Arthur Lazarus Academic-Turned-Administrator: The Psychiatrist-Executive [Administration and Management]

A new type of health care expert is rapidly gaining credibility in medical circles: the psychiatrist-executive. Although it is not known how many psychiatrists are involved in administration, the American Medical Association has estimated that out of approximately 670,000 licensed physicians in the United States, nearly 15,000, or about 2% of physicians, devote most of their time to administration (Roback et al., 1994). According to a survey conducted by the Tampa-based Physi-

cian Executive Management Center among physician chief executive officers of hospitals, 38% are psychiatrists (Sherer, 1993).