In today’s dynamic health care landscape, physicians are best suited to lead efforts centered around patient care. Physicians are the natural choice for leadership positions. Of the top 10 health care organizations listed in U.S. News and World Report hospital rankings, physicians lead the top five facilities and seven of the top 10. One study found that when a physician executive runs a hospital, the organization’s quality scores are 25 percent higher than those health care entities not led by a physician.1 Physician anesthesiologists have also demonstrated leadership roles in various capacities, including deans of medical schools, CEOs of health care organizations, presidents of large multispecialty practice groups and lead roles in venture capital firms.
One question that comes to mind is how these individuals became leaders. Several organizations, such as the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE), have offered courses...