Leadership and Management in Geriatrics
by Ethan Cumbler MD, FHM, FACP
Faculty Coach, Leadership and Management in Geriatrics
Professor of Medicine from the University of Colorado, Director of the UCH ACE Unit, and founding faculty member of the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Efficiency
 

Facing the challenges of a rapidly aging population, clinicians are increasingly called upon to lead and manage change.  Who better to design a better path forward in delivering high quality cost effective care that delivers exceptional outcomes than the clinicians who have been in the trenches of medicine?  Yet when the time comes to lead we often discover that the years of training in anatomy, pathology, and pharmacology that serve so well in one-on-one medicine are not enough.  Traditional education in medicine does not cover how to lead organizational transformation, analyze business opportunities, or manage in complex healthcare organizations.  To lead effectively requires a new skill set for clinicians and this calls for a new kind of training.

Leadership and Management in Geriatrics through CALTCM serves to build the next generation of leaders in healthcare.  A unique hands-on leadership experience this two day course combines theory-bursts with applied leadership in a dynamic interactive setting.  The format diverges from traditional conference methodology.  In Leadership and Management in Geriatrics each participant brings their own leadership challenge or idea for opportunity.  Participants work, in small groups and with faculty coaches, on implementing the concepts of strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, change management, and executive communication in their own clinical microsystem.  A distinctive feature of the program is the longitudinal coaching model.  Even after the onsite coursework has concluded participants have the opportunity to work with faculty coaches for three months on implementing their idea and making the leap from theory to practice.

Participants in Leadership and Management in Geriatrics receive CME and ABIM MOC credit and are connected to a network of current and future leaders in healthcare.  The program was developed in collaboration with the UCLA California Geriatric Education Center.  Faculty from across the country bring expertise in healthcare innovation, executive leadership, business, and finance.  Over the last 17 years more than 300 course alumni have created a wide range of new clinical programs and led quality improvement initiatives to drive change in outcomes for elderly patients.  Feedback from participants speaks to the unique niche the course fills: “The pearls I took home could make a necklace, and I am now reviewing my own clinical programs and strategic business development with a fresh viewpoint. It was the Business 101 Course for Medical Practitioners that I never got in medical school”.

The challenges inherent in the aging patient population come with opportunities and a calling for clinicians to be at the cutting edge of leading change.  For those who aspire to leadership, or are called to do so by circumstance, Leadership and Management in Geriatrics provides practical skills, professional network, and mentored application.  More information on LMG can be found at http://www.caltcm.org/lmg