Episode 044: Physicians as Leaders with Dr. Jack Cochran

Physicians today need to be more than healers - they need to be physician leaders. They need to also be leaders for their patients and partner with the patients throughout all aspects of care. Until we as physicians take an active role in finding solutions to every problem encountered by our patients, we aren't doing our job. This includes being mindful of the cost of tests, procedures, and pharmaceuticals and doing something to lower those costs to make getting the necessary care affordable.

At least, that is the message that Dr. Jack Cochran is trying to make in his new book, Healer, Leader, Partner: Optimizing Physician Leadership to Transform Healthcare. Dr. Cochran is the former CEO of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group from 2007-2015 so he knows a thing or two about operating massive medical systems and thousands of physicians. Dr. Cochran wrote the book to be part instruction manual for dealing with situations as a leader and part thesis on the problem with health care and how to fix it.

Dr. Cochran's solution for driving down the cost of care is fairly conventional when seen through the lens of a person operating at the top of a massive integrated medical system. He sees solutions with economy of scale, quality metrics, and regulations. At its foundation, he seeks what we all seek - an affordable, high quality, personal relationship based care for our most vulnerable. Part of that vulnerability is with the ability to afford the right care which is why Dr. Cochran insists so strongly on the necessity of physicians being leaders in controlling costs. He argues that doctors need to spend less time giving up or ignoring costs because they can't control them and instead be at the forefront of innovation.

The last two thirds of this book deal with how to exhibit physician leadership. The examples are all within medicine but the lessons are universal. If you're someone who aspires to be a leader or might accidentally stumble upon a leadership position (like what happened to me) then the book is a must read on how to be effective and maintain your sanity.

Jack Cochran, MD — Dr. Jack Cochran is the former CEO of the Permanente Federation which is the national organization of all the Kaiser Permanente physician groups in the United States. He served as the CEO from 2007-2015 and is a plastic surgeon by training.

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show notes

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Dr. Cochran's Website: Looking to book Dr. Cochran as a speaker? Want to interview him? Trying to find out what he's up to? This is the place to go.
Episode 002: My discussion with Dr. Amat about what DPC is and why she chose it.

Episode 034: Dr. Lee Gross explains how he will use direct primary cost to control the cost of care and put physicians first as leaders.

Memorial for Andy Larson: This is the donation link to honor Andy's death with the Grand Rapids Choir of Men and Boys where he blossomed and served as a head chorister.

YouTube for Paradocs: Here you can watch the video of my late son singing his solo on the Paradocs YouTube page.

Patreon - Become a show supporter today and visit my Patreon page for extra bonus material. Every dollar raised goes towards the production and promotion of the show.

Episode 044: Physicians as Leaders with Dr. Jack Cochran

Episode 044