Responsibilities of the Medical Director

Known in the community for his weekly radio show DocTalk, Dr. Lamont Tyler also serves as the medical director of OSF St. Joseph Medical Center PromptCare. Promoted to this position after only two years with the practice, Dr. Lamont Tyler continues to oversee all aspects of medical care at the PromptCare facility.

Today's medical director has a broad scope of responsibility. The position was once reserved for aging physicians who wished to remain active in the field while phasing out of practice, and those who did well built community and collaboration within the practice while promoting strong patient care. Professionals in the same position today, however, must perform these functions while also looking toward the future both strategically and clinically.

Experts attribute this development to the rise of the contemporary insurance plan, which prioritizes efficiency and the effective use of allocated resources. This requires the medical director to be not only a leader of peers but also a savvy medical economist, salesperson, and organizational developer. He or she must understand the financial processes involved in the practice, while managing influences from both inside and outside the organization. The contemporary medical director needs to have a high level of clinical knowledge so as to manage these diverse influences while promoting best practices on behalf of the medical center's patients.