President Donahue assembled a captivating fireside chat, featuring an elite panel of international experts in academic health economics to discuss the challenges and opportunities in safeguarding the academic mission amidst the sweeping corporatization of healthcare.
The renowned panel included:
- Kenneth Thorpe, PhD – Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University.
- Larry Kaiser, MD – Former Chair of the Department of Surgery at University of Pennsylvania, former President/CEO/Dean of Temple University Health System, and the current Managing Director at Alvarez and Marsal’s Healthcare Industry Group consulting firm in New York.
- Purnima Boominathan, JD – Legal expert in health informatics, artificial intelligence, and health economics at the prestigious McDermott Will & Emery LLP law firm in Washington, D.C.
- Richard Jolly, MBA – Prominent Professor at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University who is an expert in organizational culture change.
The ever-evolving complex U.S. healthcare system—comprising providers, payers, academicians, and patients—faces relentless pressures that endanger its academic mission. This fireside chat engaged both the audience and the distinguished panelists in a dynamic dialogue to pinpoint actionable opportunities and devise strategic solutions aimed at creating a sustainable environment for academic excellence.
Highlighted strategies encompassed leveraging artificial intelligence to deliver pioneering solutions, enhancing cost efficiency across healthcare organizations. The critical role of surgeons in driving revenue margins within academic centers was underscored, presenting robust negotiating leverage to align academic productivity with meaningful metrics.
The panel concluded on an inspiring note, urging thought leaders in academic surgery to unite and innovate, fostering an environment conducive to sustained academic productivity while maintaining an impeccable standard of high-quality surgical care. As private equity and for-profit entities encroaches the healthcare landscape, these strategic measures are critical for the enduring vitality of major academic institutions and preserving the academic mission.
