ACPE, ACMPE, ACHE where the E = Executives

Recently, I've received a number of questions from people who find themselves a bit confused by these similar acronyms where the AC = American College and the E = Executives. Let's take a look at these 3:

• ACPE = American College of Physician Executives
• ACMPE = American College of Medical Practice Executives
• ACHE = American College of Healthcare Executives

ACPE is the nation's largest health care organization for physician executives — doctors who hold leadership and management positions. Founded in 1975.  http://acpe.org

ACMPE merged with Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) in 2011 to form the MGMA-ACMPE.  http://www.mgma.com

ACHE is an international professional society of more than 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. Founded in 1933. http://www.ache.org

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.

Average physician salaries according to the Bureau of Labor Services

What does the U.S. Bureau of Labor Services (BLS) report as the average salary of a physician?

http://www.graduan2u.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/salary_jobs.jpg"In 2008, physicians practicing primary care had total median annual compensation of $186,044, and physicians practicing in medical specialties earned total median annual compensation of $339,738."

Let's look at a few specific specialties, in ascending order:

General Pediatricians $161,410
Psychiatrists $163,660
Family and General Practitioners $168,550
General Internists $183,990
Obstetricians and Gynecologists $204,470
Anesthesiologists $211,750
Surgeons $219,770

Physicians and Surgeons, All Other $173,860

These BLS numbers are much lower compared to the salary survey statistics you may find through the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) or the American Medical Group Association (AMGA). For instance, the AMGA reports the average salary for Anesthesiologists as $366,640. So, who's right? I suppose we'll never know.

Career advice from the MGMA (Medical Group Management Association)

Interested in receiving career advice from the MGMA (Medical Group Management Association)? You'll find some useful resources and articles related to medical management.

I suggest this resource: The Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management.

The Body of Knowledge for Medical Practice Management is the primary resource for those seeking to assess and develop their expertise in medical practice management. It also provides the content framework for the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) board certification program.

To read those career articles, visit: http://www.mgma.com/earlyCareerists/

You can also take a self assessment (ACMPE Personal Inventory based on the Body of Knowledge) here: http://www.mgma.com/inventory/

A discussion about physician salaries on Sermo

On Sermo, you'll find physicians (and only physicians) discussing all types of things. A recent discussion has focused on the validity of national physician salary surveys.

Here's what one physician posted on Sermo:

I've researched average physician compensation for a number of specialties, including my specialty using stats from AGMA, MGMA, and other sources. I am consistently struck by how low these figures are compared with individuals I know and others I know about.

I know the limitation of these statistics is that they usually only represent employed physicians. I thought it might be interested to see whether you believe the average income (and upper and lower ranges) for your specialty is correct, and what you think the implications are.

The reality is that most physicians voted that these numbers are inflated. In some cases, they're up by 25-30%. In other cases, over 50%. As a result of these published figures, new graduates are feeling entitled to very high salaries.

MGMA: Physician recruiters are filling vacancies more quickly, efficiently

Healthcare Finance News recently published a story titled, "MGMA: Physician recruiters are filling vacancies more quickly, efficiently." Here's a snippet from the story:

The MGMA’s report, “In-House Recruitment Benchmarking Survey: 2010 Report Based on 2008 Data,” showed that most specialties reported a decline in the cost and number of resources associated with filling these positions. Survey analysts have attributed this to the economic downturn and an increase (30 percent, according to this year’s report) in the use of Internet job boards as a primary recruitment method.  

The MGMA collaborated with the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters on the survey.

Notice the comment about the increase in the use of Internet job boards? Make sure to check the NonClinicalJobs.com job board found here. We have new non-clinical jobs appearing all the time.

Have you ever worked with a physician recruiter? If you're looking for a job in the healthcare industry, you may have more luck by working with recruiters who may know of unadvertised job openings. Executive search firms can help you save a significant amount of time.

The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) is the premier membership association for professional administrators and leaders of medical group practices.

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)

HCP Live is covering updates from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) annual conference in Denver. Glad to see that they're learning about social media and Web 2.0.

If you're interested in a career in medical management, then you should definitely tune in. You can also pursue a master's degree in medical management (MMM) if you're really serious about a career in this field.

To stay tuned, visit: http://www.hcplive.com/hcplive/mgma_2009

Here's some interesting history about the MGMA:

MGMA is the nation's principal voice for the medical group practice profession.

The Association started as a small network of clinic managers, called the National Association of Clinic Managers, which met for the first time in Madison, Wis., in 1926. The name was changed to the Medical Group Management Association in 1963 to reflect the diverse management roles found in group practice.