National Leadership Development Programs for Doctors

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) maintains a document that lists National Leadership Development Programs. This list includes programs developed by medical schools, specialty societies, business schools, private organizations, and other groups. Some of these leadership programs are specifically geared for women while others focus on a target audience of specialists. You can find the latest AAMC list here (PDF).

Leadership for Physician Executives

The course "Leadership for Physician Executives" is presented by Harvard Medical School's Department of Continuing Education and The Levinson Institute.

In this seminar, physician-leaders examine the implications of new and different kinds of power and recognition, changes in ethics and values, and changes in relations with colleagues and others. Participants confront problems in motivation, decision making, conflict resolution, stress, change, and the leadership dilemma of being accountable for others.

Key Outcomes

• Greater understanding of yourself, your direct reports, and others;
• Knowledge to manage people—physicians and non-physicians—more effectively;
• Solid understanding of how to take charge and lead change in healthcare environments; and
• Skills in becoming a performance-driven, vigilant, and accountable physician-leader.

The next course is scheduled for April 7-12, 2013. You can learn more here.

Hope to see you at the ACPE Fall Institute

Want to go somewhere warm in November? The ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) Fall Institute is right around the corner and I hope to see you there. Kent Bottles, MD and I will be providing some hands-on training in social media, so visit us near the ACPE Information Center between Friday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 4.

 You can still register for some courses and attend the conference (Nov 2-6 in Scottsdale, AZ). More information can be found here.

Maintaining a Positive Online Reputation With Good Reviews

This is a guest post by Jim Kelly

In the modern world, your reputation is at the fingertips of all of your current customers or potential new customers. All that they need to do is a quick Google search of your name and they will see all of the information, both good and bad that has been written by you, for you and most importantly, about you. All of these online reviews and other bits of information should be considered your online reputation and how you manage and protect it can have serious repercussions to your long term successes.

The Positive
Everyone, from the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker has an online footprint. Even professionals are branded, which might seem strange to many people. For instance, students in med schools across the country are learning more than just how to diagnose and treat illnesses. Along with their anatomy and other medical lessons, they are learning how physicians can manage online reviews and other issues with branding their name that may arise. Review sites, including those specifically geared toward professionals are a reality. And while a doctor cannot hope to please all of his patients all of the time, nor should he want to, he absolutely cannot ignore the fact that the reviews are out there.

Read more »

Webinar: Positioning for a Job in Health IT

Don't miss this upcoming webinar from the National eHealth Collaborative:

Positioning for a Job in Health IT
October 30, 2012 1:00-2:30 PM ET

NeHC will be joined by health IT experts to give detailed advice on successfully marketing oneself for a position in health IT. Panelists will highlight areas that are in particular need of workers in the coming years and give thoughts on a candidate’s willingness to relocate for a specific position. Speakers also will give resume and cover letter advice, strategies on marketing oneself through social media, and interview tips and tricks, as well as showcase a newly-developed career map program.

FEATURING

• Dr. Patricia Abbott - Co-Director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing Knowledge, Information Management & Sharing, Johns Hopkins University
• Dr. Susan Fenton - Assistant Professor, Health Information Management, Texas State University
• Dr. Diane Kneeland - Program Coordinator, Public Health, Medical Laboratory Science and Health Information Technology Programs, University of Texas at Austin
• Dr. Bill Rudman - Executive Director, AHIMA Foundation

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Website: http://www.nationalehealth.org/PositioningForAJob

Registration required
Fee: $15*

Doctor Shortage Spreading in U.S.

Don't miss this Bloomberg story titled, "Doctor Shortage Spreading in U.S. Presaged in Las Vegas." The entire health care system is undergoing change and we're seeing different trends in various pockets around the country. I often wonder what the medical system will look like in 10 or 20 years.

Take a look at the "Doctors per 100,000 people" census to see how your state compares. The greatest shortages are in Nevada, Wyoming, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Idaho. Perhaps those are the states with the greatest opportunities for locum tenens or telemedicine to improve patient access to care.

New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA) will create some 1,500 jobs

Don't miss this story on Healthcare IT News about how the New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA) will create some 1,500 jobs over 5 years.

The New York Digital Health Accelerator (NYDHA) was created through the combined efforts between the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) and the Partnership for New York City Fund (Partnership Fund).

The investment capital was provided by a syndicate of investors, including Aetna, Janssen Healthcare Innovation, Milestone Venture Partners, New Leaf Venture Partners, Partnership for New York City Fund, Quaker Partners, Safeguard Scientifics, and UnitedHealth Group. The Empire State Development Corporation, Health Research Inc., and NYeC have provided additional funds to operate the NYDHA.

The role of mentoring, sponsorship, and coaching in career development

I'd encourage you to read this article from the October 2012 issue of PharmaVOICE titled, "Taking Charge of Your Career: Next Steps." (this free PDF is only available from 10/22 - 10/29)

The experts discuss the role of mentoring, sponsorship, and coaching in career development. You'll hear stories and examples from people working at Novo Nordisk, University of the Sciences' Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, Randstad Pharma, Impact Group, The Pyramid Resource Group Inc., and The Leadership Edge.

3 ways to expand your network this fall

Most doctors have a difficult time appreciating the importance of networking. I'm not talking about computers or IT networks. I mean your professional social network of friends, family, and colleagues who can help you find a new job or advance in your career.

The fall is a great time to expand your network because of the festivities that surround certain holidays like Thanksgiving. Also, the fall prepares you for winter where you're sure to bump into people at holiday parties in December.

So, here are 3 ways that you can expand your network this fall:

1. Be smart on your smartphone. Get the social networking apps like LinkedIn or Facebook and connect with people. You can also exchange contact info easily through apps like Bump or you can take a photo of a business card using CardMunch.

2. Attend a local meetup on Meetup.com. Find a group of people who share common interests. Pursue your hobby. Meet with others who enjoy a common passion. Examples include: cooking, wine tasting, science fiction book readers, photography, pet owners, joggers and runners, and much more. It's valuable to have a social network that expands outside of your immediate profession.

3. Volunteer with a charitable organization this fall. Make the time to really help some people who are in need. You'll meet others who have a generous spirit and may be willing to help you expand your network of give you a possible lead for a new job.

So, are you willing to spend the time to expand your social network this fall?

National Association of Independent Review Organizations (NAIRO)

Periodically, I like to mention acronyms that may be unfamiliar to most physicians.

Are you familiar with NAIRO?

The National Association of Independent Review Organizations (NAIRO) was formed by the majority of URAC-accredited independent review organizations (IRO). The need for uniform regulations from state to state and a uniform application process is what brought NAIRO together. The primary objective of NAIRO is to simplify the regulated independent review organization application process and independent medical peer review requirements among the states.

NAIRO is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the independent medical peer review processes. Utilizing the expertise of hundreds of board-certified clinicians throughout the country, NAIRO members embrace an evidence-based approach to independent medical peer review, in order to resolve coverage disputes between enrollees and their health plans.

Read more »

Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine (Oct 2012)

Do you read the NEJM or JAMA to keep up with the latest evidence-based medicine that you can apply to treat your patients? In the clinical world, we rely on our journals and conferences to stay up-to-date.

In the business world, it's important to keep up with company-related news so that you can understand the trends in the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine is one of those resources that can help you stay plugged in with the current issues around pharmaceutical marketing, changes at the FDA, emerging markets, clinical research, and more. You can read the October 2012 issue of Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine here.

MM&M 2012 Career & Salary Survey

Every year, Medical Marketing & Media conducts a salary survey among executives working in the pharmaceutical industry. The 26th MM&M Career & Salary Survey reports average salaries are slightly outpacing inflation, up 2.8% to 132.6K and just below 2007's high of 133.7K.

According to their survey, Medical Directors have an average salary of $176,700 which is up 7.1%. With an n=17 medical directors, this is a relatively small sample.

The online survey was emailed to more than 40,000 executives employed in pharmaceuticals, healthcare marketing and related fields, encompassing manufacturers, agencies, media companies and service suppliers/vendors, during August and September.

Of the 994 qualified respondents: 403 are employed by manufacturers (pharma, biotech, devices, diagnostics), 345 by agencies, 77 work in healthcare media and 88 for suppliers/vendors; 524 are male and 470 are female; and the average age is 43 years.

You can read about the survey here and access the complete report here (PDF).

Clinical Electives Program: Medical Informatics

The NIH has a clinical electives program in medical informatics. Here's some information:

Rotation Description
This is an introductory elective in medical informatics for students who already have some experience with the application of computers and information systems, i.e., experience with computing in clinical medicine or biomedical research.

The four to eight week sessions of the elective include an extensive lecture series offering an overview of the state-of-the-art in medical informatics. The lectures are presented by research staff from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and other institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and by guest speakers from other research centers. The lectures cover a number of topics including medical informatics applications on the World Wide Web; telemedicine; the Unified Medical Language System; the Visible Human project; medical expert systems; information management for biotechnology research; image analysis, manipulation, and retrieval; machine learning in the biomedical domain; and medical language processing. The NLM's Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications offers students an outstanding hardware and software environment for system development.

Read more »

Online MBA in Healthcare Management

My wife went to Drexel for medical school, so I like to mention some of their other programs (even though I'm enrolled in an MBA through a different school).

Drexel offers an Online MBA in Healthcare Management. Several years ago when I was researching MBA programs, I don't recall seeing this on their website. Perhaps I missed it, or may be it's a new program. Actually, I bet this used to the their Online MBA in "Pharmaceutical" Management and they probably renamed the program to have broader appeal to the entire healthcare community. That would make a lot of sense in my opinion.

In any case, this online MBA is a specialized, cohorted program that was developed together with industry representatives. The custom program is designed for professionals in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries to help achieve new understanding and advance your career by integrating business strategy with science and technology and the unique perspective of the industry.

You can learn more about the Drexel Online MBA in Healthcare Management here.

Demand Persists for Experienced Health IT Staff

Last month, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) published findings that "IT Staff Shortages Persist at Healthcare Organizations." Here are some key snippets from that press release:

The survey, conducted by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, showed that staff shortages are continuing to trouble IT executives. The most recent survey, conducted in July, found a higher percentage of respondents (67 percent) reporting shortages than two years ago, when a similar CHIME survey found 59 percent of respondents reporting staffing shortages.

The 2012 survey also sought to assess the impact of the new national Health IT Workforce Development program, developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology for the purpose of providing non-degree health IT training programs that can be completed in six months or less. The 2012 survey found that 68 percent of respondents are aware of the community college and university-based training programs, which have graduated 8,000 by July 2012. However, the new training programs have yet to significantly impact staffing needs, with only 12 percent of responding CIOs reporting that program graduates have been hired.

Read the full survey report here (PDF).

Don't miss this informative webinar about MSLs

eyeforpharma and the MSL Society invite you to this free informative webinar about MSLs titled:

The New MSL/KOL Engagement Paradigm
Innovative KOL relationship models for a brave new world
Wednesday October 10th, 2pm London (BST), 3pm Paris (CET), 9am New York (EST)
Free of charge

Learn about the evolving role of the MSL in today's environment and within increasingly popular Contract Research Organizations.

The speakers for this webinar include:

Dr. Eric Silfen
Chief Medical Officer
Philips Health Care

Dr. Stewart Rosen
Vice President of Medical Affairs
Quintiles

Dr. Samuel Dyer
Chairman of the Board
Medical Science Liaison Society

Learn more and register for this event here.

Don't miss the latest issue of LeadDoc from @ACPE

LeadDoc is a new online journal published by the American College of Physician Executives. It is intended for medical students, residents and physicians who are new to leadership. Its goal is to inform and guide these physicians as they begin their career path in health care and contemplate a leadership role.

Catch the latest issue of LeadDoc here.

MGMA 2012 Annual Conference

At the MGMA 2012 Annual Conference you will discover practical new solutions and gain insights from colleagues and experts who make the theoretical doable.

MGMA 2012 Annual Conference
OCTOBER 21-24
SAN ANTONIO, TX

MGMA-ACMPE is the premier membership association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices. In 2011, members of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), and its standard-setting body, the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) voted to merge to form a new association, MGMA-ACMPE.

There is no better time than now to set yourself apart with the Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE) or Fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives (FACMPE) credentials from ACMPE, the certification and standard-setting division of MGMA-ACMPE.

Register today and take advantage of all that MGMA-ACMPE has to offer. Learn about the MGMA 2012 Annual Conference here.

Alego Health adds jobs in health IT

In just a few short years, Alego Health has risen to the forefront of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) industry. This innovative company, based just outside of Cleveland, has experienced tremendous growth. In fact, through one of its projects with a regional healthcare provider, the company has recently added 450 jobs. But job creation is not the only focus of the company. The company announced today that it has also developed an iPad application that is designed to effectively manage EHR implementations.

The press release below details the company’s growth and the iPad application.

ALEGO HEALTH ADDS JOBS, CONTINUES TO GROW AND DISPLAYS EHR INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP THROUGH INNOVATION

The company is adding jobs and clients to its growing portfolio and has developed an Alego-exclusive iPad application

Westlake, Ohio—Oct. 1, 2012— Alego Health, an industry leader in electronic health record consulting, training, implementation and support, announced today that it has added 450 new project jobs and is experiencing tremendous growth through its local, regional and national clients. Alego continues to lead the industry in technology innovation with the introduction of its application based on the Apple iPad platform, which is designed to effectively manage EHR implementations.

This week, Alego will commence work on one of its largest projects to date. The company has recently secured a contract with a large regional health system to provide 24-hour support to seven of its regional hospitals. The project features the optimization and installation of Epic EHR Software Modules: CPOE (Computerized Physician Order Entry), ASAP (Emergency Room Module), OpTime (Operating Room Module), and Stork (Obstetrics Module).

Read more »

From Physician to Divorce Attorney

This is a guest post by Jim Kelly

One of the Best Intellectual Property Lawyers to Date

What many physicians find most rewarding about their job skills is that they learn the value of compassion and empathy. In caring for their patients, they make deep emotional bonds they allow them to take pride in their careers. However, as all too many people are aware, the health care industry is less today about compassion than it is about profits. Many physicians come to this realization in sadness, and decide they no longer wish be a part of the machine.

As anyone who has ever gone through a divorce knows fully well, the process of terminating a marriage can be an incredibly painful and trying one. This is precisely why the characteristics of compassion and empathy are what are needed in order to make a good divorce lawyer. Perhaps ironically, a physician seeking respite from the healthcare industry may actually find a home in divorce court.

On top of the hurt and disappointment that a failed marriage inevitably brings, partners that decide to separate must then prolong this pain by negotiating out their separation in the arenas of finances, assets, children, and other shared items. For some couples, splitting up their assets and their pets can be a relatively straightforward process, all things considering. For others, however, the personalities involved, the lack of legal differentiation, and the length of the marriage may all coalesce to make the process slow and acrimonious.

This is why human compassion and the judicious weighing of people over profits is important. As Morgan Chu, Partner at Irell & Manella LLP, says: "No matter what the basic background or content the cases may involve, whether it's complex contracts or patents, they involve tests of credibility, credibility of the human beings who are testifying, credibility of the positions of the parties."

Read more »