Harvard Administrative Harm, Professionalism and Teamwork in Medicine 2025

A practical, systems-focused program on reducing administrative harm, strengthening professionalism, and building high-reliability teams. Sessions translate evidence and real-world cases into tools you can deploy to streamline care, cut waste, and improve patient and staff experience.
What You Will Learn

How to identify, measure, and prioritize sources of administrative harm (policies, EHR burden, handoffs, billing rules)

Frameworks to redesign workflows, ordersets, and communication to reduce errors and delays

Professionalism in action: boundary-setting, feedback, coaching, and conflict resolution

Teamwork essentials: psychological safety, briefings/debriefings, and rapid-cycle improvement

Practical metrics and dashboards for monitoring burden, fairness, and equity impacts

Change management: stakeholder mapping, pilots, scaling, and sustainability

Event Details

Format: Live, case-based lectures with interactive exercises, toolkits, and Q&A

Structure: Thematic blocks (identify → redesign → implement → measure) with take-home checklists and templates

Access: Designed for immediate implementation in clinics, inpatient services, and ambulatory operations

Who Should AttendPhysicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, clinical leaders, quality/safety officers, program managers, educators, and trainees committed to safer, more humane, and more efficient care delivery.
Why Attend

Replace friction and rework with clear, reliable workflows

Strengthen professionalism and team culture while reducing burnout

Bring back plug-and-play tools that improve patient access, safety, and satisfaction

 
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Thursday, April 24, 2025

8:00-8:30 AM Introduction: Administrative Harm in Medicine Walter J. O’Donnell, MD

8:30-9:15 AM Medical Debt as Administrative Harm: Inadvertent? Strategic? Always Harmful Luke Messac, MD, PhD

9:15-10:00 AM Corporate Practice of Medicine and Administrative Harm Erin Fuse Brown, JD, MPH

10:00-10:45 AM Hospital Dominance and Administrative Harm: Physician Unions and Other Remedies Kevin Schulman, MD, MPH

10:45-11:00 AM Break

11:00-11:30 AM A Patient’s Perspective on Administrative Harm Rona Gregory, JD, MPH, MLIS

11:30 AM-12:00 PM Administrator/Clinician Collaboration: Policies Should Put Patient Needs First Brad Spellberg, MD

12:00-12:30 PM Pay Equity and Administrative Harm Judith Garber, MPP

12:30-1:15 PM Lunch

1:15-2:00 PM Keynote: An International Perspective on Professionalism and Unions TBA

2:00-2:30 PM Institutional Conflicts of Interest: Corporate Quandaries for Clinicians Matthew McCoy, PhD

2:30-3:15 PM The Landscape of Administrative Harm: Clinician Survey and Evidence-Based Action Marisha Burden, MD, MBA

3:15-4:00 PM Private Equity, Public Goods, and Administrative Harm in Medicine Zirui Song, MD, PhD

4:00-4:30 PM Lessons from the NFL and Uber: 360 Degree Ratings to Reduce Administrative Harm Walter J. O’Donnell, MD

4:30-5:15 PM Panel Discussion: Actionable Harm-Reduction Measures for Clinician/Administrator Teamwork Walter J. O’Donnell, MD

5:15-5:45 PM Wrap Up Walter J. O’Donnell, MD