Mortgage Magic

STACY FENTRESS

Mortgage Magic | Robert McQueen, Mountain Commerce Bank, Todd Jones, Allan Fain, Kevin Horne, Indian Path Medical Center, Blue Ridge Medical Management, physician recruitment, mortgages

Organizations work together to recruit medical talent to the region

Robert McQueen, MD, an interventional cardiologist, was driving home to Greensboro, N.C., with a heavy heart. He had been to Johnson City, talked with professionals at Blue Ridge Medical Management, a subsidiary of Mountain States Health Alliance, and was ready to come on board to launch a new program at Indian Path Medical Center.

But when a bank decided in the eleventh hour not to do a home loan for him, he was disheartened. He decided he would just stay in Greensboro and save himself the trouble.

That's when a physician colleague made a call to Mountain Commerce Bank. Three days later, McQueen had a mortgage loan and was preparing to move to Johnson City. He starts his new job at Indian Path Medical Center this summer.

"Mountain Commerce Bank was phenomenal," said McQueen. "When I gave them the data for my mortgage loan, I asked [the person I spoke with], 'What flagpole do you have to run up to get this done?' and he replied, 'I am the flagpole.' Then they made it happen."

According to Todd Jones, director of investment and financial planning at Mountain Commerce Bank, the bank is committed to working with physicians who want to practice medicine in the Tri-Cities. "Being a locally owned community bank, our goal is to focus on relationships, especially those that result in building a better community," he said. "In regards to Dr. McQueen, all our decision makers are in the same location, so when we were called, we were able to review, approve and schedule the closing within a matter of hours."

McQueen's success story reiterates a quality physician recruiters in the Tri-Cities are familiar with–the ability for local organizations to work together to bring talented physicians to the area.

"We regularly work with chambers of commerce and city governments across the region when we recruit a physician," said Allan Fain, director of medical staff development at Wellmont Health System. "Our local mayors take a very active role in recruiting physicians. They understand the importance of the medical community and they work hard to recruit to the area."

"We also work with local realtors who help us showcase the communities–they don't just drag candidates to a house and try to sell–and we have ongoing relationships with all of the major banks."

Mountain Commerce Bank, and other banks in the region, hope to continue to help new physicians come to the area.

"Being a community bank based in East Tennessee, we realize that having quality healthcare in the markets we serve is essential from an economic development standpoint," said Kevin Horne, senior vice president and area executive for Mountain Commerce Bank. "The bank's growth and well-being is directly related to the markets we serve, whether it is Johnson City, Erwin, Knoxville or Morristown. The recruitment of highly desired physicians, such as Dr. McQueen, is very competitive between the different healthcare systems, just as it is in banking. MCB realizes that if it can play a part in helping the healthcare system be successful in their recruitment efforts, it is a win-win scenario for all of the parties involved. The hospital wins, the doctor and his family are happy, the community wins and hopefully MCB has established a new long-term banking relationship."

While having a home is a goal for physicians and their families, feeling at home is even more important.

"Quality of life is more important than ever," said Fain. "Where a physician practices is probably 70 percent a personal decision. They are concerned about the school systems and safety, and they want to be sure their families will be taken care of socially, educationally and extracurricularly."

Generally, when a physician comes to the region for an interview, his or her family is invited to participate as well. "We have a second agenda for families," Fain said. "The physician tours the hospital and meets with the hospital president and spends time with the other physicians he or she will be working with while the family does different activities. We'll build the second agenda around the family's hot button issues, like a tour of local schools. We learn what is important to them before they arrive so we can address those needs when they are here."

While many physicians come to the Tri-Cities because they have family or friends already in the region, many choose it for its natural beauty and high-quality schools. Kingsport, Tenn., boasts the No. 1 high school in the state – Dobyns Bennett – and several other area schools are in the top 20. The region is also strategically located, within a day's drive of 65 percent of the U.S. population.

McQueen said that he wanted to look at the Tri-Cities because he has friends in the area. He's also inspired by the natural beauty of the region. "It is a beautiful area," he said. "I grew up with a home in Beech Mountain, and this area reminds me a lot of Asheville."

Fain believes there is something else that surprises a lot of the physician candidates who look at the Tri-Cities region: "We have a very sophisticated medical environment here," he said. "We have very complete coverage of specialties, and some sub-specialties you wouldn't expect to find in a region our size. The depth of medical services is impressive."

Depth of medical services is important to physicians–especially those who are just getting out of residency. "Newer doctors especially want to know how deep the bench is," Fain said. "They want to know if there are specialists who they can refer patients to and who they can go to for consultation."

And the depth of medical services in the region continues to grow with the addition of McQueen to the medical staff at Indian Path Medical Center. "I have found a great home and I am looking forward to practicing in the Tri-Cities region," he said.