What do managed care, whole person care, and value-based contracting have in common? They all work better when clinical leaders, not just business leaders, are shaping the decisions.

I’ve long maintained that business leaders like me are happy to make all these decisions—but the result is much better if clinical leaders are in the mix and are accountable for the business objectives. Conversely, the right set of key performance indicators assure that business leaders have to take consumer experience and clinical outcomes into account (see Preparing For Impact: Performance Management As A Financial Sustainability Tool).

My colleague Stuart Buttlaire, Ph.D., OPEN MINDS vice president of clinical excellence and leadership, agrees with me. He made the case for the importance of clinical leadership in…