Managed Healthcare Executive - June Issue

Planning a career transition into managed care? Managed markets? Health insurance companies?

You can read the June issue of Managed Healthcare Executive to read about health care reform, health policy, transparency, utilization review, health management, pharmacy best practices, managed care outlook, and more.

Non-Clinical Medical Opportunities for Physicians and Other Clinicians

If you're a physician and you're considering a non-clinical career, you may be wondering about all the opportunities out there. I get asked about this all the time. Over the years, I've had a chance to meet different physicians working in various companies and industries.

The following may apply even if you're not a physician. If you're a clinician (nurse, nurse practitioner or advanced practice nurse, pharmacist, physician assistant, medical researcher, podiatrist, physical therapist, psychologist, counselor, etc.), many of these opportunities may still be appropriate for you.

First, ask yourself what you enjoy. After all, if you don't enjoy clinical medicine, you don't want to end up doing something else you're not going to enjoy. Then, start networking using an intentional strategy. Leverage all the online social networking sites (like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) and get reconnected with old colleagues, classmates, and friends. Find out what people are doing. They may help you get connected to some key people. You may find some of the best opportunities this way. If you're a woman, you may want to check out MomMD (www.mommd.com) and join a community of women who are seeking non-clinical opportunities ranging from part-time to full-time work.

The following list of opportunities is clearly non-exhaustive and many of these areas have significant overlap. This list is based on my personal interactions with people in these roles and as I meet more people, this list grows.

Here is my growing list of non-clinical opportunities for physicians (not in any particular order).

1. Healthcare administration, medical management, hospital administration, managed care - Are you a seasoned healthcare executive? Do you enjoy making administrative decisions? Then join the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) and run a hospital or a managed care organization. If you have a strong interest in managed care, then check out the NAMCP (National Association of Managed Care Physicians). You may want to get an MBA or an MMM (masters in medical management) if you don't already have one. An active US medical license is required for most (if not all) of these positions.

2. VC (venture capital), finance, Wall Street, etc.- Got an MBA? If not, are you thinking of getting one? Some will argue that once you have an "M.D." after your name, it may not matter as much where you get your MBA. However, I would argue that your MBA is your path to networking opportunities, so where you get your MBA is critical if you want to have a solid network. Once you get your MBA, you can work for venture capital (VC) firms, dig into market research companies, or work on Wall Street. Maybe you've heard of the Gerson Lehrman Group (www.glgroup.com)? No clinical experience necessary for many of these opportunities, but it's always helpful so that you can effectively communicate with KOLs (key opinion leaders) in the field. Many joint MD/MBA students have ventured directly into very successful careers this way. Also, an MBA is not necessary if you have some good business skills and understand the healthcare industry. You will need strong people skills and a willingness to work long hours.

3. Writing and medical communications (includes promotional education, certified CME/CE, consumer health education, and much more) - Do you enjoy writing? Many physicians and non-physicians have very successful careers as medical writers. The field is open to people who enjoy fiction writing, publications, research, or other types of writing. You can get involved working on journal publications, developing promotional content for marketing campaigns, or developing CME programs. Join the AMWA (American Medical Writers Association) and look for opportunities. You can work from home as a freelance writer and have a very flexible schedule. Or, you can work for a publisher or another type of healthcare communications company. No clinical experience necessary.

4. Technology and Informatics (health information technology, healthcare informatics, EHR/EMR, PHR, digital health) - Want to develop or improve an electronic health record (EHR) system? Do you love informatics? Then join the CCHIT (Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology), the AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association), and the AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association). Clinicians use EHRs and patients (or consumers) use PHRs (Personal Health Records). Keep up with HIMSS. There are many companies attempting to integrate the data between PHRs and EHRs. There is a national initiative to improve and standardize public health informatics, so now is a great time to enter this industry. No clinical experience necessary, but you should be familiar with ICD, CPT, and other billing codes used in this industry.

5. Disease management - Managed care organizations (MCOs) are always looking for better disease management (DM) programs for their plans. Some MCOs develop their own DM plans and others outsource them to external companies. These companies create and deliver various services to managed care organizations, including DM, wellness programs, personal health record (PHR) services, etc. Do you ever get educational pamphlets from your own health plan? Who puts them together? Who designs and develops these wellness and preventive health programs? It's not always WebMD. There are other companies that provide similar services.

6. Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology/Medical Device- If you're a medical specialist, there are many opportunities to do research for these companies. If you don't enjoy research, then you can develop marketing strategies. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements have become very popular these days. See all those ads in the medical journals? Get ready for that "corporate America" lifestyle if you plan to venture into industry. You may be working even more hours and carrying a Blackberry instead of a pager, but if you climb that "corporate ladder" and play the corporate game, you may qualify for an early retirement. Young people who are fast learners may be very aggressive and advance rapidly. Be prepared to have a younger boss if you're a seasoned clinician.

7. Independent medical examiner (IME), Expert witnessing, and Legal medicine - Personal injury, medical malpractice, nursing home care, etc. There are firms that specialize in specific areas (like nursing home cases). Want more information? Join the American College of Legal Medicine (ACLM). You can also become board certified by the American Board of Legal Medicine (ABLM).

8. Public health, population health, health policy, and government health - Get an MPH, join the APHA (American Public Health Association), and find a local health department. Or, join the CDC and travel the world. Develop strategies to improve population health. Some pharmaceutical companies also have public health sections and are very devoted to public health and international health (Pfizer in particular comes to mind). Bridge gaps in healthcare disparities. Work for the FDA or a state or local health agency.

9. Consulting - The world is open. Want to work for yourself or for a company? Many healthcare companies are looking for experts to help them develop, refine, and improve their products and services. It may be hard to get started unless you've already established connections. Once again, social networking becomes critical. Your initial success will depend more on who you know.

10. Research - Academia vs. private vs. industry vs. CRO. You don't have to go into industry to do research. Look for a Contract Research Organization (CRO) in your area. Join the ACRO (Association of Clinical Research Organizations). You may want to look at PPD (no, this is not the TB skin test). PPD is a large global CRO. Of course, there are also many other CROs.

11. Executive recruiting, search firm, headhunting, human resources - Physicians can work as an executive recruiter to hire and place other physicians. You can also work your way up and manage other recruiters who do the hiring. Remember, these 'head hunters' get paid a commission based on the salary of the person they place. The $ earning potential can be tremendous if you're successful.

12. Start a company - Have an innovative idea? Are you an entrepreneur? Start a company! New companies seem to be sprouting all the time. Stay connected with people and keep your eyes open for new ideas. Thinking about getting an MBA? Be sure to connect with others who can help you get a concept off the ground.

Not sure where to start? As I mentioned above, start building your social and professional network. Reconnect with people and ask many questions. Find people who are in various positions and ask them what they like/dislike.

Join some associations to build your network and to find companies. Note that some associations are specifically for physicians, but many are open to all types of healthcare professionals. Also, even those that are specifically for physicians offer affiliate memberships for certain non-physicians.

ABLM: American Board of Legal Medicine
ACHE: American College of Healthcare Executives
ACLM: American College of Legal Medicine
American Association for Physician Leadership
(ACPE: American College of Physician Executives)
ACRO: Association of Clinical Research Organizations
AMDIS: Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems
AHIMA: American Health Information Management Association
AMIA: American Medical Informatics Association
AMWA: American Medical Writers Association
APHA: American Public Health Association
CCHIT: Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology
NAMCP: National Association of Managed Care Physicians

Thanks again for visiting NonClinicalJobs.com. I hope you'll visit frequently because we publish new articles daily.

Non-Clinical Medicine

To many people (including myself), the phrase "non-clinical medicine" sounds a bit odd. After all, the practice of medicine is clinical in nature.

Can you image the following conversation?

Q: "So what type of medicine do you practice?"
A: "I practice non-clinical medicine."
Q: "Oh, you mean like radiology or pathology?"

See, many people equate clinical medicine to seeing and treating patients. So if you're not actively engaged in direct patient contact and patient care, does that mean you're practicing non-clinical medicine? Not necessarily. The answer to the question above could also sound like this:

A: "No, I work behind in a company developing population-based disease management programs for managed care organizations."
or,
A: "No, I work in a medical education company developing continuing education programs for physicians, pharmacists, and nurses."
or,
A: "No, I now work in Wall Street"
or,
A: "No, I now work for the marketing division of a pharmaceutical company"
or,
A: "No, I work on developing market research surveys on different therapeutic topics."
or,
A: "No, I now work as a medical news reporter."

To some, the phrase "non-clinical medicine" means that you sit in an office and have full-time administrative duties. And yet to others, "non-clinical medicine" just means that you're no longer engaged in anything that directly relates with patient care.

Are public health physicians working in non-clinical medicine? Population health issues may conflict with direct patient care issues since population medicine needs to weigh decisions against the "greater good." Direct patient care is individualized medicine.

I've gone on quite a tangent, but the point I'd like to return to is this: non-clinical medicine is a very broad phrase that means different things to different people. So don't make any automatic assumptions about someone's career if they tell you that they are now engaged in pursuing a non-clinical career.

Non-Clinical Pharmacy Jobs in Managed Care

If you're a pharmacist, have you ever considered working for a managed care organization (MCO)? There are many different types of opportunities within managed care and to learn more, you should check out the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP).

With rising drug costs, there's a greater need to understand which drugs are most cost-effective within MCOs. So, if you really enjoy looking at numbers, playing around with different cost-effectiveness models, evaluating the ROI on disease management, and looking at ways to improve pay-for-performance (P4P), then consider working for an MCO. Maybe you'll be able to create a novel drug assistance program and help those patients who can't afford their meds. By then, many of those meds should be generic. I'm still waiting for the day when biologic agents go generic. Would you trust a generic biologic agent?

J&J buys HealthMedia

What is J&J up to? They just acquired HealthMedia, an online consumer health company that offers computer-based wellness programs. How would your health improve if you had an online "virtual" health coach reminding you of important health facts and guiding you through some of your medical decisions?

It's just a matter of time before all the online wellness companies are acquired by either a managed care organization or a pharmaceutical company.

the DMAA - Disease Management to Care Continuum

Can you keep track of all these acronyms? Here's an interesting twist. The DMAA stands for: The Care Continuum Alliance. Shouldn't that be the CCA? They used to be called the Disease Management Association of America, but now they've re-branded their association to be called the Care Continuum Alliance. They still have their journal titled "Disease Management" and their focus continues to be on population health.


Here's a description from their corporate website:

We believe the highest achievable health status is attained through the promotion and alignment of population health improvement by:

• Promoting a proactive, patient-centric focus across the care continuum;
• Convening health care professionals across the care continuum to share and integrate practice models;
• Emphasizing the importance of both healthful behaviors and evidence-based care in preventing and managing chronic conditions;
• Promoting high quality standards for and definitions of key components of wellness, disease and, where appropriate, case management, and care coordination programs as well as support services and materials;
• Identifying, researching, sharing and encouraging innovative approaches and best practices care delivery and reimbursement models;
• Establishing consensus-based outcomes measures and demonstrating health, satisfaction, and financial improvements achieved through wellness, disease and case management, and care coordination programs;
• Supporting delivery system models that assure appropriate care for chronic conditions and coordination among all health care providers including strategies such as the Chronic Care Model, the physician-led medical home concept, and the disease management model;
• Encouraging the widespread adoption and interoperability of health information technologies;
• Advocating the principles and benefits of population health improvement to public health officials, including state and federal government entities;
• Underscoring the level of commitment to population health improvement and timeframes necessary to realize the full benefits.