Practice Management

This track offers practical, results-oriented solutions for assessing and combating the complex problems healthcare leaders and administrators face in managing their practices.

Friday, March 19, 2010
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

The Operational Excellence Triad: Physician, Associate, and Patient Satisfaction
Kevin McCune, M.D., Vice President, Medical Management; and Cynthia Job, Vice President Operations, Advocate Medical Group
Ten years ago, Advocate Medical Group was experiencing significant financial and structural challenges, including staff turnover at 30 percent, 120 staff openings, 13 percent bad debt, and accounts receivables at 108 days. Its transformation into a fully integrated medical group within the Advocate Health Care System has resulted in performance metrics in the top quartile. This presentation highlights the key requirement for the group’s turnaround, which is a systematic approach to improvement in physician, associate, and patient satisfaction, as each area drives success in the others.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Describe the impact that patient, associate or physician satisfaction has on each of these metrics of system performance
List tools that can be used to measure patient, associate and physician satisfaction
Implement simple tactics to improve physician, associate and patient satisfaction
Discuss associate accountability at driving improvement across a medical group

Where It All Comes Together: Creating a Marketing Campaign with a Difference
Erika Smith, Director, Marketing & Planning; and Leslie Blair, Manager, Marketing & Planning, Billings Clinic
In 2007, Billings Clinic initiated research to determine consumers’ most compelling reasons for choosing a healthcare organization. Learn how the clinic used these findings to identify the most important provider differentiators for consumers seeking heath care and how it carved out an d marketed a unique position that non-integrated physician groups cannot copy. Presenters will detail a cost-effective multi-media marketing/advertising campaign, which uses television, billboards, newspapers, and interactive website landing pages.
Upon completing of this activity, participants should be able to:

Carve out a unique position around coordinated care
Develop a cost-effective marketing/advertising campaign for their market and track results

Friday, March 19, 2010
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

A Commitment to Retention: Recruiting Best Practices and Highlights from the 2009 Physician Retention Survey
J. Gregory Stovall, M.D., Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Director of Organization Development, Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics; and Lori Schutte, M.B.A., President , Cejka Search
Retention begins with a commitment to recruitment. Learn how one organization significantly improved physician and mid-level staff retention and satisfaction rates through a dedicated, innovative focus on best practice recruitment, leadership development, and mentoring programs. Benchmarks and trends from the Cejka Search and AMGA 2009 Physician Retention Survey also will be presented.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Identify core elements of a successful physician recruitment and retention program resulting in measurable reduction in turnover as described by the case study
Understand key retention trends and recruitment strategies that support retention as highlighted by the Cejka Search and AMGA 2009 Physician Retention Survey
Apply best practice recruitment and retention techniques for their medical groups mentoring and retention programs

Should Physicians Receive Financial Incentives Based on Quality Measures?
Bruce D. McCarthy, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer, Allina Medical Clinic; and Barry Bershow, M.D., Medical Director, Quality & Informatics, Fairview Health Services
To improve quality, many medical groups have turned to financial incentives to change physician behavior. Do incentives work? What are their drawbacks? Are there alternatives? Participate in a debate led by two physician leaders―one who used financial incentives and one who did not―who both achieved substantial improvements in care.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Provide a succinct critical review of the evidence in the literature on incentive.
Contrast the strengths and weaknesses, and debate the pros and cons, of a financial incentive system versus using intrinsic incentives and “social incentives”
Summarize the actions required to maximize the benefits of an incentive plan and minimize the adverse effects

Saturday, March 20, 2010
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Inspiring Change in Your Clinic Practice: Using Lean Thinking for Performance Improvement
Susan Aloi, M.P.A., FACMPE, Associate Director, Finance and Operations; and David Webber, Manager, Clinic Operations and Practice Management, University Hospitals & Clinics/University of Utah Medical Group
This presentation will explore a successful, “Lean light” approach for increasing operational efficiency, improving overall organizational performance, and raising the quality of patient services while eliminating waste, identifying value in patient care, and enhancing financial performance. Learn how to engage your physicians to inspire and embrace change, collaborate with multiple entities with conflicting priorities, build teams, and transform your medical practice.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Identify clinics using a readiness assessment
Build physician/administrator work teams
Gather initial key performance indicators, identify general work flow processes
Develop flow chart processes, interim report delivery mechanisms
Implement/test the process changes
Measure success and impact
Engage physician and administrative leadership

Delivering Value: How Integration Can Position Your Practice for Long-Term Success
Edward J. (Ted) Inman, J.D., Chief Executive Officer, Michigan Medical, P.C. (MMPC); and Joshua D. Halverson, M.H.A., Senior Manager, ECG Management Consultants, Inc.
Organizations that coordinate decisions across specialties and services have the greatest potential for delivering value to purchasers of health care. In an environment where value is rewarded, high-functioning multispecialty practices are positioned for a strategic advantage. This presentation provides a detailed case study of how a large multispecialty practice transformed itself to an integrated practice and the benefits from the transition.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Describe changes and advantages that are driving physician organizations to become more integrated
Employ specific strategies and tactics that facilitate integration among physicians and prepare organizations to succeed in the changing environment

Saturday, March 20, 2010
2:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.

The Why and How of Dealing with “Special” Colleagues: Discouraging Unprofessional Behavior
Gerald B. Hickson, M.D., Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Director, Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy; and Ilene N. Moore, M.D., J.D., FCLM, Assistant Professor of Medical Education and Administration, Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy, and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The presentation examines cases where unprofessional physician behavior adversely affects patients. Participants will discuss what constitutes and drives unprofessional behavior, barriers to addressing it, legalities, and costs of inaction. Presenters will employ role plays to teach their organization’s four-step intervention process, and present results from more than 30 medical groups that have adopted this process.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Describe and discuss the relationships between unprofessional behavior and suboptimal outcomes
Identify a range of unprofessional behaviors and describe a “disruptive behavior pyramid”
Articulate eight essential elements for addressing disruptive professional behavior
Distinguish the pros and cons of alternative approaches for addressing disruptive unprofessional behaviors
List pertinent legal precedents about which to be aware before taking action;
Describe a method that may be used for identifying professionals with a pattern of disruptive conduct

Mayo Clinic and Health Reform
Robert Nesse, M.D., CEO, Mayo Health System – Franciscan Skemp Healthcare; and Jeffrey Korsmo, Executive Director, Mayo Health Policy Center
As the first integrated group practice in the country, Mayo Clinic has always been a leader in innovating care delivery. Through its Health Policy Center, the organization has increasingly played a significant role in the debate about healthcare reform. This session will highlight Mayo Clinic’s continuing efforts in the health policy arena and explore opportunities for group practices to respond to healthcare reform initiatives implemented by the President and Congress.
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Describe Mayo Clinic’s response to reform initiatives
Create a strategy for their organizations to effectively respond to reform
Evaluate the level of leadership their organization should take in local and national healthcare reform initiatives

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