Hospital CEOs: Suits & Ties or Lab Coats & Scrubs?
Publisher Lynn Nace blogged about Amanda Goodall's new study, published in the journal
Social Science & Medicine. Dr. Goodall's research suggests that top-performing hospitals are typically ones headed by a medical doctor, not a business manager.
Overall quality scores for doctor-run hospitals appear to post better results, although the research doesn't offer any evidence as to why. However, according to Tara Parker-Pope's July 7 column on the subject in The New York Times, Dr. Goodall said it may be because doctors truly understand "the core business of health."
How much better were the quality scores for hospitals run by physicians? About 25 percent higher, compared with other hospitals. The figure climbed to 33 percent when measuring cancer hospitals.
The findings do not show, however, that physicians make better leaders, pointed out Dr. Goodall, who is a senior researcher at the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn, Germany. The found an association between high hospital scores and doctor CEOs may mean that top hospitals are simply more likely to seek out doctor leaders, and top doctor managers seek out the best hospitals.
However, notes Parker-Pope, "the study notes that at the very least, the data show that the best hospitals appear to be choosing physician executives, while lower-ranked hospitals typically rely on managers with a business or administrative background."
You must have thoughts on this issue. I'd like to hear them.