In a medical practice, the physicians are, for obvious reasons, the most valuable members.
But it is becoming increasingly clear that in today’s time, particularly in a privately owned practice, doctors can’t do it alone. There are too many operational tasks that don’t actually require a clinician’s expertise, and every minute doctors spend accomplishing these themselves is time they could be spending performing their primary task: patient care.
Some healthcare operations know this full well and, to address it, have actually turned to the concept of dyad leadership.
Dyad leadership is a management model in the healthcare industry that integrates both clinicians and non-clinicians (or administrators) in leadership positions within an organization.
It’s a concept that was first implemented by the Mayo Clinic, the long-standing healthcare organization that is responsible for many medical contributions including the discovery of cortisone and the establishment of the first hospital-based blood bank in the US.
There are plenty of benefits to this model. The integration of physicians and administrators into one team or system bridges the gaps in an organization. Doctors are best when taking care of patients, but administrators may have a better grasp of financial management, or human resources, or technological advancements. Bringing together complementary skill-sets should result in faster accomplishment of tasks and optimal use of each team member’s time.
Making decisions in a joint capacity should also ensure that all relevant information is considered, with a balanced view that can benefit the company. John Snyder, chief operating officer of Carle Foundation Hospital said in an interview about dyads, “Administrators don’t always appreciate the impact decisions will have on doctors in a ‘boots-on-the-ground’ sort of way. Likewise, it’s critical that administrative leaders bring their physician counterparts up to speed on the business of medicine and good health for synergies in decision-making.”
Now while not all healthcare organizations need to install dyads, it’s clear just how valuable the role of administrators have become in a medical practice.
Physicians don’t need to do everything on their own, especially when their time is best served dedicated to patient care. Other options include delegation of responsibilities to qualified and competent teammates, whether that mean in-house staff members or third-party providers.
But as the rise of the dyad model has shown, it only helps physicians when there are administrators that have their backs.
For any questions about how delegation can help your medical practice, get in touch with TukkoMed for a consultation on our services.
SOURCES:
“5 success factors for physician-administrator partnerships.” MGMA, visited 21 September 2018, Web.
“How to create an effective dyad model for clinical and administrative leadership.” Struder Group, visited 21 September 2018, Web.
“Contributions to Medicine.” Mayo Clinic, visited 21 September 2018, Web.
http://history.mayoclinic.org/toolkit/contributions-to-medicine.php