Faculty Practice of a Large University Medical Center

This client is the faculty practice of a large university medical center, with a faculty numbering over 4,000, and an annual budget of more than $1 billion.

The Challenge:

The vice president and dean of the medical school and the leadership of the faculty practice organization invited us to help them redefine the faculty practice to better address growing financial challenges to the organization’s academic and clinical mission. 

The Solution:

We conducted a leadership and cultural assessment, and worked with Navigant Consulting, Inc., to develop an objective analysis of financial and operational systems, structures, processes, and performance. We identified six basic needs:

• Unify the faculty
• Establish and maintain a defined market presence for the faculty practice
• Improve recruitment and retention
• Create an efficient and physician-friendly work environment
• Develop high-quality, patient-centered clinical programs
• Support the medical school’s academic mission

Based on this analysis, we met with a team of physician leaders and helped them to articulate a “vision of the future” for the faculty practice in which those needs were successfully met. 

The Impact:

Using the client’s data and benchmarks from six other leading academic medical centers, we developed a model for the faculty practice that led to improved performance in four areas:

• Physician financial security
• Physician work environment
• Patients’ care experience
• Support for the academic mission

We then produced a detailed implementation plan, and provided mentoring and support for faculty practice as it restructured.