Today, barely 5 percent of hospital leaders are physicians. That percentage is expected to soar in the advent of population health management. According to The Advisory Board Company, 60 percent of hospitals plan to hire more physician leaders over the next five years.
“Putting physicians in leadership roles is critical to making the shift toward value,” said John Combes, MD, president and COO of the American Hospital Association’s Center for Healthcare Governance, noting that multiple studies have found the best performing hospitals are physician-led, and overall hospital quality scores can be up to 35 percent higher when a physician helms the organization.
Administrative decisions made under population health management will directly affect patient care, emphasized Kathy Jordan, president of Jordan Search Consultants.
“In theory, a business-savvy clinician would provide myriad competitive advantages,” she said. “After all, physicians were trained to put patient care first. If that emphasis can be married with business acumen, everyone wins.”
According to a white paper published by the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL), “Matured physician leadership will be essential for healthcare to continue moving toward higher quality, consistent safety, streamlined efficiency, and becoming value-based.” The white paper highlighted the link between physician leadership and organizational success: 21 of the 29 pioneer Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that earned bonuses from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) were physician-led.
To better identify the growing number of physician roles, the CanMEDS Physician Competency Framework lists these characteristics: medical expert, communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar and professional, noted Regina Levison, vice president of client development for Jordan Search Consultants.
“Universities are responding to this description and the need to train physician leaders,” she said, noting that a September 2014 article in The Atlantic, “The Rise of the MD/MBA Degree,” showed how the number of MD/MBA programs has doubled in the past decade. “Now, more than half of the nation’s 133 accredited medical schools allow students to simultaneously pursue an MBA and an MD. In addition, graduate programs in healthcare administration, public health, healthcare informatics, medical management, and population health have sprouted across the country.”
Executive-level titles are popping up in healthcare organizations that require clinical leadership skills to improve population health – chief medical officer, chief of clinical integration, chief integration officer, and chief transformation officer.
“Physicians and medical students are bearing witness to this change and know that to be competitive, leadership and business skills must become as routine as taking a patient’s history and physical,” said Jordan.
Candidates are taking steps to better prepare for physician leadership positions. For example, more than half of Jordan’s candidates being considering for plum roles have engaged a career coach to help them improve the business side of their CV.
“The competition for a physician leadership role is fierce—and rightly so,” said Levison. “These positions will be responsible for defining healthcare in the next decade and beyond.”
In addition to prioritizing candidates with a business, leadership or management degree, Jordan suggests that organizations shortlist physicians with the following qualities:
- Listener: A physician leader must be able to listen—and really hear—what colleagues are saying to make informed, collaborative decisions. Good listening skills often translate to enhanced conflict management abilities.
- Connector: Part mediator, part listener, part intelligent communicator, a physician leader must be able to build a sense of connectivity among people and across systems.
- Learner: A physician leader must demonstrate an insatiable curiosity—about technology, the new value as opposed to volume financials, and cost centers. They must display an interest in broad, strategic matters that will add value to the organization and demonstrate a keen understanding of the competitive landscape and the overall healthcare environment.
- Collaborative communicator: A clinical leader must be able to articulate a value proposition to which people want to contribute. This person must be able to communicate effectively at all levels of an organization and to encourage others to share their views in an open and non-judgmental environment.
- Inspirer: With a sense of commitment to a shared purpose, much can be accomplished. That’s why a physician leader must be able to engage, develop, and motivate others to build consensus.
- Facilitator: When evaluating for leadership, look for candidates who have skills and experiences that match the organization’s vision. Individuals who are leaders facilitate the success of others. Identify candidates who seem comfortable in facilitating and navigating change; those will be the nimble leaders that healthcare organizations need.
David Nash, MD, MBA, founding dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health at Thomas Jefferson University, said the list will continue to evolve.
“We’re taking the right steps right now to be successful in the healthcare environment in the near future,” he said. “We’ve taken massive strides toward more comprehensively educating physicians who have shown a propensity for leadership, but as the healthcare industry continues to evolve, the qualities of a competent physician leader should similarly change.”
Jordan agrees. “The competent, effectual physician leader appropriately employed by a strategic, visionary organization,” she said, “will create the dynamic needed to successfully navigate this new era of healthcare and improve the health of populations nationwide.”
LINKS:
Jordan Search Consultants: www.jordansc.com
Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health: http://www.jefferson.edu/university/population-health.html