Riverbend Orthopedics is a busy group practice with expanded services for orthopedic care. It has seven physicians and a podiatrist, plus about 70 other employees. At its big, new clinic building, Riverbend provides extensive orthopedic care. Several technicians provide diagnostic medical imaging, from basic X-rays to magnetic resonance images.

The physicians perform surgery in their own outpatient surgery center with Riverbend’s own operating nurses and technicians. Therapy is provided by three physical therapists and one part-time contracted occupational therapist. In addition to staff providing actual patient care, the clinic has staff for financial management, medical records, human resources, information systems/technology, building maintenance, and other administrative matters. Occasional marketing work is done by an advertising company.

Legal work is outsourced to a law firm. Riverbend is managed by a new president, Ms. Garcia. She and Riverbend have set a goal of achieving “Excellent” ratings for patient experience from at least 90 percent of Riverbend’s patients this year.

Riverbend currently has one HR manager with expertise in all aspects of HR and one compensation specialist. Ms. Garcia wants to obtain more HR support for staffing, but she is unsure whether to hire more HR specialists (full-time or part-time) or contract with an HR consulting firm for expertise when needed. Also, Ms. Garcia and Dr. Chen want to strengthen workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion at Riverbend.

Mini Case Study Questions MCQ1. Which factors and information should Ms. Garcia consider when deciding how to increase HR support for staffing Riverbend Orthopedics?

MCQ2. Suggest how Ms. Garcia and Dr. Chen could strengthen workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion at Riverbend Orthopedics. You may make reasonable assumptions and inferences.