Medical Group Leadership Teams to Receive Recognition; Category Added To HealthLeaders Media's ''Top Leadership Teams in Healthcare'' Program.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- HealthLeaders Media is adding a new category recognizing management excellence at medical groups to its national awards program that honors the top leadership teamwork in the healthcare industry.

HealthLeaders Media, a leading multiplatform media company that provides business information to healthcare executives and professionals, annually spotlights the nation's best managers whose teamwork improves healthcare quality and efficiencies in its Top Leadership Teams in Healthcare awards program. The purpose of the Top Leadership Teams in Healthcare awards program is to celebrate the outstanding teamwork that occurs in healthcare organizations each day, to share what makes top leadership teams successful, and to encourage other healthcare leaders to learn from the best practices of top leadership teams.

The new category for 2006 focuses on physician-owned, medical group practices. Program organizers are seeking entries from physician group leaders who have demonstrated outstanding teamwork that has led to marked improvement in the organization's performance.

To be eligible for this category, a physician group practice must be a physician-owned, multispecialty group employing 25 or more physicians in three or more specialties.

The medical group practice award will join previous categories that honor outstanding teamwork in large hospitals/health systems, small hospitals, and state and regional health plans. Entries are due by March 30, 2006. Entry forms and official rules can be found at www.healthleadersmedia.com/leadership.

Marshall Baker, past president of the American College of Medical Practice Executives who is serving as judge for the awards program, says medical group leadership teams will be evaluated under the same overall criteria as the other entries, adding that a "singular commitment" is at the root of all outstanding healthcare leadership.

"All truly great medical group leadership starts with an organizational commitment to outstanding quality of care for the patient," Baker said. "That commitment forms the basis of winning teamwork."

Jim Molpus, HealthLeaders Media editor, says adding medical group leadership teams to the awards program is timely considering the multifaceted challenges they face in today's healthcare market.

"Medical group practice leadership truly requires a team now. The issues are too complicated, and the stakeholders are too numerous, to rely on a single leader to steer the ship," Molpus said. "We know there are teams in this part of healthcare that have made amazing strides in improving the efficiency of their practices, and we want to encourage them to participate in the program."

2005 winners of the HealthLeaders Top Leadership Teams in Healthcare included MemorialCare Medical Centers in Long Beach, Calif.; Clearwater Valley Hospital & Clinics and St. Mary's Hospital & Clinics, in Cottonwood, Idaho; and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Wellesley, Mass.

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