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ER doctors pursue MBA degrees
MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN ( April 20, 2005) — With the rapid changes in healthcare today, many physicians are finding a need to add business and management skills to their vast range of medical knowledge. Some pursue an MBA to help them run their own medical practice, others to advance in the ranks of hospital administration or the biotech industry, and others to perform their roles more efficiently.
Take for example two local ER doctors who are pursuing MBA degrees at Milligan College. Dr. Chris Gillespie is medical director for the Emergency Department at the Johnson City Medical Center (JCMC) and Johnson County Health Center (JCHC). Dr. Clay Runnels is the assistant medical director at the Mountain States Health Alliance’s facilities.
“The MBA credentials are becoming increasingly important for healthcare administrators. The medical field is developing and changing. Knowledge of the financial aspects of the health care industry is becoming more and more critical,” said Gillespie, who earned his M.D. at The University of Tennessee College of Medicine.
In 1993, Gillespie founded Medical Management Services (MMS), a full service medical management and billing company based on his experience and success as a practicing emergency physician and medical director. He had previously served as emergency department medical director at Methodist Hospital North in Memphis before coming to Johnson City in 1990 and has more than 25 years of clinical experience in internal medicine and emergency medicine.
“We founded MMS in response to the unique needs of both hospitals and emergency physicians in the current complex healthcare industry,” explained Gillespie.
Today MMS provides physician staffing for the Emergency Department at JCMC, using Gillespie’s experience and insight to help clients “effectively and efficiently manage hospital dynamics, from budgeting and credentialing to physician documentation and practice patterns.”
Gillespie’s son, Mike, is chief information officer for MMS and is also a Milligan MBA student.
The three men began the 18-month MBA program last September and will finish in March of next year. Their busy schedules don’t allow for a lot of flexibility, so Milligan’s once-a-month format was ideal, explained Gillespie. They spend one weekend a month on-campus in intense coursework and then follow it with five weeks of online study.
“We’ve found Milligan’s MBA program, with its unique schedule and heavy emphasis on business ethics from a Christian perspective, to be ideal for us,” said Gillespie, who also serves as clinical professor at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine and is chairman of the board at Saratoga Technologies.
As a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, Mike Gillespie has a busy schedule and could not have pursued an MBA were it not for the flexible schedule of Milligan’s program.
“I was attracted to the program because of Milligan’s academic reputation and the opportunity to advance in my current career. I have found it applicable to my job in a number of areas, and I’ve been able to take on additional tasks because of what I’ve learned,” he said.
He explained that the MBA is teaching him business fundamentals to incorporate with his microbiology background. He holds degrees from UT-Knoxville in microbiology and zoology. His strong scientific and technological background, combined with the MBA, provides an even stronger resource to MMS and its clients.
“My focus is combining emerging technologies with sound business practice to leverage optimal productivity for our clients,” said Mike Gillespie.
Likewise, Dr. Runnels has already seen the difference that an MBA makes.
“The management and leadership skills I’ve learned have helped me in my interactions with other doctors and management. Most of what I knew before the MBA program was gained through on-the-job training, and I knew I needed to expand that knowledge,” said Runnels, who earned his M.D. at the University of Texas-Southwestern, with board certification in emergency medicine.
Gillespie said that ethical decision-making is another important issue today in healthcare and something valuable that they have already gleaned from the Milligan MBA.
“Ethics come into play in nearly every decision we make – as doctors and administrators – and the answers are not always clear,” said Gillespie. “At Milligan, we’ve focused on the importance of setting ethical standards for an organization and its employees, as well as setting an example in how you personally lead. In my leadership role, I am responsible for setting the stage for those I manage.”
His son agrees.
“What I’ve learned from the MBA will help me not only to lead but to lead wisely,” said Mike.
So business and healthcare evidently do mix, according to these local healthcare administrators, and it is to everyone’s advantage.
“There’s a real synergy between business and medicine that focuses on providing better patient service,” said Gillespie. “That’s the bottom line and that’s why we all do what we do.”