Dr. Mary Mason takes us on her remarkable journey from practicing physician to Chief Medical Officer of Centene Corporation in this illuminating conversation about the intersection of medicine and business leadership.

What happens when a physician's analytical mindset meets the corporate boardroom? Dr. Mason discovered her interest in healthcare administration during medical school, choosing to pursue an MBA while maintaining her clinical practice. This dual approach defined her career trajectory as she moved from managing complex cases for 86,000 patients to overseeing Centene's explosive growth from 800,000 to 24 million patients.

Throughout our discussion, Dr. Mason articulates the fundamental differences between medical and business decision-making cultures. Where medicine has clear hierarchies and protocols, business environments often feature ambiguous authority structures and group decision processes that can bewilder clinicians. Yet physicians bring invaluable perspectives to corporate settings - a calm, solution-focused approach captured in her memorable phrase: "Look, nobody died, okay? We can fix this."

The conversation pivots to healthcare's pressing challenges, including the corporate employment of physicians (now 75%), creating scenarios where business executives without clinical backgrounds make decisions affecting patient care. Additional concerns include hospital financial struggles, the technological complexity of modern healthcare, and the worrying trend of physician burnout leading to early retirement.

Dr. Mason's insights crystallize in her book "Think Like a Doctor, Lead Like a CEO," which encourages physicians to recognize their transferable leadership skills while helping business executives understand the value of clinical thinking in corporate environments. Her journey demonstrates how medical training provides an exceptional foundation for leadership roles where clear thinking and decisive action matter most.

Want to discover how clinical thinking can transform business leadership? Dr. Mason's book "Think Like a Doctor, Lead Like a CEO" is available now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble's website.