Doctors must lead the way as healthcare moves towards new payment and care delivery models say executives at the country’s largest health systems. According to a report in Fierce Healthcare.

The industry needs more physician leaders to drive the movement from volume to value, said Robert Pearl, M.D., chair of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP) and executive director and CEO of the Permanente Medical Group. Pearl was speaking at a physician leadership panel discussion in District of Columbia.

Also on a roundtable discussion on healthcare leadership were Mark Klau, M.D., assistant regional medical director for Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Philip Oravetz, M.D., medical director for accountable care at Ochsner Health System in southeast Louisiana, Lee Sacks, M.D., CEO of Advocate Physician Partners in Illinois and Nicholas Wolter, M.D., CEO of Billings Clinic in Montana.

Screening early in the recruitment process is undertaken by both Oravetz and Klau when they note doctors who have promise for a future leadership role. To this end, Ochsner, has four leadership tiers that enable staff who are developing into leadership roles to move up the career ladder; emerging, progressing, advanced and executive.

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Succession planning is also recommended with leaders being encouraged to have a possible successor in place before leaving.

“Everybody kind of just progresses along,” said Oravetz. “It’s critical that we have a pipeline.”

Leadership development is also flagged early on at the Permanente Group where potential leaders undertake a three-day programme held over two months. These progress to advanced courses for doctors moving into potential leadership roles. Ensuring that good candidates do not get overlooked is critical for a good leadership programme.

CAPP offers a series of articles on physician leadership for healthcare systems not yet cultivating potential leaders fully. The aim is to “translate the experience of national leaders”.


Source: Fierce Healthcare
Image Credit: physicianleaders.org

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