Fostering continual learning helps grow leaders and leads to retention of physicians. Lee Epstein, DO, witnesses such progress firsthand in his associate medical directors.
“These physicians showed the ability to provide excellent care for their patients. Once given the opportunity for leadership roles, they continue to provide the same level of care toward their patients and lead by example,” said Dr. Epstein, chief medical officer for Conviva Senior Primary Care in Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast of Florida.
By doing so, they inspire their teams to be the best physicians they can be. “Everyone on the team, especially their leader, is working towards optimizing patient outcomes. This instills a sense of pride and accomplishment,” Dr. Epstein said.
Physician education and leadership development also reduce burnout by breaking up the day and providing variety, he said. “Whether it is allowing our brain to shift from direct patient care to learning, or administrative duties, this varied routine can help clinicians reset and feel refreshed when switching from different task types.”
Two sister primary care organizations with operations in 15 states—CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva Senior Primary Care—have invested company time and resources to offer multiple opportunities in professional growth and continuing education.
This investment in professional growth translates to stronger retention, said Vivian Ayoub, MD, market chief medical officer of CenterWell Senior Primary Care in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and Conviva Senior Primary Care in San Antonio.
Operating under Humana’s umbrella, CenterWell and Conviva plan to be part of the AMA Health System Member Program this fall, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
In interviews with the AMA, Drs. Epstein and Ayoub shared how the two centers created an environment of accessible, ongoing learning for physicians.
Recognizing ongoing learning
“While my medical school training and residency specializing in internal medicine prepared me to address complex medical conditions, including for older adults, my time with CenterWell and Conviva has refined my knowledge of senior care and helped expand on my medical training,” writes Dr. Ayoub in her JAMA Career Center essay.
This culture truly starts at the recruitment phase and lasts throughout the physicians’ journey, said Dr. Epstein.
Professional development beyond mentorship is a driving force of Conviva’s and CenterWell’s success, he writes in his JAMA Career Center article.
“Satisfied and well-informed physicians return the best care back to their patients,” Dr. Epstein notes. “That is why our leadership regularly conducts talent reviews to identify future leaders and determine how best to support their growth within the organization.”
Physicians from other value-based care practices who onboard with CenterWell’s Provider Learning Journey, its continuing medical education (CME) sessions and additional educational training and support, share that they’ve never seen an organization devote so much time to their learning and their time with patients, said Dr. Ayoub.
“They stay with us longer, because loyalty builds both ways from the organization investing in the physicians, and the retention and loyalty physicians give back by staying with us,” she added.
Functioning as one entity
Attracting physicians and other health professionals often comes down to more than compensation, it’s also about professional growth. CenterWell and Conviva Senior Primary Care have internal recruiters working directly with market leaders to find the top talent. The organizations look for experienced physicians as well as new graduates.
“We build on the skills of experienced physicians—we teach value-based care and quality over quantity, so they have more time with the patients and are able to provide holistic care to our patients,” said Dr. Ayoub. “For new graduates, we can model their learning with not only our foundational onboarding and training, but the CME Grand Rounds, the early detection screening and clinical pathways, education sessions and recorded refresher training sessions.”
From the very beginning, leaders from both clinical and operations are present in the discussions with new physicians.
“It is important to show these potential new providers the support that they will receive throughout their time with Conviva,” said Dr. Epstein.
Meeting multiple times with these candidates builds trust and relationships early on.
Once part of the Conviva family, maintaining trust and relationships is essential, said Dr. Epstein, noting that frequent, open communication aids in this process, on both the clinical and operations side.
“We function as one to ensure that all team members feel that they are valued,” he emphasized.
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Devoting time to education
CenterWell and Conviva Senior Primary Care invest in the Provider Learning Journey. It is a vital, three-week onboarding and training program for all new physicians and other health professionals that provides a strong foundation for success in a value-based, senior-focused primary care model.
Both primary care centers also provide monthly “Grand Rounds” during office hours that focus on conditions pertaining to older patients.
“The schedule is blocked, so all our clinicians can gain this knowledge and obtain CME credit,” said Dr. Ayoub. Additionally, CenterWell offers an allowance and time away, so physicians can attend off-site conferences to continue building their knowledge.
Conviva’s CME ensures not only growth, but engagement, said Dr. Epstein. Participation is active from the center-level activities, all the way to organization-wide programs.
The Palm Beach and Treasure Coast markets hold older adult-based education or team-based clinical discussions at least once a week.
“Engagement is regularly seen through deep conversations aimed at providing the best care possible for our patients,” said Dr. Epstein. This strengthens the relationships between the care teams.
Meanwhile, “knowing that we are here for the same reason provides a sense of belonging and accomplishment,” he added.
Supporting and growing leaders
CenterWell and Conviva use a combination of tools and resources as well as a human resources business partner to help them continually grow their clinical leaders.
“As we build our clinical leaders, we can build more mentors for our frontline clinicians. We can teach our medical directors the business side of medicine and build on clinical and operational excellence,” said Dr. Ayoub.
The aim is to take this knowledge and use it in the two primary care centers, so that physicians and operators can align to execute initiatives successfully.
“This is further supported by our dyad leadership structure, where medical leaders work side by side with business leaders to run the organization and ensure patients receive the wraparound care they need and deserve,” she explained.
Throughout the year, Conviva has programs to support development and growth. These programs are tailored for team members across the leadership spectrum—from those without leadership experience to those overseeing hundreds of team members.
The Physician Leader Development Program is a six-month program to build leadership and business skills in physicians who are interested in a leadership path, noted Dr. Epstein. For Individuals looking for programs that do not require such a commitment, there are programs that focus more on specific aspects of leadership.
In his JAMA essay, Dr. Epstein shared that his own mentors helped him realize his potential as a physician leader. Specifically, they taught him “the importance of being an honest, transparent leader who will do everything possible to help improve patients’ lives and embody the mission behind the value-based model,” which is accountability for treating the “whole person,” he writes.
Embracing technology
CenterWell and Conviva also have several innovations to further build on its physician education as well as its effectiveness and excellence. For example, an augmented intelligence (AI) tool instituted in 2024 helps physicians capture clinical documentation during a patient visit.
Use of this AI tool has improved work-life balance and decreased out-of-office documentation time. This has been a positive to investing in physicians’ well-being, said Dr. Ayoub.
The organizations also provide physicians with extra flex days, so they can take time off to decompress, decreasing burnout.
“In 2025 we are building on leveraging technology even more and transitioning to a more effective, efficient electronic medical record system,” said Dr. Ayoub.
An example of this is eConsults, which is a resource that allows for specialty expert advice at physicians’ fingertips. Physicians and other health professionals have access to this online interactive service that directly links them to specialists who support primary care physicians on the best care and next steps for patients.
CenterWell and Conviva are also building a specialty network to help support its physicians and partnerships. Ultimately, this is about benefitting physicians and patients to deliver excellent, quality, individualized care, said Dr. Ayoub.
