adminPhysician executives with experience and skills in value-based delivery will set themselves apart in today’s job market, says Modern Healthcare in a recent story about physician executive programs. Highlighted in the story as top job candidates are physicians who “have experience overseeing accountable care organizations and care in ambulatory and transitional settings.”
The transition to value-based care is underway, as shown by announced changes to both Medicare and Medicaid.
That’s why it’s not a surprise that many physician executive programs are beginning to offer courses on managing alternative payments.
Physicians pursuing degrees, such as a Master of Health Administration (MHA) or a Master of Business Administration (MBA), would be well advised to find programs and courses that address the current shift to value-based payment systems.
Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) member Christopher Clark, DO, MHA, an Erie physician currently serving as medical director of clinical client relations for Highmark, Inc., has participated in PAMED’s leadership courses and earned his MHA from Penn State World Campus. He’s cognizant of the health care industry’s need for physicians who have experience with new outcome-based reimbursement models.
“Since provider reimbursement models that connect payment to outcomes, including cost, are increasingly becoming established, physicians are strongly advised to seek opportunities that best prepare them to meet these ‘value-based’ expectations,” said Dr. Clark. “Physician leaders, especially, should consider structured programs so they can better understand change management principles and successfully promote care transformation strategies amongst their peers.”
Leadership Education from PAMED Offers a Path to an MBA
PAMED has long been aware of the importance of leadership training and has developed leadership programs in coordination with the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL).
Those looking for a path to Certified Physician Executive (CPE) certification or an MBA can find it with PAMED’s Year-Round Leadership Academy. The courses in this program qualify for credit toward the CPE designation and for AAPL’s master’s degree programs with Carnegie Mellon University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and University of Southern California.
New to the Year-Round Academy this year is a scholarship program for early career physicians between the ages of 30 and 45. Applications are being accepted online through July 15, 2015. Learn more about the requirements to see whether you or someone you know might qualify for a leadership scholarship.
Get the Skills to Succeed in Value-Based Care
PAMED’s innovative value-based care education is also underway. On June 12, 2015, physicians and practice administrators were in attendance at PAMED Headquarters in Harrisburg for the first live volume-to-value workshop conducted by Ray Fabius, MD, PAMED member and expert in population health.
Physicians and administrators are feeling uncertainty about the multitude of changes to the health care delivery system. PAMED’s series of six online, on-demand courses and live workshops in Harrisburg on Aug. 7 and Oct. 9 is designed to help address that uncertainty. It is possible not just to survive but also to thrive in value-based delivery, and PAMED can help you acquire the skills you need.
Learn more about this education and register.
“We’re constantly talking about value-based purchasing, value-based measures, and educating the medical staff and the board, so this [education] has been a very good exercise in learning how to use some of the value-based measures and how they are going to apply as we go forward. It was a very useful conversation,” said Carmine Cerra, MD, an attendee at the June 12 workshop. Dr. Cerra, a physician at Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, is on the hospital board and chairs the performance improvement committee.