Some people are great with numbers, others are naturals when it comes to seeing processes and workflows. But what seems to unite many medical group managers in 2023 is a focus on strengthening their leadership skills.
A May 30, 2023, MGMA Stat poll asked healthcare leaders the top areas on which they want to focus for their managers’ professional development this year, and more than 4 in 10 (42%) cited leadership as the top answer, followed by:
- Operations (24%)
- Finance (20%)
- Data (9%)
- Other (5%).
The poll had 444 applicable responses. The results give broader perspective to where practice managers will focus on growing professionally than a similar MGMA Stat poll from May 2022, which did not ask about leadership specifically and found the biggest areas of focus on operations/IT, revenue cycle and human resources.
Leadership resources
MGMA regularly publishes new resources and education to help medical practice managers grow in their jobs and careers. Here are a few recent articles and podcasts your managers can access for free:
- “Improving healthcare team performance: 8 essential tenets” — This list of tips helps young leaders think about how they approach their teams to inspire better performance
- “Examining the emotionally intelligent physician leader” — ACMPE Fellow Susan Childs, founder of Evolution Healthcare Consulting, discussing self-awareness and emotional intelligence for practice leaders, including physician leaders
- “The impact of values on organizational success” — Leaders from The Mayo Clinic explore how organizational values align and interact with several areas of operations and culture
- “Looking past Gemba for the real place to identify and solve healthcare organization problems” — ACMPE Fellow James D. Hamilton proposes the concept of “quality circles” to hear directly from employees and boost systems thinking.
The need for manager professional development
No matter which area is the top priority, medical group leaders all devote significant amounts of time to develop professionally: A Feb. 7, 2023, MGMA Stat poll found that almost 6 in 10 (58%) of respondents spend one to four hours each month on their professional development, while almost one-quarter (24%) reported devoting five to nine hours monthly. Another 17% told MGMA that they found 10 hours or more each month for professional growth.
- Learn more: The ACMPE Certificate Program, Principles of Practice Management, provides an in-depth, on-demand platform to build the foundational knowledge of the key principles of running a medical practice.
Connecting and growing at the 2023 MGMA Summit
The 2023 MGMA Summit, slated for June 6 to 8, is an online event with complimentary access for MGMA Organizational Members who are looking to gain knowledge with time-saving tools to grow in their careers.
Throughout the past few months, the MGMA Insights podcast has been highlighting MGMA Summit speakers and the thought-provoking concepts and case studies they will share. Catch up with them via our MGMA Summit 2023 podcast playlist below, featuring:
- Jeffery Daigrepont, Senior Vice President, Health Information Technology, Coker Group, on how cyberattackers target remote workers
- Sandy Giangreco Brown, Director of Coding & Revenue Integrity, CLA, and Diane Weiss, Vice President, Revenue Integrity and Education at RestorixHealth, on navigating the auditing process
- Steve Moberg, Executive VP & Chief Operating Officer, Team Care Medicine, on leveraging clinical support staff
- Michael Tutty, PhD, MHA, FACMPE, group vice president, American Medical Association, on the major post-COVID-19 trends in medical practices
- and many others.
JOIN MGMA STAT
Our ability at MGMA to provide great resources, education and advocacy depends on a strong feedback loop with healthcare leaders. Sign up by texting “STAT” to 33550 or visit mgma.com/stat and make your voice heard in our weekly polls sent via text message.
Do you have any best practices or success stories to share on this topic? Please let us know by emailing us at connection@mgma.com.
