Odgers Berndtson hosts leading conference for Chairmen & CEOs of international Academic Medical Centres

On 1st and 2nd October 2009 in Amsterdam the Odgers Berndtson European healthcare practice organized a conference on strategy and governance of European Academic Medical Centres (AMCs).

This seminal event was co-hosted by Odgers Berndtson, the Dutch Federation of AMCs, McKinsey and Ernst & Young and about forty leaders of the top European AMCs discussed some key strategic questions, assisted by interventions from some leading experts in the field from the USA.  Is the fundamental raison d’etre of an AMC centered around achieving breakthroughs in life sciences or translational bio-medical research, about benefitting patients or ensuring community/national/global impact, or about achieving cost-effective tertiary, quaternary centres for innovation?

Participants discussed how organizational and system integration can be achieved practically within an AMC or by the creation of a broader Academic Health Science System (AHSS).  Most AMCs employ 1000s of very highly skilled people in many disciplines, functions, platforms, and disease areas.  Integration via organizational structure to create units or service lines is an imperfect method of linking these skills to achieve the mission.  More exchange on thematic organizations (as practiced by Karolinska) or designated integration functions (Duke), but also more basic governance and information opportunities to enhance integration is very much required. One finding was that “one size does not suit all” and that different governance models can have equally effective outcomes – it is the people that matter.

One of the central challenges is therefore developing new leadership: people who can simplify and integrate organizations as complex as an AMC.  On governance there is a bias on creating a central board or leadership which can be the driver of integrating and orchestrating the complex activities of an AMC.  More work is needed to restructure board models, including new thinking on board competency case-mixes, and to structure a more explicit differentiation between general management roles versus more focused management roles.  An enhanced (search) platform is required to identify, coach and develop the next generation of leaders.  Further, ways have to be figured out to attract the world’s best talent to healthcare at a time of a worldwide recession when major nations are finding that older models of healthcare provision are simply becoming unaffordable.

Odgers Berndtson is delighted to assist in driving thought leadership amongst such a powerful set of leaders in the European healthcare sector.  If we can assist you in any way in your own thinking about leadership in healthcare, please contact:

Chris Stanford, Partner, London  +44 (20) 7 529 1062   chris.stanford@odgersberndtson.co.uk

Peter Herrendorf, Partner, Frankfurt  +49 (69) 95777 228  peter.herrendorf@odgersberndtson.de

Jochem Overbosch, Partner, Amsterdam +31 (23) 544 0455  jochem.overbosch@odgersberndtson.nl