HMDCB Update

What I Learned at NHPCO’s Management and Leadership Conference

Sally Weir, CAE, executive director, HMDCB

In early May I had the pleasure of representing HMDCB at the NHPCO Management & Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. While there I attended the session “Building an Exceptional Executive-Physician Team.” In my work with HMDCB, we consistently discuss the importance of this relationship and the value a certified medical director can bring to the hospice leadership team. I’d like to share a few of my takeaways from the session.

First, the session’s presenters, Ron Cottrell, MBA, and James Avery, MD FAAHPM, from Hospice of the Piedmont discussed why the leadership model needs to change, why the CEO-CMO relationship is vital, inherent challenges of this relationship, key elements of change, and required skill sets. Cottrell and Avery believe that both the top executive and the top physician in a hospice need to be part of that leadership model. To me, the team approach rather than a top-down approach makes sense.