Building strategic value with your medical group
Abstract
Despite massive investments by health systems in employed physician networks, these networks are often poorly aligned with the health system. At their worst, they operate as a loose conglomeration of practices, with suboptimal quality, financial and operational performance. This paper discusses Mon Health, a growing five-hospital system in West Virginia, and the development of its transformation plan. That effort first addressed the development of a vision of how the physician network would evolve to meet the mutual objectives of the stakeholders and the demands of the market, defined jointly by physicians and executives. The resulting roadmap further addressed issues like quality, provider well-being, strategic growth and physician leadership. The organisation ensured employed physicians would be integrated into the organisation’s leadership and operations, through vehicles like the physician leadership council and dyad leadership of services. Tactics include engaging physicians in service line leadership dyads and advisory board roles, building a shared vision for evolution, defining behavioural expectations for a common culture, and building the management infrastructure to drive these initiatives. The paper also addresses early performance improvements facilitated by this initiative. Ultimately, we will provide a road map for developing a transformation plan to build an accountable, multi-specialty group.
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Author's Biography
David Goldberg serves as Mon Health System’s President and Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President to the newly formed Vandalia Health. He has 20 years of senior healthcare leadership experience. Prior to Mon Health System, he served as Senior Vice President with Highmark Health’s Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and ran two hospitals as interim CEO and former interim President of Highmark Home and Community Services (HMHCS) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. David’s extensive healthcare administrative background includes serving as President of two hospitals and Service Line Executive for cardiovascular and behavioural health services at Tenet Health’s Baptist Health System in San Antonio, Texas. He has also served in various senior roles ending as System Pediatric Vice President and Administrator with Inova Health System at Inova Children’s Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. David earned his master’s degree in Health Systems Management from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from West Virginia University. A recipient of several professional awards, he has remained active in healthcare, professionally, and in community activities throughout his career. Most recently, David served as the Board Chair for the Fairmont State University Board of Governors and currently holds the position of Vice Chair. He is also Chair for Hazel House of Hope and is a member of Morgantown Area Partnership.
David W. Miller ’s professional experience has been shaped by his early career at Norton Healthcare. In their culture, physician leaders were allies of the administration, working together to address common challenges and opportunities. His experience as Vice President of Quality and Managed Care at Norton taught him to value managing variations in care, which only happens with physician collaboration. Those early experiences have been repeatedly reinforced by consulting work, and at HSG we understand the only path to success for hospitals is through strong ties to strong physicians. David’s practice focuses on strategic planning with a strong focus on physicians, building physician groups that are strategic assets to the health system, engaging physicians and working with executives to address complex physician challenges related to employed and private physicians. He also advises clients on how their employed groups must evolve. David was an executive at Norton Healthcare for 15 years, with leadership roles in Operations, Physician Services, Quality and Managed Care. He holds a master’s degree in Health Administration from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in Management from Virginia Tech.
Citation
Goldberg, David and Miller, David W. (2023, September 1). Building strategic value with your medical group. In the Management in Healthcare: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 8, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/CDXZ3341.
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