GS25 - Rising Number of DO and MD Programs Offering a Dual Business and Medicine Education

Introduction/Purpose:
Healthcare is an ever-evolving multidisciplinary field that relies heavily on non-
medical disciplines to operate efficiently, business especially. In the past 20 years, there has been an explosion of practicing physicians, residents, and students calling for the involvement of business education at the undergraduate level. The number of MD/MBA, (Master of Business Administration) programs grew from 6 to 33 between 1993 and 2001.² As medicine continued to evolve, MD/MBA programs doubled between 2001 and 2011 jumping from 33 to 65 active programs.¹ What is the status of medical schools offering a dual business education today? We sought to create a comprehensive list of every allopathic and osteopathic American medical school offering either an MBA, MHA (Master of Healthcare Administration), or any other form of business education.

Methods or Case Description:
Data on current MD/MBA, DO/MBA, MD/MHA, and DO/MHA program offerings was obtained through a Google search with keywords including the names of individual schools followed by the dual degree name, for example, “New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine DO/MBA” Information was found through links to the schools’ websites, typically a page specific to their dual degree offerings. The duration to complete the MD/MBA and DO/MBA dual degrees was also collected as well as data on any dual degrees within the scope of the business of healthcare, for example, the PhD in Health Policy and Management offered by the Kansas School of Medicine. Data was stored in spreadsheets using the Google Sheets computer program.

Outcomes:
There are 153 allopathic medical schools and 44 osteopathic medical schools, excluding those in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. Out of the 153 allopathic medical schools, as of 2022, there are 94 that offer an MBA, 6 that offer an MHA, 3 that offer other master’s degrees applicable to the business of medicine and leadership, along with an MD. In total, 103 (61%) of allopathic medical schools offer a business-oriented dual degree. Out of the 45 osteopathic medical schools, there are 11 that offer an MBA, 1 that offers an MHA, and 1 that offers a Master of Health Services Administration. In total 13 (30%) of osteopathic medical schools offer a business-oriented dual degree. Out of all these programs, 113, that offer business education, 79 (70%) of them require an additional year, in addition to the traditional 4 years of medical school. 12 programs (11%) allow for the completion of the additional degree within the 4 years of the medical school timeline.



Conclusion:
This research demonstrates that since 2011, there has been a 45% increase in the number of allopathic medical schools offering dual MD/MBA degrees. As you can see in the results, there is a major difference between the percentage of allopathic schools offering business education and osteopathic schools, and that can be due to the nature of the educational systems of each school is in. For example, allopathic schools are more likely to be associated with large healthcare systems and universities while osteopathic schools are often smaller. In 2011, a study found that physician CEOs outperform non-physician CEOs.⁴ In 2018, Turner et al stipulated that physician executives with MBA degrees are better equipped to navigate the continuously evolving terrain of medicine.³ That being said, it is not necessary for all medical students to get an MBA or MHA degree, rather the integration of basic business education into the medical school curriculum can emphasize relevant soft skills for medical students, such as leadership and management, and improve financial literacy, which is crucial to prepare medical students for future endeavors.



Resources

1. 1. Butcher L. The rapid growth of MD/MBA programs: are they worth it. Physician Exec. 2011 Jan-Feb;37(1):22-6. PMID: 21302745.

2. 2. Larson DB, Chandler M, Forman HP. MD/MBA programs in the United States: evidence of a change in health care leadership. Acad Med. 2003 Mar;78(3):335-41. doi: 10.1097/00001888-200303000-00021. PMID: 12634220.



3. 3. Turner AD, Stawicki SP, Guo WA. Competitive Advantage of MBA for Physician Executives: A Systematic Literature Review. World J Surg. 2018 Jun;42(6):1655-1665. doi: 10.1007/s00268-017-4370-3. PMID: 29159602.



4. 4. Viswanathan, Vidya. “The Rise of the M.D./M.B.A. Degree.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 29 Sept. 2014.