PEJ - May/June 2012

Long way ‘round?

Or short cut?

You CAN take the long way ‘round to become a first-rate physician executive.

That’s the route with the steep learning curve and the twists and turns of trial and error.

OR, you can opt for the short cut—as 10,000+ of your colleagues have already done—and join the American College of Physician Executives.

ACPE is the oldest and largest organization of its kind, founded in 1975 by physicians just like you who learned the hard way that being brilliant clinicians wasn’t much help when faced with the unique, and vexing problems of managing a health care organization.

“If I had taken ACPE’s Physicians in Management course in my first 6 months as CMO, the last four years would have been a lot easier.”

Mark Breite, MD, FCCP, VPMA/CMO Jefferson Regional Medical Center Physician Services Department Crystal City, MO

Tackling Troublesome Problems and People

If you’ve been at your job any time at all, you know what I’m talking about. For example:

• Making sense of inscrutable financial reports from your CFO, or

• Reducing the number of diagnostic errors, or

• Changing behavior of disruptive physicians

As a member of ACPE you’ll receive ideas and advice for addressing these and countless other challenges which will come to you in a member benefits’ package custom-tailored to your needs.

For starters, each day you’ll receiving briefings on medical management news from the Daily Digest, an online report that will keep you up to the minute on developments influencing health care delivery.

Every other month you’ll look forward to the practical guidance offered in the pages of the Physician Executive Journal on topics ranging from robotic bypass surgery to electronic record-keeping.

Less Lonely at the Top

Membership will also put you in direct contact with colleagues wrestling with the very issues you’re facing today. Whether it’s live informal conversations at meetings or virtual exchanges through the online member networks, you’ll feel less isolated when facing which-way-to-go decisions on issues ranging from securing staff buy-in to minimizing bias in clinical peer review.

Learning to Lead

And then there are the trainings—125 courses in all—for which ACPE has earned its name. They offer how-to guidance and hard-won advice on every subject affecting your daily professional life from strategic planning to health law and from financial decision making to ethics.

Your new knowledge will increase your ability to take on and tackle difficult challenges—gradually transforming you from able administrator to a true physician leader.

Get started on the path to earn a Certified Physician Executive (CPE) designation and you’ll not only gain knowledge but also a credential that will set you apart from the crowd in today’s competitive job market.

“When our CEO left the organization, the management team was impressed with my CPE credential and chose me as the CMO. Thank you, ACPE.”

Glenn W. Mitchell, MD, MPH, CPE, FACEP Chief Medical Officer, Mercy Health, Chesterfield MO

Keeping Your Career on the Move

And when you’re ready to make a move— membership will keep you in the loop on salary and employment trends as well as point you to openings in the CareerLink job bank. Job-seeking skills need sharpening? Take advantage of negotiation courses through ACPE’s Career Center.

Join Now!

You could access many of these ACPE benefits without joining, of course, but the savings you’ll enjoy as a new member— including a $300 new-member education discount certificate which you can apply toward ACPE live or online courses—will more than repay the modest $250 annual dues.

So why delay? Take YOUR Place in ACPE by completing the five-minute online application at acpe.org/join or calling 800-562-8088. Put “PEJ2012” in the promotional code box—and waive the one-time $30 processing fee!