C-L Admin 101: What Every CL Psychiatrist Should Know (Co-Sponsored by the Early Career Subcommittee, Business of CL Subcommittee, and Division Director’s SIG)

Abstract: Given the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of Consultation-Liaison work, it is common for CL psychiatrists to be given administrative responsibilities or roles soon after completing training. Unfortunately, medical trainees and early career physicians often report inadequate exposure to clinical administration (Austin 2019). Even among CL service directors, half reported minimal administrative experience prior to stepping into their leadership roles, despite 60% reporting 10 years or more in clinical practice (Bronson 2021). CL psychiatrists must have proficient administrative knowledge and skill to successfully integrate their clinical expertise into innovative approaches to patient care.

This pre-conference skills course aims to support CL psychiatrists, regardless of career stage, administrative title, or practice setting, who wish to strengthen their administrative knowledge and skills essential to the day-to-day work of the CL clinician. Topics with high relevance to both general CL psychiatrists and formal administrative roles will be covered, and Presenters will illustrate how these foundational administrative competencies can be further developed and applied to effect sorely needed changes at the systemic and population levels.

Billing and Coding: Beyond billing and reimbursement, Professional Fee Coding data is utilized by healthcare systems for productivity measurement, clinician compensation, and overall resource allocation management, all of which are vital for maintaining sustainability and fostering potential service expansion. Dr. Diana Punko will discuss accurate E/M coding and the importance of its proficient application within healthcare systems.

Supervision and Oversight: As interdisciplinary team approaches become more common, CL psychiatrists increasingly find themselves responsible for the oversight of diverse individuals, ranging from physician trainees in various learning stages to non-physician professionals. Dr. Samidha Tripathi will discuss common challenges in supervising individuals and teams with a variety of professional roles and backgrounds.

Policy and Regulations: CL psychiatrists are often asked to assist with policy development and regulation compliance, such as creating suicide screening policies in compliance with Joint Commission standards or operating procedures for a Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT). Dr. Meghan Schott will discuss approaches to creating institutional policies and how to apply these skills in policy advocacy at both the local and federal levels.

Formal Administrative Leadership: What does a Medical Director do, and what is expected of those in formal administrative roles? Why would a CL psychiatrist choose to pursue a path in administrative leadership, and what could that look like? Dr. Andrew Lancia will outline typical roles and responsibilities of formal administrative leadership positions, possible administrative career paths, and how administration leadership experience can afford opportunities to address systemic and population-based healthcare issues.

For each topic, a didactic portion will be paired with interactive practice. Participants will also be provided additional resources for further learning and development in each topic.