will make ARS the #1 radiology provider of choice.
PROMOTING POSITIVE WORK/LIFE BALANCE
ARS, with support from various partnerships, assists in numerous ways to help our employees cope with various work and family issues. From providing resources and education on pregnancy and birth to elder care, ARS plays an active role in the daily lives of our employees and their families.
For employees just starting a family, ARS provides free access to maternity nurses who coach employees throughout their pregnancy and help coordinate their hospital stay. Additional resources include an informational website, audio library, and a 24/7 nurse advice line.
As families grow, employees find continued support from ARS, including a website and hotline providing advice and assistance with various family, money, work, life, and health issues. We provide health club discounts, access to fitness consultants, health education lunch-and-learns, free periodic body fat analysis, blood pressure testing, cholesterol screenings, and annual flu shot vaccinations.
In addition to assisting with the health concerns of our employees and their families, ARS offers financial support through a number of means. All employees are eligible to take part in the Bank of America at Work program and the Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union membership, where they can take advantage of rich car-buying discounts, lock in low interest mortgage rates, and secure home equity and auto loans. Free financial advice is offered by these institutions, other affiliates, and by our company financial advisor. ARS helps our employees and their families cope with the financial burden of shopping for groceries, gas, etc. by teaming up with BJ's Wholesale Clubs to offer a 50% employee discount. In addition, ARS offers an interest free loan program for those employees in need of immediate financial aid.
A flexible work schedule at ARS allows employees the opportunity to spend time with their families without being on-call or feeling obligated to work nights or weekends. Quality family time is promoted through our company's yearly participation in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and our annual company picnic. ARS promotes family fun/learning experiences by supplying discounted passes to various amusement parks including Hershey Park, Dutch Wonderland, Six Flags, and Kings Dominion. Free passes to the Maryland Zoo, Maryland Science Center, and the National Aquarium in Baltimore are also provided to our employees.
As employees' age and their worries shift to elder care concerns and retirement uncertainties, ARS is still there to help. Quarterly on-site retirement education sessions are held, during which our certified retirement advisor provides personalized attention to each attendee. To combat additional worries such as those arising from the aging process, blending families, and adult care, an informative website and hotline is available for all employees to utilize. For those employees needing to miss work due to personal or family illness and who have exhausted their paid leave, ARS's leave sharing program allows coworkers to donate their unused time.
As our employees grow, personally as well as professionally, ARS provides support along the way. ARS encourages participation in various activities and educational sessions, supplying access to a number of helpful resources, promoting various employee discounts, and most importantly providing ongoing personalized attention, American Radiology achieves our goal of successfully promoting positive work/life balance within our organization.