American Association for Physician Leadership

Physician Leadership:
More Valuable
Than Ever

A WHITE PAPER FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR PHYSICIAN LEADERSHIP® | FACTS, QUOTES & TAKEAWAYS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Physician leadership has only become more essential for healthcare’s continued journey toward higher quality, consistent safety, streamlined efficiency and for the transformation to value-based medicine.

Healthcare: Primed for Change

The healthcare industry has faced an era marked by seismic change, while the demand and growth in physician leadership has sharply increased. Today’s environment presents opportunities for physicians to make lasting improvements in care delivery.
Health system leaders are making administrative decisions that ultimately affect clinical care
A continued need for distinct physician perspective among organization leadership
A marked 20% increase in hospitals and health systems seeking physician candidates for CEO jobs

The Best-Performing Hospitals are Increasingly Led by Physicians

Strong physician leadership is a key contributor to organizational performance. Hospitals with greater physician leadership involvement scored higher in performance and Lean management, and produced higher average overall management scores.

“The better a hospital’s performance, the more likely it is that its CEO is a physician and not a manager.”

Amanda H. Goodall, PhD, University of London

25

%

The increase in overall hospital quality scores when doctors run hospitals

An overwhelming number of top-ranked hospitals continue to be run by physician CEOs. Year after year, U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Hospitals Honor Roll” supports a strong connection between high-quality ratings and physician leadership.

7
out of
the top

10

U.S. News 2021-22 Best Hospitals Honor Roll are run by physician CEOs
Interface
Professionals

Care-Focused

More
Trusted

Change
Agents

Why Physician Leaders?

Having medical colleagues in leadership positions helps to ensure that a practice stays focused on what is best for patients, rather than just on the financial bottom line.

With the right physician, or physicians, on the C-suite leadership team shaping decisions around what’s best for patients and the organization as a whole, the organization will be able to relate to non-physician managers as well as clinicians of many disciplines.

"If you have physician leaders, you are more likely to have the medical staff follow the organization’s direction. They’re much more likely to follow other physicians than they are administrators.”

Baxter C. Holland, MD, pediatrician and former VP of medical affairs at RRMC

How Can Physicians Prepare for Leadership Excellence?

CORE COMPETENCIES

At AAPL, these leadership traits are the backbone for physician leaders: Self-Management, Professional Capabilities, Team Building & Teamwork, Problem Solving, Motivations & Thinking Style, Operations & Policy, Quality & Risk, Finance, Strategy & Innovation.
THE CPE CREDENTIAL

Since 1997, the Certified Physician Executive (CPE) credential has helped over 4,000 physicians achieve excellence in leadership with the education, expertise, and demonstrated skills to effectively lead healthcare organizations.
A CHANGED MINDSET

Physicians will need to shift focus from hard skills, such as technical competence & clinical expertise, to soft skills, like relationship-building & emotional intelligence. AAPL has psychometric tools—like the online Leadership Assessment—to get you started.

Trust Nearly 50 Years of Experience

For that long AAPL has been the only association centered on providing professional development, leadership education, and management training for physicians with the overall goal of improving patient outcomes, workforce wellness and healthcare delivery. We focus on the personal transformation of all physicians, and through them, the organizations they serve. At some level, all physicians are leaders, and AAPL champions the view that they are therefore best-suited to lead the efforts to patient-centered care.

Doctors must recognize the unique skills required to be effective physician leaders . . . The Association is an essential ingredient in the journey to becoming a successful physician executive.

Scott Ransom, DO, MBA, MPH, FACOG, FACHE, CPE, FACPE
Physicians
educated

250,000+

Members in
45 Countries

10,000

CPE-certified
Physicians

4,000+

Expert Faculty across
dozens of disciplines

100+

Courses in Physician
Leadership

100+

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For over 45 years.

The American Association for Physician Leadership has helped physicians develop their leadership skills through education, career development, thought leadership and community building.

The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) changed its name from the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) in 2014. We may have changed our name, but we are the same organization that has been serving physician leaders since 1975.

CONTACT US

Mail Processing Address
PO Box 96503 I BMB 97493
Washington, DC 20090-6503

Payment Remittance Address
PO Box 745725
Atlanta, GA 30374-5725
(800) 562-8088
(813) 287-8993 Fax
customerservice@physicianleaders.org

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American Association for Physician Leadership®

formerly known as the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE)