UC, Humana to Offer Physician Leadership Program

A new seminar series offered through the

UC College of Allied Health Sciences

and sponsored by Humana Inc. will help Greater Cincinnati physicians learn the newest techniques for effective practice management and better understand the implications of emerging trends in the business of health care.

The new series, called the Physician Leadership Program, will be offered at no cost to physicians through $500,000 in support from Humana.

"The tough clinical course-load in medical school makes it difficult for future physicians to really focus on leadership, management and the changing health-care environment,” says Joan Murdock, PhD, coordinator of new program development at UC’s College of Allied Health Sciences. “We think it is important to offer physicians the opportunity to learn more about this turbulent environment.”

The 20-week series will focus on topics such as the economics of health care and health policy, consumer-centric practice management, cost and quality transparency, and health-sector finance.  The program will be offered annually through 2010, with a different group of 20 to 25 physicians participating each year. 

Program participants will receive 60 Category 1 continuing medical education (CME) credits, enough to satisfy CME requirements for two years.

“About a year ago, as the new health-care business trends really started picking up steam, we began hearing from physicians that they need guidance in understanding them,” said Larry Savage, Humana regional president and CEO. “We approached UC with the idea to work together in providing that guidance. We collaboratively developed the Physician Leadership Program to position our community physicians for success in this new era of health care.”

The program will be taught by UC professors from the colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Business and Medicine and by expert guest instructors from the community. Program participants will be selected by a five-person committee consisting of a faculty member of UC’s College of Medicine, three at-large Greater Cincinnati physicians and Humana’s chief medical officer.

The Physician Leadership Program is a unique program in the United States. Humana, however, is evaluating the possibility of offering similar programs with other universities across the country.

For more information about the program, contact Dr. Murdock at

joan.murdock@uc.edu

or call 513-484-8990.