Management competencies for medical practice executives: skills, knowledge and abilities required for the future.

The purpose of this study was to obtain a consensus of opinion from a large and diverse population of experienced ambulatory health care administrators regarding the essential ambulatory health care management competencies, and their related skills, knowledge and abilities (SKA) requirements, that will be required for successful management performance in ambulatory health care delivery settings in the next five years. A literature review suggests limited research in this essential and rapidly developing area for the health care community. The research design and methods employed the Delphi technique. Three hundred and twenty (320) Fellows of the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) were asked to respond to two rounds of a Delphi mail survey. The results indicate that the essential ambulatory management competencies could be discretely grouped into six Management Domains, each with related SKAs. The respondents rated leadership and strategic management as the most important Management Domains. The highest rated SKA emphasized interpersonal skills with the next highest SKA relating to ethical and moral dimensions. Patient care management, as well as two SKAs relating to computer skills, were rated lowest.