Putting physicians in charge of hospitals seems like a no-brainer, but it isn’t what usually happens. A study published in Academic Medicine states that only about four percent of hospitals in the United States are run by physician leaders, which represents a steep decline from 35 percent in 1935. In the most recent 2018 Becker’s Hospital Review “100 Great Leaders in Healthcare,” only 29 are physicians.
The stats don’t lie, however. Health care systems run by physicians do better. When comparing quality metrics, physician-run hospitals outperform non-physician-run hospitals by 25 percent. In the 2017-18 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll, the top four hospitals (Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital) have physician leaders. Similar findings have been reported in other countries as well.
While not all physicians make good leaders, those that do really stand out. For those physicians who may consider applying for hospital leadership positions, specific characteristics should distinguish them from non-physician applicants and help them make the transition successfully. Of course, this is my opinion, but I think it comes down to these five things:
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