“Healing is an art. Medicine is a profession. Healthcare is a business.” Nothing could be more true than that statement from Edie Varley that helped kick off the first session of the 2016 Leadership Perspective series that focused on doctors who transition into healthcare management positions. The “MD to VP” session was held Jan. 5 with more than 60 in attendance. Edie Varley is an Executive MBA alumna and director of discernment for Olin’s Executive MBA program.
Whether impacted by technology, views on patient care, or the political landscape, healthcare is changing before our eyes. As a result, gaining an understanding of the business impact of the changes in healthcare is becoming more vital. While leadership in healthcare has always been a focus, now more than ever, MDs are looking to balance clinical backgrounds with an understanding of business to ultimately impact the industry.
These three leaders are doing just that. Dr. Ken Yamaguchi, Dr. Mary Jo Gorman and Dr. Chuck Lucore are all trained physicians and while healing and caring for others is still central to their core, they all now serve in business roles: Ken as executive vice president and chief medical officer at Centene, Mary Jo as managing capital partner of Prosper, and Chuck as president & chief executive officer of St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, IL.
All three earned an MBA via WashU’s Executive MBA program.
An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Yamaguchi still sees patients in addition to his duties at Centene. “Being a physician is what I am passionate about and my role as EVP and CMO at Centene is what I am most excited about,” he shared, finding a beautiful balance between healing and and his thirst to keep learning.
“For me, business provided the next puzzle to solve,” shared Dr. Mary Jo Gorman who is a serial entrepreneur.
“As an interventional cardiologist, I saw immediate results when seeing patients and as CEO the results take longer to see, although are equally rewarding as each day I know I am helping hundreds or thousands of people and not just the patients I used to see,” shared Dr. Chuck Lucore.
What does the future of healthcare hold? All three agreed they needed a crystal ball. And, all three agreed healthcare needs more doctors with MBAs.
