Journal of Medical Regulation (JMR)

Are you familiar with the Journal of Medical Regulation (JMR) ?

The Journal of Medical Regulation (JMR) is a quarterly peer-reviewed publication that addresses a wide range of issues of interest to state medical boards and organizations and individuals interested in medical licensing and regulation. Published continuously since 1913, the JMR is distributed by the Federation of State Medical Boards. The JMR is celebrating its Centennial during 2013.

Learn more about this journal here: http://jmr.fsmb.org/

Administrative medicine: a medical specialty?

Back in 1986, there was an article published titled, "Administrative medicine: a new medical specialty?" The health care system has changed dramatically since then and the definition of "administrative medicine" continues to evolve as more physicians leave the bedside to pursue careers in business and administration. In 2009, Dr. Arthur Lazarus, a board member of the American College of Physician Executives, published a paper titled, "Professional and career issues in administrative medicine."

If you're interested in a career in administrative medicine, I would suggest the following:

First, join the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and get involved in these organizations.

After you've gotten involved, consider whether you'll want to pursue a master's degree. Many physicians choose to get either an MBA or an MMM (master of medical management) to strengthen their credentials, solidify their knowledge base, and expand their network in the world of medical administration.

Administrative Fellowship Program

There are a number of Administrative Fellowship Programs available for those who are interested in medical management or administrative medicine.

Here's what you can expect from some of these programs:

• Directly access senior executive teams, who serve as mentors, through action learning projects;
• Observe decision making and strategy at the senior level;
• Lead and support special project that are aligned with key strategic initiatives
• Strengthen leadership & management skills by assuming full operational responsibilities in an inpatient unit, clinical practice and/or specialized shared services

Medical universities and health systems that currently offer administrative fellowship programs include:

U Penn
Emory
Harvard
Johns Hopkins
MD Anderson
Mass General
Mainline Health
Northwestern Memorial
and many others

Some medical boards provide a Special Purpose Medical License for Administrative Medicine. You may want to check with your state medical board to see if such a license is offered and/or required in order for you to practice non-clinical administrative medicine.

ACPE Course: Skills for Effective Medical Staff Leadership

As a leader on your hospital's medical staff, you likely carry out peer review, make complex credentialing and privileging decisions, and fulfill other critical responsibilities that directly affect patient care.

These decisions are critical for hospital success, and even your own and your colleagues' livelihoods. Moving into an important medical staff leadership position without any training just sets you up to fail.

You may not be able to commit the time and resources to leadership and management training appropriate for a career physician executive — that doesn't mean you have to face these new and often difficult challenges unprepared.

The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. This CME activity is intended for physicians and other health care leaders who wish to gain the management skills needed to be more effective leaders on their hospital’s medical staff. Learn more here.

NEJM: Physician Executive Career Options Abound

There's an article in the NEJM Career Center titled, "Physician Executive Career Options Abound."

This article highlights some of the "demand for health care leaders with clinical experience and the desire to facilitate systemic change." The author starts by summarizing comments from Barry Silbaugh, MD, former CEO of the of the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE).

Here's the bottom line:

• Management roles are increasing in the health care industry because of health care reform, health IT integration, need for value-based care, evolving care models like ACOs and PCMH, etc.
• Career paths in medical management can be very diverse. 
• Physicians from almost any specialty can find a role in medical management.
• Having formal education in management is very beneficial (but not necessarily essential, as long as you can demonstrate competency in areas like accounting, finance, organizational development, etc.).
• A career in medical management is not for everyone. So, make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

Interested in a career in medical management? I'd strongly recommend the American College of Physicians Executives (ACPE) as a professional resource and membership organization: www.acpe.org

7 career-building reasons to join ACPE (American College of Physician Executives)

Are you familiar with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE)? Here are 7 career-building reasons to join the ACPE:

1. Better Business Intelligence: Stay informed with your free subscription to the award-winning Physician Executive Journal, ACPE’s medical management journal.

2. Enhanced Knowledge & Expertise: Gain valuable management training and CME credits through ACPE’s educational programs. Classes are offered both on-line or in-person at a substantial discount for members.

3. Career Advancement: Unlimited access to Career Link — ACPE’s online job bank. A free introductory career counseling and coaching session from ACPE's skilled career development staff.

4. Credentials & Recognition: Be recognized as a physician leader and business expert by applying your ACPE curriculum toward an MBA, MMM or MS-HQSM through ACPE and its prestigious university partners.

Fundamentals of Medical Management : A Guide for the New Physician Executive

Make sure to read this book titled, Fundamentals of Medical Management : A Guide for the New Physician Executive.

This book not only assists the physician new to medical management to deal effectively with his or her new responsibilities but also furthur defines and refines the medical management profession itself. There are all manner of enviroments and levels of responsibility in the medical management profession. Fundamentals of Medical Management is where it all begins.

Author: Dr. Jerry L. Hammon
Publisher: American College of Physician Executives; 2 edition (December 1, 2000)

2011 Yale Healthcare Conference

The Yale Healthcare Conference is a joint effort between the Yale School of Management and the Health Professional Schools at Yale University that brings together professionals, academics, and students to engage in an instructive conversation concerning current healthcare issues. This will be the 7th consecutive year and they expect the conference to continue growing to over 450 participants.

April 1, 2011 - 9AM - 4:30PM / Omni New Haven Hotel At Yale

With the recent, historic passage of healthcare reform legislation, the U.S. healthcare system is experiencing its most significant transformation in the last 40 years. Restructuring of the healthcare system will have significant implications for how healthcare is delivered, financed and regulated. The conference offers a perfectly-timed opportunity to illuminate the changes that key stakeholders will face with reform, also expanding upon how excellence can be fostered in a modified system. Specifically, the conference will examine:

Physician Careers: Clinical Management - Dr. Christopher Baugh (MD/MBA 8th AMMP Conference)

Here's a video of a presentation given by Dr. Christopher Baugh at the 8th Annual AMMP conference titled, "Careers: Clinical Management." I blogged about his presentation (here) back in April when I was in Boston attending the Association of MD/MBA Programs (AMMP) 8th Annual Conference.

Now, you can view a video of his presentation and slides here (you'll need Microsoft Silverlight to play the video).

Christopher Baugh, MD, MBA
Medical Director, ED Observation Unit
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Baugh moved to the East Coast for college, where he has remained for the past fifteen years. As an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Biology and minor in Economics while earning All-American honors in football and multiple research grants from the Howard Hughes Foundation and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, among others. His education continued at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated AOA from medical school while earning an MBA from Wharton Business School. While at Penn, Dr. Baugh worked for both GlaxoSmithKline and McKinsey & Company during summer sessions. After graduating from the MD/MBA program, Dr. Baugh came to Boston, where he completed a four-year Emergency Medicine residency at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospitals. During his residency, Dr. Baugh's publications included a financial analysis of Observation Medicine which introduced the novel valuation concept of options modeling to this area of practice. Academic interests also include healthcare quality, and Dr. Baugh has served on the national American College of Emergency Medicine's Quality and Performance Committee for the past two years.

MBA & Graduate Programs for Careers in Health Care

There are a number of MBA and graduate programs that focus on the health care system. If you want to get involved in medical management or if you hope to influence health policy, then perhaps you'll want to invest in some more education to get an MBA, MPA, MHA, or MSHM. If you go through an online program, then you can receive your degree while you're still working.

Here are several graduate degree programs (and of course there are many others) that focus on health care:

Northeastern University (Online)
MBA - Healthcare Management

The Northeastern MBA program has been specifically designed and structured for working professionals. To accommodate your schedule, there are eight start dates available throughout the year, so you can get started almost immediately. Once enrolled in the program, most students spend from 15 to 20 hours a week studying. A specialization, made up of 5 courses, is available in Healthcare Management.

Champlain College (Online)
Master of Science in Healthcare Management

Champlain College's online Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM) is a comprehensive program designed to prepare students for leadership positions in contemporary healthcare organizations. Theprogram focuses on the critical areas of management from the strategic, tactical, and operational perspectives. Champlain's MSHM is one of the few programs that melds content in business, management, healthcare, and information technology to focus on the non-technical aspects of managing healthcare.

Speaking with Drexel medical students today about non-clinical careers

I spent some time this evening speaking with medical students at Drexel College of Medicine about a variety of non-clinical career opportunities. I want to thank Deepak Sharma (Drexel MD/MBA candidate) for setting up the meeting. It was great to interact with students who have questions regarding non-clinical career options. I also enjoyed visiting my wife's medical school because it's been many years since I've stepped foot on the Queen Lane campus of Drexel College of Medicine (at the time it was called MCP/Hahnemann).

We spent time discussing these 4 non-clinical industries:

1. Consulting - remember that some of the major consulting firms like McKinsey and BCG offer programs where medical school graduates and young physicians can learn about job opportunities within those organizations. McKinsey Insight Healthcare and Bridge to BCG are two examples. My practical tip for medical students is this: speak with consultants so that you have a better understanding of the types of jobs that are out there and attend information sessions.

2. Pharma/Biotech - we discussed several options ranging from MSL (medical science liaison) to contract research organizations to medical directorship to drug safety review. There are a variety of job opportunities within the biopharma industry that we could easily spend a few hours discussing those. My practical tip for medical students is this: expand your social network and meet physicians who are working in these roles so that you can explore these types of job opportunities. Devote some time to clinical research and try to publish some papers during medical school and residency.

3. Entrepreneurship - we shared some stories ranging from social entrepreneurship to bootstrapping a start-up. It seems like I am constantly meeting more young medical students who wish to become entrepreneurs. My practical tip for medical students is this: search for those business podcasts on iTunes and iTunes U. A number of business schools like Stanford and Yale have excellent podcasts that focus on entrepreneurship. These stories can be very inspiring. 

4. Medical management - there are a variety of positions ranging from being a chief medical officer (CMO) of a hospital to even becoming a CEO. Or, you may pursue jobs in the health insurance industry and work for health plans like Aetna and Blue Cross. My practical tip for medical students is this: join the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) and learn about the different medical management careers that are available. Student membership is very affordable ($30 per year).

Next time, we'll need to discuss career opportunities in health IT, finance, medical journalism, medical writing, and more. We'll have to invite other medical students and residents in the Philadelphia area to attend our next meeting.

Physician Executive MBA

If you type "Physician Executive MBA" into Google, you'll see 2 business schools pop up on the first page:

• Physician Executive MBA Program - University of Tennessee
• Auburn University Physicians Executive MBA

There are many other Executive MBA programs specifically for physicians, but they're not popping up on the first page of Google.  Why? Because the majority of Executive MBA or EMBA programs are not specifically tailored just for physicians. There are some that focus on healthcare, but those programs are generally open to pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals.

Physician EMBA programs are almost exclusively geared for physicians who wish to improve their leadership skills and learn how to become more effective physician executives in the world of medical management.  Speaking of medical management, you could also choose to pursue a Master of Medical Management or MMM degree from a number of schools that offer this relatively new degree.

• Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College Master of Medical Management
• University of Southern California Marshall Master of Medical Management

What's a physician executive? Visit the American College of Physician Executives or ACPE website.

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/

Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM)

What will you gain if you get a Master of Science in Healthcare Management (MSHM)? Let's take an example of one school: Champlain College (I'm picking on them because I recently received an e-mail from them). Their curriculum focuses on "healthcare specific" courses — allowing you to stay current with today's relevant healthcare issues. After successfully completing the MSHM, you will be able to:

• Analyze and evaluate the U.S. healthcare system
• Enhance management-level knowledge and understanding of business disciplines as they relate to healthcare
• Understand the legal, regulatory, and ethical considerations of managing healthcare information technology
• Focus on the critical areas of managing from the strategic, tactical, and operational perspectives
• Identifying barriers to continuous improvement processes

MSHM graduates can attain a variety of healthcare leadership positions. Some examples of jobs include:

* Director of Healthcare Marketing
* Hospital Administrator
* Health Analytics Director
* Healthcare Finance Manager
* Health Services Manager
* Health Services Project Administrator
* Managed Care Manager

What do you think? Is it time to go back to school? I'm planning on going to business school so that I can learn how to be more effective in the world of business.

ACPE Graduate Degree Programs: MBA and MMM

I'm in Washington D.C. attending the 2010 ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) Annual CME Conference. Here, you can learn about graduate degrees (master of business administration or MBA and master of medical management or MMM) offered through the following partner universities:

• University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management (MBA)
• Carnegie Mellon Heinz College, School of Public Policy & Management (MMM)
• University of Southern California Marshall School of Business (MMM)

Interested in pursuing yet another graduate degree? Here are some reasons why you want to consider a graduate degree:
    * Enhance your credibility in the business side of medicine
    * Broaden your perspective and learn new approaches
    * Realize the power of both leading and following - medicine as a team sport
    * Stay competitive - most management jobs now require a graduate business degree

If you're serious about making a career transition that involves more management responsibilities, then you may want to consider a graduate degree that focuses on administration or medical management. I've spoken with many physician executives who've told me why they chose to pursue an MBA vs. an MMM. I'd encourage you to do the same.

MD/MBA Survey Update

Highlights from the Association of MD/MBA Programs 8th Annual Conference.

This morning, Winston Sherrill, PhD, MBA, MHA (Associate Professor, Public Health Sciences, Clemson University), presented some data from an original survey in 1999 and a follow-up survey conducted in 2009 where they compared MD/MBA students against MD students. The follow-up group was small (n=22-23), but it was still interesting to hear about the qualitative data that was collected.

The Benefits of the MD/MBA Degree, a Ten-Year Follow-Up Study (an update)

The original study began in 1999 and there were only 6 schools that offered a dual-degree MD/MBA program. The survey evaluated perceptions, career intentions, and career planning decisions. Plus, they studied some psychological measures (such as ambiguity tolerance).

MD/MBA Careers in Clinical Management

Christopher Baugh, MD, MBA (Medical Director, ED Observation Unit at the Brigham and Woman's Hospital) gave a great presentation this afternoon at the Association of MD/MBA Programs (AMMP) 8th Annual Conference. I loved the story about how Dr. Steve Ober met Dr. Baugh (it was in the emergency department). You'll have to watch the archived recording to hear his story.

Dr. Baugh studied at Penn and got his MBA at Wharton. He spent one summer (2003) with GlaxoSmithKline and another summer (2004) with McKinsey & Company. He worked on Medicare Part D brand strategy for a top global pharma company. He went into emergency medicine and turned down a full-time offer from McKinsey when he graduated.

MD/MBA Careers in Academic Medical Centers

This morning at the Association of MD/MBA Programs (AMMP) 8th Annual Conference, Peter Slavin, MD, MBA (President of Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School) gave a great presentation about health care management this morning.

He started his presentation by emphasizing the importance of work/life balance. We all need to be reminded of that, don't we?

So, here are some of the key management challenges:

• Operations
• Finances
• Quality/patient safety
• Research
• Education
• Public policy

He went into 3 case studies and I'll highlight some of the points from these case studies:

Medical management jobs on LinkedIn

Interested in the world of medical management? Then you've probably already joined the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). Maybe you even have an MBA or a master of medical management (MMM). Unlike traditional job boards, LinkedIn adds an element of social interaction. When someone posts a job, others can post comments to that job post. Before long, you end up having an online discussion and you're able to build an online social community. Some of the jobs listed in the ACPE group include:

• Medical Director
• Vice President of Medical Affairs 
• Chief Medical Officer
• Chief Executive Officer
• and others

The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) group on LinkedIn currently has over 660 members. Considering that the ACPE has over 10,000 members, where are all the others?

Speaking of LinkedIn, don't forget to join our "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals" group on LinkedIn.

Careers as a healthcare executive

Considering a career as a healthcare executive? Consider learning about the ACHE:

The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of 30,000 healthcare executives. ACHE is known for its prestigious credentialing and educational programs and its annual Congress on Healthcare Management, which draws more than 4,000 participants each year. ACHE is also known for its journal, the Journal of Healthcare Management, and magazine, Healthcare Executive, as well as ground-breaking research and career development and public policy programs.

Here's a little intro that you'll find on the ACHE website: 

You will make decisions about your career throughout your life. No matter what stage of the decision-making process you are in, we hope that this essay will give you a better understanding of the exciting profession of healthcare management. Healthcare is one of today’s most dynamic and growing fields, with a wide range of opportunities and challenges. Healthcare executives work in a variety of settings, including hospitals and integrated delivery systems, managed care organizations, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, and consulting firms, to name a few. The American College of Healthcare Executives wants to help you make a positive, informed decision about your career. You can count on us as a resource for career advice, resume consultation, continuing education, and other career services.

Thomas C. Dolan, Ph.D., FACHE, CAE
President and Chief Executive Officer
American College of Healthcare Executives

ACHE is known for its prestigious FACHE® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management, and its educational programs including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants each year. ACHE's established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level.

To learn more about the ACHE, visit: http://www.ache.org