Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022
Abstract Background Israel is unique in offering a formal subspecialty in Medical Administration and mandating it for physicians applying for senior roles. Data on the prevalence and characteristics of these specialists are limited. Methods The national registry of licensed physicians was used to id...
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| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Israel Journal of Health Policy Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-025-00666-8 |
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| author | Yoel Angel Hadar Goldshtein Nevo Barel Gil Fire Michael Halberthal Adi Niv-Yagoda |
| author_facet | Yoel Angel Hadar Goldshtein Nevo Barel Gil Fire Michael Halberthal Adi Niv-Yagoda |
| author_sort | Yoel Angel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Israel is unique in offering a formal subspecialty in Medical Administration and mandating it for physicians applying for senior roles. Data on the prevalence and characteristics of these specialists are limited. Methods The national registry of licensed physicians was used to identify all living physicians who completed the Medical Administration subspecialty by December 31, 2022. Data on year of medical licensing, city of residence, and list of additional recognized specialties along with their respective date of completion were extracted. Websites of key public health organizations were sampled to identify qualifications of persons in senior leadership positions. Results Since 1987, 277 physicians have completed the Medical Administration subspecialty, with a significant increase in annual certifications from 4.5 in 2015 (interquartile range [IQR] 4–6) to 13 (IQR 10.5–15) in 2022 (p < 0.001). Specialists completed the subspecialty a median of 18 years (IQR 13–21) post-licensing, with 269 physicians (97.1%) holding additional specialties, primarily in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, or Public Health. Compared to the general physician population, some base specialties like Public Health are over-represented while others, like Anesthesiology, are under-represented. Only 40 (14.4%) specialists reside outside major metropolitan areas. Nineteen (61.3%) general hospital CEOs, 2 (20%) psychiatric hospital CEOs, 13 (35.1%) Ministry of Health and 4 (7.8%) Sick Fund executives are specialists in Medical Administration (p < 0.005). Conclusions The steady growth in the number of specialists in Medical Administration demonstrates the sustainability and scalability of this model, which may serve as a template for other healthcare systems. However, the limited representation of these specialists in senior roles of some organizations, and their concentration within certain specialties and regions, indicates areas for policy attention to enhance leadership diversity and reduce healthcare disparities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8ca42d29cea4e35bbaa1cf51d33649f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-4015 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Israel Journal of Health Policy Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8ca42d29cea4e35bbaa1cf51d33649f2025-01-19T12:26:35ZengBMCIsrael Journal of Health Policy Research2045-40152025-01-011411810.1186/s13584-025-00666-8Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022Yoel Angel0Hadar Goldshtein1Nevo Barel2Gil Fire3Michael Halberthal4Adi Niv-Yagoda5Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterBen Gurion UniversityTel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterTel Aviv Sourasky Medical CenterRambam Healthcare CampusSchool of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences and the Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv UniversityAbstract Background Israel is unique in offering a formal subspecialty in Medical Administration and mandating it for physicians applying for senior roles. Data on the prevalence and characteristics of these specialists are limited. Methods The national registry of licensed physicians was used to identify all living physicians who completed the Medical Administration subspecialty by December 31, 2022. Data on year of medical licensing, city of residence, and list of additional recognized specialties along with their respective date of completion were extracted. Websites of key public health organizations were sampled to identify qualifications of persons in senior leadership positions. Results Since 1987, 277 physicians have completed the Medical Administration subspecialty, with a significant increase in annual certifications from 4.5 in 2015 (interquartile range [IQR] 4–6) to 13 (IQR 10.5–15) in 2022 (p < 0.001). Specialists completed the subspecialty a median of 18 years (IQR 13–21) post-licensing, with 269 physicians (97.1%) holding additional specialties, primarily in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, or Public Health. Compared to the general physician population, some base specialties like Public Health are over-represented while others, like Anesthesiology, are under-represented. Only 40 (14.4%) specialists reside outside major metropolitan areas. Nineteen (61.3%) general hospital CEOs, 2 (20%) psychiatric hospital CEOs, 13 (35.1%) Ministry of Health and 4 (7.8%) Sick Fund executives are specialists in Medical Administration (p < 0.005). Conclusions The steady growth in the number of specialists in Medical Administration demonstrates the sustainability and scalability of this model, which may serve as a template for other healthcare systems. However, the limited representation of these specialists in senior roles of some organizations, and their concentration within certain specialties and regions, indicates areas for policy attention to enhance leadership diversity and reduce healthcare disparities.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-025-00666-8IsraelHealthcare administrationPhysician leadershipHospital governanceHealth policy |
| spellingShingle | Yoel Angel Hadar Goldshtein Nevo Barel Gil Fire Michael Halberthal Adi Niv-Yagoda Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022 Israel Journal of Health Policy Research Israel Healthcare administration Physician leadership Hospital governance Health policy |
| title | Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022 |
| title_full | Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022 |
| title_fullStr | Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022 |
| title_short | Trends in Israel's Medical Administration subspecialty, 1987–2022 |
| title_sort | trends in israel s medical administration subspecialty 1987 2022 |
| topic | Israel Healthcare administration Physician leadership Hospital governance Health policy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-025-00666-8 |
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