TRANSITIONS IN PRACTICE
TRANSITION TO CORPORATE MEDICINE AUTHOR Vaughn Payne , MD , MBA , FACC
In 2010 following nearly 20 years of working in single-specialty private practice cardiology groups , I decided to begin my transition to corporate medicine . I hesitate to use the misleading term “ non-clinical medicine ” since the need for excellent clinical skills is essential and is valued in these jobs . My cardiology career had been immensely fulfilling and memorable , in addition to challenging and at times , even grueling . There are many reasons physicians opt to expand their horizons beyond the bedside 1 and for me it was to take on a new challenge . My first step was to obtain a business degree at the University of Michigan , using their popular and highly-regarded executive MBA curriculum . This required one long weekend visit a month to Ann Arbor for two years . Fortunately , I had the support of excellent colleagues in this endeavor because the schoolwork required about 20-30 hours per week outside the classroom throughout each month . I will forever be indebted to them .
Following graduation , I initially wasn ’ t certain what route I wanted to pursue because there are so many options for alternative physician careers , including hospital administration , medical writing , litigation consulting and pharmaceutical and insurance careers , among many others . 2 About a year after finishing business school , my then employer , Kings Daughters ’ Medical Center in Ashland ,
Kentucky , asked me to become Director of their utilization management team and director of the heart failure clinic . This was the perfect transitional opportunity because it allowed me to continue my clinical practice at the same time as learning the unique skills widely labeled as “ physician advisor ” in a large hospital system . 3 My short time ( six months ) in these roles served as a springboard for my next step which was to move into corporate medicine .
Having practiced for seven years in the Prestonsburg / Ashland area , I was looking for an opportunity to return to my roots in Louisville , where I had done my post-graduate training and which I ’ ve called home since childhood . Coincidentally , a role as the medical Director for a managed Medicaid plan ( MCO ) opened with the insurer CareSource , with its Kentucky office based in Louisville . This was a headfirst leap into the corporate world with the responsibilities of being the forward face of the medical plan . I had interactions with state and federal government , participating physicians and hospital systems and many other providers and vendors in addition to the corporate enterprise . This was a fulfilling job and an excellent first step in learning the skills necessary in working in the business world , plus navigating a matrix environment . 3 Interacting with physicians and others who offered their services to the fragile Medicaid population was extremely gratifying , although it did present its own special challenges for a medical plan director .
However much I enjoyed this job , there was the lure of children
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