MGMA16: The power of practice leadership

By Ilene MacDonald Oct 26, 2016 8:00am

Session tracks at this year's MGMA conference include government issues, patient relationships, business models and more. But the leadership track at this year’s Medical Group Management Association conference offers some highlight-worthy sessions devoted to helping physician leaders and practice managers foster cultures that lead to satisfied and engaged patients, staff and physicians.

Here's a sampling of the offerings:

Monday, Oct. 31, 2016

11 a.m. In “Tools to Achieve Effective Physician Leadership Partnerships," two speakers from the American Medical Association will provide attendees with tools to create strong administrator/physician leader partnerships.

Practices that have these types of partnerships also have stronger revenue, and they invest more in operating costs, meeting the needs of the physicians and team who provide care to patients.

Speakers are Allison Winkler, AMA's senior practice development specialist, and Bruce Bagley, M.D., the organization's senior advisor of professional satisfaction and practice sustainability.

They'll provide attendees with strategies to create and strengthen partnerships with physician leaders, tips to effectively collaborate with physician leaders and advice on how to implement a shared decision-making and co-leadership structure in your practice.

3:45 p.m. Halee Fischer-Wright, M.D., president and CEO of MGMA, will take a look at “Tribal Leadership,” and how to improve organizational culture.

In this session, attendees will learn how to assess their current culture and align the culture based on values and team excellence.

Attendees will gain a greater understanding of how culture affects organizations, the leverage points to improve culture, and how to create high performance teams.

Tuesday, Nov 1

8:30 a.m. In “Developing Powerful Physician Leadership and Engagement,” speakers Marc Mertz and Peter Valenzuela, M.D., will review real-life examples of how hospitals have created physician group organizational structures that give physicians active roles in leadership and management and drive improved results.

Mertz, vice president of the GE Healthcare Camden Group in El Segundo, California, and Valenzuela, the chief medical officer at Sutter Medical Group of the Redwoods in Santa Rosa, California, will discuss governance and management structures that facilitate more active physician involvement and engagement.

For example, they'll dig into leadership and management roles for physicians and attendees will also learn how to integrate a physician leadership development program to support physicians in new roles.

Wednesday, Nov 2

10 a.m. “Transforming Healthcare through the Conscious Leadership Model” is an interactive learning session to help cultivate an organizational culture that encourages staff and leaders to embrace the challenges of accelerated change.

Speakers are Carole Christmas Hoffer, optimization manager at University Medical Group, part of the Greenville Health System, and Sharon L. Wilson, director of conscious leadership development at the Greenville Health System Academy of Leadership and Professional Development.

They'll discuss conscious leadership concepts and provide attendees with a takeaway toolkit to help create positive culture change in their own organizations, impact staff behaviors and help the practice shift from a “to me” to “by me” creative approach.

10 a.m. In a concurrent session, two seasoned medical practice leaders will lead a workshop titled “Implementing Effective Leadership Strategies for Success.”

Michael O’Connell, a member of the ACMPE Certification Commission, and Ronald Menaker, assistant professor of healthcare systems engineering at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, will tell attendees how to best develop leadership and perspectives on different leadership theories and practical application of those theories in daily practice management.

For more information on the leadership and other tracks, check out the MGMA conference brochure. (.pdf)

Employee Engagement Hospital-Employed Physicians Physician Employment Physician Engagement Physician Leaders Physician Satisfaction Allison Winkler American Medical Association Bruce Bagley Carole Christmas Hoffer GE Healthcare Camden Group Greenville Health System Halee Fischer-Wright Marc Mertz Mayo Clinic Medical Group Management Association Michael O’Connell Peter Valenzuela Ronald Menaker Sharon L. Wilson Sutter Medical Group Practices