ASRA's Business Leadership Online Courses (BLOC) series provides physicians with a solid foundation of business skills to maximize the effectiveness of their practices.  Combining online lectures presented in real time with a series of asynchronous activities, this intensive training opportunity includes three modules:

Participants can earn 10 CME credits for each module for a total of 30 credits upon completion of all three. Training is conducted in collaboration with Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Chicago, IL.

Feedback from the first course:

"It provides a better framework for the tough decisions we face as physicians - physicians that care about process, productivity, efficiency, patient outcomes, and profitability." - Negotiation module participant

"Very useful and practical information. This will help greatly in our negotiations for better retirement plans for my group." - Negotiation module participant

"Physicians especially in this field face challenges of tough schedules - but the asynchronous program was good and reasonable." - Negotiation module participant

Program

Negotiation program

Finance program

Human Resources program

---

Introduction

The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) recognizes that practice management has become increasingly more complex. Specifically, the economic pressures to reduce cost while increasing quality are intensifying across practice environments. The complexity of managing patients with chronic disease and the need for collaboration among multiple physicians is becoming the new normal, as is focus on patient and staff satisfaction. In short, the role of the physician is changing rapidly. 

For example, with the introduction of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), all physicians will be pushed to participate in new models of care. Physicians will need to understand these models, where the money goes, how it is divided and who gets paid for what. 

Most medical schools in the United States have adapted their curricula to include team-based approaches. However, graduating students still lack the fundamental business and leadership training needed to effect the changes required and simultaneously maximize quality and reduce cost in clinical practice. A study found “that a large majority of graduating U.S. medical students from 2003 to 2007 were satisfied with medical school training in the domains of clinical decision making and clinical care. In stark contrast, fewer than half the students felt that appropriate instructional time was devoted to the practice of medicine, especially the component of medical economics.” (September 2009 issue of Academic Medicine) 

Course Topics, Duration, Dates

Regardless of whether future physicians decide to work in a large health care system or solo practice, they will need fundamental knowledge and skills in practice management.  After discussing the needs of our members and physicians in general, the Practice Management Committee developed a priority list of skills within practice management that are required to be successful. The top three were: Negotiation - Finance - Human Resources.

Each course is 4 weeks long, broken down into 4 weekly modules.

• Negotiation: Tuesday June 16, June 23, June 30, July 7, 2020
• Finance: Tuesday July 28,  August 4, August 11, August 18, 2020
• Human Resources: Tuesday September 1, September 8, September 15, September 22, 2020

As an asynchronous online course series, each weekly module entails various educational formats/assignments, including threaded discussion boards and 1-2 hours of homework.

Educational Partner and Online Learning Platform

The ASRA Practice Management Committee is proud to partner with the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (LFGSM) to develop distance education courses for physicians wanting to build these practice management skills. LFGSM has a history of actively developing broad thinkers and strong leaders with the traits and qualities to make a difference at every level of business. They provide education services that prepare people to lead, manage change, innovate, exceed targets and deliver results. The educational content will be delivered through LFGSM’s social learning platform, Matrix, providing a private room for learners to access assignments and resources and to connect with Business Leader Faculty® and fellow learners.

---

Faculty

View all faculty disclosures

Scientific/Education Planning Committee

Joshua Dooley, MD, MMCi; Duke University Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC
Lauren Friend, BA; Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Lake Forest, IL
Jay Grider, DO; University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY      
Rengarajan Janakirman, MD; Hartford Hospital, West Hartford, CT
Kirstin Mahar, MSM; Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Lake Forest, IL
Jennifer Noerenberg, MD; Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego, CA
David Provenzano, MD; Pain Diagnostics and Interventional Care, Sewickley, PA 
Loren Sanders, BS, MBA; Lake Forest Graduate School of Medicine, Lake Forest, IL
Amol Soin, MD; Ohio Pain Management Clinic, Dayton, OH
Alexandru Visan, MD, MBA; Executive Cortex Consulting, Miami, FL
Kamen Vlassakov, MD; Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Kevin Vorenkamp, MD; Duke University, Raleigh, NC

Subject to change

Negotiation and Finance - Business Leader Faculty®

Mark Hancock, BBA- Marketing, teaches financial classes and serves as a coach for Corporate Learning Solutions, and brings years of senior-level financial management experience to Lake Forest.  He is the founder of The Glenmore Group, an executive coaching and business consultancy. He also serves as an independent Director of PNC Funds and PNC Advantage Funds.  Mark was Managing Director of the US Mutual Fund Business and the Intermediary Wealth Management Business of Goldman Sachs.  His responsibilities included distribution, marketing, strategy, training, product development, product management, client service, technology and HR.  Previously, Mark served in senior roles at Mellon/Dreyfus Institutional, working with Fortune 500 companies and intermediaries.  Mark has provided services to various organizations, including Goldman’s analyst/associate orientation program, the Chicago Women’s Network, and various diversity programs. He has also frequently led development sessions on personal financial responsibility, principles of negotiation, career development, “managing up,” and acting as an entrepreneur within the corporate environment.  Mark received his BA from the Tippie School of Business at the University of Iowa. [back to top]

Finance - Business Leader Faculty®

Julie Hupp, MBA, is a Certified Financial Planner and business owner, bringing over 20 years of financial experience to Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, where she teaches courses in investments and entrepreneurial finance.  Julie is the president of Aspire Planning Group, a company she founded in 2014, where she leads a team of people focused on helping clients achieve long-term financial goals through comprehensive financial planning and investment management. She has grown her business from zero revenue to $600,000, with assets under management of $70 million.  Prior to starting her own business, Julie held auditing, finance and business development roles at Waddell & Reed, Baxter Pharmaceuticals and TAP Pharmaceuticals.  She is also the founder and director of Twelve Oaks Foundation, whose mission is to provide a resource that will help defray the cost of sports and community programs for children of families suffering financial hardship.   Julie received her MSM from Northwestern University and her BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois.

Finance - Business Leader Faculty®

Colin Walters, MBA, is a senior operations and finance executive with over 23 years of experience.  For the last two and a half years, Colin has served as an executive at Pace Analytical, an environmental testing company, as a Senior General Manager leading the business in the northeastern United States. Prior to Pace, he held management positions at Intertek, a multinational testing, inspection, and certification company, where he held multiple leadership positions in Finance and Operations such as: Vice President, US Electrical Operations; Vice President, US Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals; Director Financial Planning & Analysis; Inside Board Director; and Senior Business Analyst.In addition to serving 12 years in the U.S. Army Reserves as a member of the 801st Combat Support Hospital, Colin attained his B.S. in accounting from Upper Iowa University, and his MBA in Organizational behavior from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. Colin Walters has been a LFGSM faculty member since 2017, teaching accounting and finance classes. 

Human Resources - Business Leader Faculty®

Malinda Carter, M.S. Labor & HR; teaches Human Resource Management at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.  She is currently the Executive Director of Human Resources at Joliet Junior College. Her many years of multi-industry experience enables her to apply human resources strategy, leadership, and core HR skills in various organizational settings.  Malinda’s experience includes developing and coaching leaders; designing and delivering training; creating compensation strategies that align with business mission and values; organizational design and restructuring; improving diversity and inclusion; strategic alignment of HR goals with organizational goals; and using change management principles to drive change and increase the success of organizational initiatives.  Malinda holds a master’s degree in labor and human resources from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in labor and industrial relations from Pennsylvania State University. She is a certified SHRM Senior Certified Professional, and a Senior Professional in Human Resources.

---

CME-CPD

CME certificates for 2020 courses: 

Negotiation CME certificates 

Finance  CME certificates

Human Resources CME certificates  

Educational objectives

After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss how applying the business leadership skills of negotiation, human resources and/or finance will improve ability to effectively care for patients.
• Demonstrate effective negotiation.
• Describe how understanding sound financial management can improve the performance of a practice.
• Identify how effective strategic leadership can help improve team performance and ultimately patient care.
• Consider how practicing these business leadership skills reduces the administrative burden of a practice.

Target audience

The course is designed for the physician learner wanting to gain business and leadership training in areas of practice management in order to simultaneously maximize quality and reduce cost in clinical practice. 

Accreditation and credit designation statements

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (LFGSM). The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine designates this Other activity (asynchronous online course series) for a maximum of 30.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

The American Board of Anesthesiology® MOCA®

ASRA is an ABA-approved provider and, as a service to ASRA members and participants, CME credits are reported to the ABA. Participants must include their correctly formatted ABA ID number (34567890) during the online evaluation and credit claim process available at the conclusion of the activity. Once the online evaluation and credit claim process is closed, certificates will be issued and credits reported to the ABA. After this time, participants may request their CME certificate by contacting asrameetings@asra.com, but ASRA will no longer report credits to the ABA, which will then be the individual participant’s responsibility. 

Commercial support disclosure

No industry support has been received for this course.

Disclosure and resolution of personal conflicts of interest

Click here to view all faculty disclosure. In accordance with the ACCME’s Standards for Commercial Support and related policies, ASRA is committed to ensuring balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in its CME/CPD activities. Those in control of the educational content disclose all relevant relationships (financial or other) with any commercial interest that they or their spouse/partner have had within the past 12 months. If an individual refuses to disclose, they are disqualified from participating. Disclosure information is evaluated and conflicts of interest resolved. Disclosure is made to participants prior to the activity. Participants are asked to evaluate the objectivity and independence. Off-label or investigational use of a therapeutic product is also disclosed.

CME certificates for 2019 courses: 

To obtain your CME certificate for a course from 2019 download the credit claim form, and send it to asrameetings@asra.com. Upon verification of registration and successful completion, your certificate will be sent within one week.

2019 BLOC course information

Program

Faculty

CME-CPD