Why Physician Leaders of Health Care Organizations Should Participate in Direct Patient Care.

Abstract

Ideas and Opinions4 October 2016Why Physician Leaders of Health Care Organizations Should Participate in Direct Patient CareAllan S. Detsky, MD, PhD and Michael A. Gropper, MD, PhDAllan S. Detsky, MD, PhDFrom the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, and Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.Search for more papers by this author and Michael A. Gropper, MD, PhDFrom the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, and Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-0820 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Physicians assume a variety of leadership positions in health care. The most common ones are heads of clinical divisions, chiefs and chairs of clinical departments, and deans of medical schools. Some ultimately become chief executive officers of hospitals or health systems. Others lead national medical organizations like the American Board of Internal Medicine or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Physician leaders profoundly affect the way health care is delivered. They influence and sometimes determine working conditions; professional standards; training programs; research environments; payment schemes; certification requirements; and the quality, safety, and type of care that patients ...