PAGNY celebrated its first Physician Leadership Program last month, presenting awards to 14 physicians who successfully completed a six-month program aimed at developing the next generation of leaders for New York City’s public hospital community.
The 14 physicians, from NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, went through a rigorous Leadership Development curriculum that included group projects focused on improving selected Performance Indicators at each hospital. The program’s graduation ceremony was held at the New York Academy of Medicine on September 21st.
“This program was designed to develop the talent of young physicians who have an interest in management and administration and helping to lead change,” said Dr. John Morley, Chief Medical Officer at Jacobi and North Central Bronx (NCB), who was instrumental in shaping the program. “Change is going to happen in healthcare with or without physicians and, clearly, the changes will be better if physicians are fully involved and engaged in the process.”
Dr. Bijan Safai, President of the PAGNY Board of Directors, said: “A key priority for us is to provide the support necessary to ensure that our physicians become great leaders—leaders who are able to work collaboratively in teams, solve problems, evaluate opportunities and work on an assortment of strategic and operational issues that result in more efficient and compassionate care to their patients and the community.
“With the successful completion of this robust program at Jacobi and NCB, and considering the positive feedback we have received from the program’s participants, I am pleased to announce that we plan on continuing this Physician Leadership program at our other PAGNY-affiliated facilities.”
Dr. Luis Marcos, PAGNY Chief Executive Officer, said, “This is a very proud moment for PAGNY. As a physician group, it is important to recognize our outstanding doctors and congratulate them for taking part in this pilot Physician Leadership Program. You are the leaders of tomorrow and the important PI projects that you implemented successfully through this program demonstrate why our future is so bright.”
Drs. Safai and Marcos both thanked Dr. Jane Zimmerman, PAGNY’s Chief Communications Officer, and Reginald Odom, PAGNY’s Chief Human Resources Officer, for having the vision and determination to launch this important PAGNY initiative.
The Physician Leadership Program blended skill development, group and individual coaching, extensive reading on leadership topics and Action Learning Teams that focused on mastering specific Performance Indicators. Dr. Morley’s active involvement provided the support and guidance for participating physicians which, in large measure, led to the program’s success.
With the help of Dr. Carleen Evans, PAGNY’s Quality Improvement Leader, the 14 doctors were divided into three Action Learning Teams—one at NCB and two at Jacobi—that focused on improving one of seven Performance Indicators for their hospitals. The NCB cohort examined ways of reducing the cycle time for admitting patients from the Emergency Department. One Jacobi team also looked at reducing ED cycle time; the second Jacobi team tested new ways to improve patient satisfaction within Ambulatory Care.
The Performance Indicators are measurements approved by NYC Health + Hospitals to gauge hospital performance. Boosting performance on each of the indicators, or a hospital’s score, helps improve a patient’s experience and results in additional revenue for the hospital and the physicians involved.
“It’s win-win-win,” Dr. Morley said. “The hospital’s scores improve, the patients get a better experience and the physicians get additional revenue.”
The doctors who participated in the Leadership Program said it was very beneficial because it enabled them to collaborate with colleagues they had not worked with before.
“It helped us identify our strengths and weaknesses as leaders and managers and learn new skills,” said Dr. Stephen Blumberg, Assistant Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Jacobi and a member of the PAGNY Board of Directors. “It took us out of our comfort zone as leaders and helped all of us reflect on those experiences.”
The graduates of the Leadership Program, organized by cohort, were:
NCB Action Learning Team #1:
- Dr. Peter Kim (Member, PAGNY Board of Directors) — Surgeon at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi and NCB
- Dr. Daran Kaufman — Attending Physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department, NCB, President MEC, NCB
- Dr. Yvette Calderon (Member, PAGNY Board of Directors) — Site Director for Emergency Services, NCB
- Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu – Vice Chairperson of the Department of OB-GYN, NCB
Jacobi Action Learning Team #2:
- Dr. Benjamin Raatjes – Director, Comprehensive Emergency Psychiatry Program, Jacobi
- Dr. Edward Chao – Associate Site Director for Surgery Clerkship, Jacobi
- Dr. Jeremy Sperling – Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jacobi
- Dr. Matthew Langston – Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit, Jacobi
- Dr. Michael Moore – Emergency Medicine Resident Physician, Jacobi
Jacobi Action Learning Team #3:
- Dr. Elana Sydney – Director, Ambulatory Care, Jacobi
- Dr. Stephen Blumberg (Member, PAGNY Board of Directors) — Assistant Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
- Dr. Donald Phillibert — Attending Physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
- Dr. Judy Fried-Siegel – Director,Urology, Jacobi Dr. Noe Romo — Attending Pediatric Hospitalist, Jacobi
Because the Physician Leadership Program proved to be of significant value, it will now be brought to other PAGNY hospitals. NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem will be the next facility to participate in the program.