• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
HSG Advisors

HSG Advisors

Building High-Performing Physician Networks

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About HSG
    • About HSG
      • Shared Vision
      • Leadership Team
    • Careers
  • Healthcare Consulting
    • Physician Strategy
      • Health System Strategic Plans
      • Employed Physician Network Strategy
      • Physician Growth Strategy
      • Shared Vision and Culture Development
      • Physician Manpower Plans
      • Service Line Strategy
      • Physician Co-Management
    • Physician Leadership
      • Shared Vision and Culture Development
      • Physician Burnout
      • Physician Governance and Leadership
    • Performance Improvement
      • Network Performance Improvement
      • Performance Improvement Implementation
      • Network Revenue Cycle
      • Practice Care Model Transformation
      • Practice Acquisitions
      • Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Utilization
      • Virtual Health
    • Network Integrity
      • Patient Share of Care
      • Patient Flow
      • Provider Service Location Analysis
      • Market Insight
      • Physician Network Intelligence
    • Physician Compensation
      • Compensation Plan Design
      • Fair Market Value and Commercial Reasonableness Opinions
      • Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Compensation
      • Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
  • Thought Leadership
  • Contact Us
  • Medicare Changes
  • Client Log-In
Client Log-In LinkedIn LinkedIn

Contact Us

Setting Up a Physician Advisory Council

As essential components of employed physician networks, Physician Advisory Councils enhance organizational performance by promoting: Active physician involvement, Effective two-way communication, and Physician leadership development for the network. Council Composition Ideal Physician Advisory Council membership composition varies according to the employed physician network’s size and complexity. Provider membership should be relatively inclusive to: Achieve the […]

October 9, 2014 by HSG

As essential components of employed physician networks, Physician Advisory Councils enhance organizational performance by promoting:

  • Active physician involvement,
  • Effective two-way communication, and
  • Physician leadership development for the network.

Council Composition

Ideal Physician Advisory Council membership composition varies according to the employed physician network’s size and complexity. Provider membership should be relatively inclusive to:

  • Achieve the broadest input during Council deliberations; and
  • Effect the greatest buy-in for the Council’s decisions.

Membership should be representative of the network’s specialty mix; geographic locations; provider ages/generations, experience levels and gender; and advanced practitioner mix. Also worth consideration: including a key member of newly-acquired practices. However, the Council’s size must balance inclusiveness with a workable decision-making process.

Most Councils are jointly led by the administrative and medical director dyad. Other administrative team members are usually involved on an ad hoc basis, although some systems include certain positions as standing members.

Membership Selection Process

Main considerations for selecting Council members include:

  • Personal characteristics;
  • Council composition; and
  • For younger physicians, whether they have leadership potential that can be developed through Council membership.

Approach desirable candidates with the option to join the Council and explain the expectations associated with participation. Indicate the reasons the specific candidate is desirable for Council membership – and be honest.

If the individual chooses to be involved, orient him/her to Council operating processes, current issues being considered, and recent history/actions prior to the first meeting. Consider designating an existing Council member to assist with the onboarding and assimilation process to ensure a smooth, favorable introduction to Council function.

Membership Expectations and Ground Rules

All Council members should be informed of and embrace membership expectations and ground rules. Consider adopting the following guidelines:

Members must:

  • Assume a fiduciary duty to the system and to peers. Membership does not represent an opportunity to advocate or pursue private agendas.
  • Exhibit respect for all those involved (directly or indirectly) in the process.
  • Attend faithfully.
  • Actively prepare for and participate in meetings.
  • Serve as an information conduit to and from peers.
  • Champion Council-approved projects and initiatives.
  • Openly discuss opinions during meetings but rally behind the final decision.
  • Leave what is said in the meeting at the meeting.

Council Functions

Once established, the Physician Advisory Council provides a valuable forum to:

  • Solicit strategic and tactical input from direct care providers. Early, ongoing physician involvement in the strategic planning process predicts more positive results. By presenting a strategic plan tangentially or after the fact, you’re facing a more difficult, uphill battle. The plan will not be as well developed, received, or implemented as one developed with active provider input throughout the process. The same principle applies to initiative implementation.
  • Review practice performance. Established operational (financial, productivity, and efficiency), clinical quality, patient safety, and patient satisfaction metrics should be reviewed through a dashboard format on a regularly-scheduled basis. This provides the council with the opportunity to replicate positive practices and identify potential areas for improvement.
  • Present potential new initiatives. The Council is an excellent place to vet proposed initiatives arising from management or the practices.
  • Promote physician “ownership” of practice function and initiatives. Abdicating this important responsibility will result in subpar performance.
  • Educate and groom future physician leaders. Council membership introduces prospective physician leaders to the hospital/health system’s perspective and strategic objectives. It promotes a collective rather than an individual focus.

Category iconArticles,  Physician Leadership Tag iconinvolving physicians,  medical director dyad,  physician advisory council,  physician advisory council expectations,  physician advisory council functions,  physician advisory council members,  physician council member,  Physician Leadership,  physician leadership potential

Primary Sidebar

Terrence R. McWilliams, MD, FAAFP

(502) 614-4292 tmcwilliams@hsgadvisors.com

Receive Physician Strategy News

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Thought Leadership

  • Leveraging Outpatient Utilization Data to Develop Ambulatory Growth Strategies
  • HSG Claims Data Analytics Updates: February 2023
  • 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Updates
  • HSG Advisors Expands Consulting Services and Data Analytics Capabilities in Response to National Outpatient Utilization Trend
  • Creating a Win/Win System of Advanced Practice Provider Oversight

Insights for Confident Leaders

Sign Up for HSG's Physician Strategy News™ and Notifications on New Thought Leadership
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Footer

9850 Von Allmen Court
Suite 201
Louisville, Kentucky 40241

(502) 814-1180

info@HSGadvisors.com

  • Physician Strategy
  • Physician Leadership
  • Performance Improvement
  • Network Integrity
  • Physician Compensation
  • About HSG
  • Purchase HSG’s Book
  • Leadership Team
  • Careers at HSG
  • Thought Leadership
  • Privacy Policy

Take HSG’s Physician Network Evaluation Survey
Get Started Here

  • LinkedIn
  • Vimeo

© 2023 HSG Advisors. Website managed by SiteCare.com