All medical practice leaders make some time for professional growth, but how much and the types of resources they use varies quite a bit.
A Feb. 7, 2023, MGMA Stat poll asked medical group leaders how many hours each month they spent on professional growth in 2022:
- Almost 6 in 10 (58%) of respondents spent one to four hours each month.
- Almost one-quarter (24%) reported devoting five to nine hours monthly.
- Another 17% told MGMA that they found 10 hours or more each month for professional growth.
- There was an option for “none” that received 0% of responses, showing that everyone managed to make time.
The poll had 431 applicable responses.
Webinars, conferences, articles, online networking (such as through the MGMA Member Community), and updates from local organizations (including MGMA state affiliates) were the most cited forms of professional development resources, in addition to medical group leaders pursuing MBAs, mentorship, executive coaching and educational media.
MGMA’s top 10 resources to help your professional journey
Of course, we know that staffing shortages, reimbursement challenges and growing administrative burdens put increasing strain on your time and energy. To aid you in the professional development you plan to do this month, here’s a quick list of 10 top resources from MGMA:
1. Saving time: Lean strategies for leaders
Need to make more time for professional development? This MGMA Connection magazine article details how to use Lean strategies to cut out waste in your day and enhance your effectiveness and well-being via time-saving behaviors in your everyday work.
2. Ask an Advisor
Hear more about how MGMA subject matter experts are available to answer your most-pressing questions on our recent MGMA podcast episode, and then send your questions via the Ask an Advisor page. (Remember: The Ask an Advisor program is an MGMA member benefit; if you’re not signed up, learn more about MGMA membership.)
3. Two can’t-miss emails each week
This is really two resources instead of one, but each one can help you stay up to date on the latest news, tools and analysis being watched by MGMA staff. The first is the Washington Connection newsletter, sent by MGMA Government Affairs each Thursday with the legislative, regulatory and policy news and advocacy work happening in Washington, D.C., including updates on Medicare payments, prior authorization, health IT compliance and much more.
The second is MGMA Insights newsletter, which publishes each Tuesday with the latest articles, podcasts, tools, webinars and more from MGMA, as well as a staff-curated selection of news and analysis from across the industry to give you a well-rounded perspective of what’s happening in healthcare every week
4. Find a mentor or coach
MGMA just launched a new Mentorship Program to match members with veteran industry leaders for a six-month program of virtual meetups. (Click here to apply for our Spring 2023 program.) If you recognize a need for higher-level help, MGMA Consulting is available to provide executive and physician leadership and business coaching.
5. Live or on-demand, expert-led webinars
In addition to the calendar of events in the MGMA Insights newsletter, the MGMA Events page has all of our upcoming webinars to help you learn and earn continuing education credits. We highly recommend you register today for our Feb. 16 member-exclusive presentation, “Maximizing Your Medical Practice Aptitude in 2023: Strategies and Best Practices.”
6. Keep watching your phone each Tuesday and Thursday for MGMA Stat
If you’re reading this, you probably already know the value of our weekly, national text-based polling and the data stories we produce from them. But if you know a colleague who would benefit from sharing their voice each week and getting results delivered directly to their phone, encourage them to sign up online today or text “STAT” to 33550.
7. Streamline your survey participation
Already use MGMA DataDive? New for 2023, MGMA has streamlined data collection by mapping MGMA DataDive Surveys directly to your system files. This new survey process will cut the amount of time you spend on surveys down tremendously. Learn more on our Survey Participation page or reach out to our Data team at survey@mgma.com.
8. Add an ACMPE Certificate credential to demonstrate your expertise
The American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) Certificates are intensive educational courses designed to educate and validate participants' knowledge and understanding of core practice management principles as defined within the ACMPE’s Body of Knowledge. Participants are awarded a certificate after completing the coursework and passing a comprehensive assessment to evaluate the learning objectives that have been learned.
Not sure where to start? Consider the Principles of Practice Management program. Need to beef up your skills and knowledge as a people leader? Explore our Human Resources Management program. Or if you need a better grasp of value-based care and emerging care delivery models, consider our Transformative Healthcare Delivery program.
9. Connect to new ideas with MGMA’s flagship publication
Whether you receive a print copy or not, all MGMA members with a login can access each new issue of MGMA Connection magazine quarterly (January, April, July, October) via the digital flipbook. If you’re a new member, we have archives going back five years immediately available. Looking for an older article? Send an email to connection@mgma.com to track down items that may no longer be online.
10. Take time away from the office to network and learn
Join us March 19-21 in Orlando for the Medical Practice Excellence: Financial and Operations Conference, featuring more than 40 educational sessions on staffing, revenue cycle, payer negotiations, patient access and more, as well as dedicated networking options and our largest spring Solution Center ever, filled with partners eager to work with you.
