Docs, nurses take the lead in healthcare collaboration

As new healthcare delivery models foster collaboration between caregivers and other staff, physicians and nurses are taking on executive leadership roles, The Atlantic reported.

In fact, 64 physician CEOs already are running healthcare systems, according to executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, the article noted. That number could rise, as a study last summer found that physician-run hospitals had a 25 percent higher quality score than those run by nonclinical CEOs.

According to The Atlantic, these new physician and nurse execs bring strong clinical and patient care experience to the C-suite. Many also hold MBAs and finance degrees to supplement their clinical training. With such credentials, healthcare organizations are adopting new physician executive positions to lead them through the industry-wide transformation, including chief quality officers, chief clinical integration officers, chief knowledge officers, chief experience officers and even chief incentive officers.

Nurses also are moving into the C-suite, as a growing number of academic medical centers and large integrated healthcare systems are hiring chief nursing information officers. More organizations want IT experts with a nursing background to help manage their health IT implementation, which is largely completed by nurses, FierceHealthIT previously reported.

Moreover, nurses will continue to play very important roles in the success of accountable care organizations, as they are skilled in wellness, teamwork and health education.

For more:
- read the Atlantic article
- check out the FierceHealthIT article