Program Overview

Are you ready to make a difference in health care?

Leadership. Motivation. Empowerment. WellPoint is committed to its mission to improve the lives of the people we serve and the health of our communities. We will achieve this commitment by creating the best health care value in our industry, excelling at day-to-day execution, and capitalizing on new opportunities to drive growth.

About the Program

WellPoint knows that physicians with strong leadership skills are well-positioned to bring medical expertise to the business side of health care. More than 200 WellPoint physicians leverage their clinical experience on a daily basis in their practice of administrative medicine, shifting their focus from individual patients to the community as a whole.

The managerial experience in a health plan is very different from the clinical and managerial experience in a hospital, group practice or small practice environment. The fellowship program will give you the opportunity to gain experience in an environment that includes physicians and non-physicians. You will have opportunities for project leadership and management and will earn hands-on experience that will prepare you to shift into a physician executive role. Throughout this program you will also receive support from the WellPoint medical management team to guide you in developing the skills you will need to advance into a significant management role.

Program Details

The WellPoint Physician Executive Fellowship has been designed by industry-leading physicians in medical management as an innovative, academic fellowship program that will provide broad administrative medical experiences for future physician executives in collaboration with accredited dual-degree MD programs across the nation.

During this one-year fellowship, fellows will have the opportunity to gain deep knowledge via specialized tracks while mentored by diverse business leaders within the organization. Each track lasts approximately three months, with fellows having the opportunity to expand the duration upon agreement with their program mentors. These "sub-specializations" facilitate exposure to core knowledge areas unique to a health benefits company.

Potential tracks include:

Payor Strategy
Mentors would include leadership at the vice president level for medical business solutions and care management operations. There would be a focus on gaining experience via project-focused endeavors and strategy improvement deliverables. The fellow would be able to choose from projects related to process re-engineering, strategic portfolio management, vendor management, and other initiatives.

Medical Management
Mentors would include senior physician leadership. Understanding cost of care, utilization management, case-management and other physician-led initiatives would be the focus. The fellow would be well-poised to enter the organization as a medical director following this exposure.

Senior/State-Sponsored Business
Mentors would include Indiana based physician leadership. Fellows will be able to understand special considerations related to Medicare and Medicaid business units. Product development exposure would also be offered.

Health Policy
Mentors would include leadership in WellPoint's office of medical policy and technology assessment. The fellow would gain insight into how evidence-based medicine is translated into clinical guidelines for application across the enterprise.

The Physician Executive Fellowship Program Faculty has developed a range of experiences to truly create a launching pad for fellows to learn key skills that will yield success in an executive role.

Click here to view bios of our Physician Executive Fellowship faculty and fellows.

Where Are Fellowships Available?

Fellowship opportunities will be offered in the greater Los Angeles area and in the metro Indianapolis area.

Download our Physician Executive Fellowship FAQ for answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.