Healthcare leaders are warily approaching a future under reform pockmarked with uncertainty as court challenges to PPACA wind their way through the judicial system.
Healthcare leaders are warily approaching a future under reform pockmarked with uncertainty as court challenges to PPACA wind their way through the judicial system. Nonetheless, the need for healthcare leaders has never been greater, according to an ACHE / Chicago Health Executives Forum (CHEF) event recently held in Chicago at the UIC Forum.
"Recruitment of the Emerging Health Care Leader" was the second event of the year staged by ACHE's Regents Advisory Council and CHEF. Early careerists, mid-careerists and students gained insights on everything from the role of mentoring to the importance of cultural fit from a panel that included senior executives from organizations such as United Healthcare, ACHE and Vanguard, as well as Furst Group principal Deanna Banks.
In addition to the panel discussion, guests took part in speed networking with representatives from 35 companies across the healthcare spectrum, from academic medical centers to associations to consulting firms.
Despite the uncertainty around reform, "healthcare is still a great place to build a long and distinguished career," said panel moderator Douglas Silverstein, FACHE, President of NorthShore University HealthSystem's Glenbrook Hospital, who's also the ACHE Regent of Metropolitan Chicago. Leaders are proceeding cautiously around reform, he said, because of past experiences. "In the early '90s, we heard over and over again that capitation was coming, and we'd better get ready. And then it never came."
"The need for talented and energetic healthcare management talent has never been greater," Silverstein added. "The greatest need right now is probably in the area of healthcare informatics with the advent of electronic medical records. We have more than a dozen openings in Medical Informatics at NorthShore. I recently spoke to an executive for a large consulting firm who told me that they are overwhelmed by meaningful use assignments. There are a lot of career opportunities in this arena."