Managing Basic Science Departments in a Changing Environment

Clayton A. Tellers, Senior Manager, and Anne M. Matthiesen, Manager
12/14/07, Executive Briefing

Various external and internal factors are creating financial and organizational stress on basic science departments and are compelling school of medicine (SOM) leadership to focus more of management’s attention on these entities. This Executive Briefing describes key environmental pressures on basic sciences and offers specific analyses and initiatives for SOMs to consider in supporting the continued success and contributions of these departments and programs. View full article

Graduate Medical Education and Physician Alignment

Franklin D. Campbell, Senior Manager
September/October 2007, Healthcare Strategy Alert, Guest Author

Medical education drives innovation, quality, technology, and cutting-edge practice. From a strategic perspective, it can also help healthcare organizations to achieve objectives related to physician recruitment, retention, integration, and alignment. View full article

Managing a Successful Anesthesia Arrangement: After the Deal Is Struck

Kenneth A. Roorda, Senior Manager, and Clayton A. Tellers, Senior Manager
9/14/07, Executive Briefing

Over the past few years, there has been heightened interest in the financial arrangements between academic anesthesia practices and their affiliated teaching hospitals. While striking a financial arrangement that reflects fair market value for both parties is an important first step, the department and the hospital have additional, ongoing responsibilities to support the agreement. This Executive Briefing summarizes hospital- and practice-based factors that must be considered in order to ensure the continued success of the relationship. View full article

The Funds Flow Debate

Stephen M. Sadowski, Principal, and Earl J. Brigham, Principal
6/29/07, Executive Briefing

While intrafamily bickering among the component organizations of academic medical centers (AMCs) is seemingly as old as the Hippocratic oath, it is increasingly common to observe escalating and contentious debate regarding the status of financial arrangements between schools of medicine and teaching hospitals. This Executive Briefing presents the contrasting viewpoints of deans and hospital CEOs in relation to trends in hospital support of medical school programs, major teaching hospital performance, and clinical faculty. In addition, the briefing offers up some thoughts on what elements are required to advance from debate to solution. View full article

Community-Based Medical Schools: Challenges and Opportunities in a Class of Their Own

Christopher T. Collins, Manager, and Michael S. Davis, Senior Consultant
6/29/07, Insight, Summer 2007

In 1960, there were 85 medical schools in the United States. In response to the demand for medical education and physician shortage, the next two decades saw a rapid expansion of these institutions, fueled mostly by the creation of public, community-based medical schools. In a relatively short period of time, these 18 community-based medical schools have collectively established a national reputation for providing premier medical education and training, particularly to in-state residents. Further, their practice plans have gained a reputation for offering high-quality healthcare services to a broad patient base in their communities without regard to socioeconomic status. This issue of Insight addresses the opportunities, challenges, and realities faced by these schools to grow programmatically across all three components of their mission – academics, patient care, and research. View full article

Planning for Future Faculty Recruitment Needs

Clayton A. Tellers, Senior Manager, and Nicki N. Nguyen-Colvin, Manager
3/30/07, Executive Briefing

Various governmental agencies, research organizations, and advocacy groups have reported recently on the aging population and impending shortage of U.S. physicians relative to the burgeoning demand for healthcare services. This Executive Briefing presents a two-faceted planning process that senior leadership from schools of medicine (SOMs), faculty practice plans, and teaching hospitals must consider in order to alleviate the impact of changing physician demographics and greater patient care demands on their own faculty members. The briefing further touches on the need to translate outcomes from both components into estimates of required financial investment and proactive agreement on the relative responsibilities of each entity. View full article

The Evolution of Faculty Practice Plan Governing Boards

Stephen M. Sadowski, Principal
1/19/07, Executive Summary

The faculty practice plan (FPP) is an integral component of academic medical centers (AMCs), and a strong FPP is of strategic importance to successful teaching hospitals and medical schools. However, many FPPs are increasingly confronted by governance-related challenges. As a result, traditional FPP governance structures increasingly come into conflict with the expansion of FPP responsibilities. This Executive Summary examines how the FPPs must continue to evolve to meet new governance challenges in an effort to be successful and effective. View full article