Lynn Helmer, MD, FACP, MBA, FACPE, exemplifies the concept of physician executives as leaders. She combines a strong background in clinical internal medicine with an advanced business degree and additional training and experience in the world of quality management. Her career to date includes more than 10 years of private practice, several years in an academic setting, combining teaching, practice and clinical research and several positions as a senior hospital executive. Currently she is the president of DRD Consulting, Inc, a consulting firm focused on executive leadership development, business growth and quality improvement. In its first year of operations, under Lynn’s leadership, the firm exceeded all growth and volume predictions through a combination of effective marketing strategies, alliances and high quality delivery of services.
Lynn’s strengths in developing effective teams have led to measurable improvements of quality and business performance in varied venues. Her imagination and creativity have facilitated cost effective solutions to patient safety and quality of care challenges in the healthcare world. Her ability to facilitate strategic planning and team building have led to significant growth and ROI for her legal and financial services clients.
During Lynn’s private practice career, in addition to attaining partnership within her group, she was elected the managing partner of a physician partnership that worked with the hospital to develop and build a medical arts building. She was the first female physician elected by her colleagues as an at large member of the medical executive committee.
While a member of a medical school faculty, Lynn revised the ambulatory curriculum, devised innovative teaching programs for primary care residents and implemented programs to improve the delivery of preventive services to patients. Recognition of these accomplishments led to Lynn’s promotion to Associate Chief for practice operations and Division head, General Internal medicine at the Cooper Medical Center. In addition, Lynn functioned as the principal investigator for a number of clinical trials including ALLHAT and her team won multiple regional and national awards for performance excellence.
During her tenure as a physician executive at 2 separate facilities, Lynn’s teams supported enhanced physician/administration relationships, improved the physician contracting and evaluation process, led the implementation of hospitalist programs, cost effective redesign of case management departments, leading to a decrease in LOS with improved physician acceptance and implemented a number of quality initiatives, including a partnership with the IT department to develop a safety database.
Lynn is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Physician Executives and is currently on the faculty of the American College of Physician Executives. She was recently the physician chair of the physician executive council for VHA East Coast. She maintains active certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine as well as the American Board of Quality and Utilization Review Physicians.
She is a graduate of Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Hahnemann University and holds an Executive MBA degree from Drexel University.
Her volunteer activities include her current position as board member for the Caring Neighbors Health Care Center in NJ, a non-profit organization that she started to begin a clinic aiming to provide clinical services to the underinsured.
Lynn currently serves as an examiner for the Governor's award, was recently named a Senior Scholar in the Department of Health Policy of Jefferson Medical College and serves on the advisory council of the Krall Center for Executive Education of Drexel University.
