AAPL Annual Leadership Conference Day Three: One Journey Ends, Others Begin

When AAPL president and CEO, Peter Angood, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, MCCM, FAAPL(Hon), opened the Annual Leadership Conference on Thursday, he gave a nod toward journeys – literally the one from Chicago to the West Coast – and metaphorically from physician to physician leader.

As the conference ended on day three, attendees left for home feeling more energized, informed, and motivated to continue their personal and professional journeys.

The final day began with a conversation between Angood and Charles M. Falcone, MD, MBA, global leader, Academic Sector, director, Physician/Clinical Leadership Institute at Korn Ferry, about a white paper that both organizations jointly produced and released during the conference, Preparing Physician Leaders for the Future.

Among the key findings of the report:

• Evidence demonstrates that physician-led hospitals outperform other hospitals. Non- physician healthcare executives have welcomed physician leaders into their ranks, and top-performing organizations recognize the need for more physician leaders.

• Research documents that when physicians are CEOs of healthcare delivery systems, those organizations achieve scores on some well-recognized quality metrics that are up to 33% better than those of comparable institutions that don’t have a physician at the helm.

• The advantage of physician leadership can also be viewed this way: The top tier in the U.S. News & World Report annual “Best Hospital Honor Roll” is perennially dominated by health systems with CEOs who are physicians.

• Physician-led hospitals provide high-quality care. Of the 399 hospitals recognized by Healthgrades for outstanding patient experience in 2022, 55 are physician-led. In other words, although physician-led hospitals account for fewer than 5% of hospitals with patient experience ratings, they received nearly 14% of the outstanding-performance awards.

• Physician-led hospitals provide a superior patient experience. In the most recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) report, physician-led hospitals had an average patient experience rating of 3.9, compared to 3.2 for all hospitals. Just 6% of hospitals overall received the highest rating in this category, but 41% of physician-led hospitals did.

The two also discussed how the Certified Physician Executive (CPE) designation moves physicians along the path of leadership. Falcone said that the CPE designation “from my perspective … (represents) a different skill set, a different way of thinking. (It is) more valuable in terms of a skill set you use on a day to day basis, and it is a differentiator in the marketplace.”

Angood announced that AAPL is in fact conducting a metanalysis that will measure the impact that having the CPE can make.

And Falcone stressed the sweet spot for physician leaders, even when confronted by healthcare management.

“They’ll never have something that you have,” he said, “an understanding of what occurs in that room with the patient.”

Following the opening address, attendees moved into a fast-paced workshop with sessions on topics directly relevant to their career stage, including:

• What I Listen for in an Interview

• Empowering Your Medical Degree in Non-Clinical Settings

• How To Influence and Gain Buy-In From a Board

• 10 Years In – You’re Comfortable, Now What?

• Employed Physicians – Questions You Must Ask During the Interview Process

• Building Leadership Prowess Through Mentoring

• Transitioning From Clinician to Leader, a Transformation of ‘State of Mind’

• Planning for Retirement or Pre-Retirement

• How To Get on a Board

• Your Professional Equity: The Secret Sauce to Your Career Success, Longevity, and Satisfaction as a Leader

• Transitioning Into a Formal Leadership Position

• Direction Setting for Next Steps in Your Career

• What I Look for on a Resume

• Perfect Your Elevator Pitch/ Communicating Your Strengths: Personal Band

• CMIO 4.0, Beyond Hospital Walls

• Guidance on MBA, CPE, Additional Education, Additional Training for Physician Leaders To Consider, As They Plan Their Careers

• Using Social Media for Thought Leadership

• The Value of a Coaching Mindset in Physician Leadership

The conference concluded with two keynotes: one on Personal Wealth Management Concepts for the Physician Leader from Ronald J. Paprocki, JD, CFP, chief executive officer of MEDIQUS Asset Advisors, Inc. and author of The Prescription for Financial Health An Authoritative Guide for Physicians Second Edition and one on Trends in Physician Employment Contracts and Compensation, presented by Jeff Gorke, author of The Employed Physician: Your Essential Guide to the Business of Medicine.

Save the date for the 2024 AAPL Annual Leadership Conference, The ROI of Physician Leadership in Healthcare’s Transformation, April 12-14, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Join us in Scottsdale, Arizona, October 26-29, 2023, for our Fall Institute which brings together industry-leading faculty, inspirational breakout sessions, workshops, mission-driven initiatives and more. Explore this year's healthcare leadership event where you can accomplish your personal education advancement goals in a hyper-focused and efficient learning environment. Take advantage of Early Bird Pricing, now through July 31, 2023.