Maureen Frowenfeld, MPH, Chief of Staff to the EVP/CAO and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at University of Maryland Faculty Physicians

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: In-Depth Summary of Episode Featuring Maureen Frauenfeld

Release Date: July 2, 2025

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Introduction

In the July 2, 2025 episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Scott Becker engages in a compelling conversation with Maureen Frauenfeld, MPH, who serves as the Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer (EVP/CAO) and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians. This episode delves into Maureen’s extensive background, her insights on current healthcare trends, and her visionary approaches to addressing pressing challenges in the medical field.

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Maureen Frauenfeld’s Background and Role

Maureen Frauenfeld opens the discussion by sharing her professional journey and current responsibilities:

“I just began my time at University of Maryland Faculty Physicians about two years ago in this role... My niche has evolved to providing strategic planning and oversight for enterprise-wide initiatives in academic healthcare.” [00:27]

She highlights her transition from a healthcare consultant to a key player in academic medicine, emphasizing her focus on physician integration and alignment. Maureen explains that Faculty Physicians are dedicated to advancing the mission of the University of Maryland School of Medicine by enhancing clinical growth across over 40 medical specialties. Their dedicated team of nearly 1,400 faculty members serves patients both in Baltimore and throughout Maryland.

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Current Trends in Healthcare: Physician Shortage and Industry Consolidation

When asked about the prevailing trends in the healthcare sector, Maureen identifies two critical issues:

1. The Worsening Physician Shortage
2. Industry Consolidation

Physician Shortage

Maureen addresses the ongoing national concern regarding the shortage of primary care and specialist physicians:

“It's 2025 and we're still talking about how there's a national shortage coming of primary care and specialist physicians... we are trying to respond innovatively by building pathways within our organization and within the School of Medicine that didn't exist before to kind of create that new pipeline for clinical providers.” [01:34]

To combat this, her team is focusing on expanding the roles of Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs). Initiatives include:

• Clinical Rotations: Integrating PAs and NPs into training programs through clinical rotations aligned with the University of Maryland’s offerings.
• App Fellowship Program: Launching specialized fellowships in fields such as gastroenterology, cardiology, and nephrology to cultivate expertise among advanced practitioners.

Maureen emphasizes the importance of creating new recruitment pathways to sustain clinical provider pipelines, acknowledging that reliance on APNs and NPs is becoming increasingly necessary due to the slow production rate of new physicians.

Industry Consolidation

The second major trend Maureen discusses is the consolidation within the healthcare industry, marked by the entry of non-traditional players and private equity firms acquiring physician groups:

“There's a lot of non-traditional players entering the market looking at acquiring physician groups... we're competing with private equity, some of these other groups that are coming into the market to not necessarily acquire but partner with high quality primary care and specialty care practices.” [02:00]

To navigate this landscape, Maureen manages the physician integration pipeline through Faculty Physicians Enterprises (FPE), a for-profit arm that competes by fostering partnerships with reputable practices. The goal is to align with high-quality primary and specialty care providers who seek to collaborate rather than be acquired, thereby maintaining excellence in patient care across Maryland.

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Addressing Workforce Challenges: The Rise of APNs and NPs

Scott Becker and Maureen delve deeper into the implications of the physician shortage, particularly the increasing reliance on Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs):

“We're producing nurses at a great pace, about 190,000 a year or so... but producing doctors at an incredibly slow pace, 25,000 or so a year... we're just our medical education system... does this mean we're just going to become more and more reliant on apps and advanced practitioners and nurses and so forth?” [03:28]

Maureen agrees, acknowledging a necessary shift in staffing models:

“I think there will be a new reliance on them. I think we're going to have to think differently about our staffing models... we're trying to create these opportunities to create recruitment pathways.” [04:23]

Her focus is on aligning the strengths of APNs and NPs with appropriate specialties, ensuring that these practitioners can effectively fill the gaps left by the physician shortage. By fostering opportunities through clinical rotations and fellowship programs, Maureen aims to retain and develop these advanced practitioners within the healthcare system.

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Innovative Initiatives: The For-Profit Arm and Strategic Partnerships

Maureen expresses excitement about the establishment of a for-profit entity within the non-profit structure of University of Maryland Faculty Physicians:

“Having a for profit entity really opens up what we can do... it can enable the formation of completely new either wholly owned subsidiaries or joint ventures.” [05:30]

This strategic move allows for greater flexibility in forming partnerships and joint ventures, facilitating:

• Alignment with Physicians: Partnering with physicians who are already integrated into tertiary and quaternary care, fostering closer collaborations.
• Enhanced Patient Access: Creating initiatives that expand patient access to specialized care, aligning with the overall mission to serve Marylanders effectively.

Maureen emphasizes that this approach not only enhances organizational capabilities but also ensures that patient care remains the central focus amid evolving industry dynamics.

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Advice for Emerging Leaders in Healthcare

In a segment focused on leadership, Maureen offers invaluable advice to aspiring healthcare leaders:

“Remain steadfast in the job you're doing and lead from where you are... temper those external pressures, make choices that align with your values... understand the value of partnership in your growth and seek out two-way relationships with mentors or sponsors.” [06:35]

Key takeaways from her guidance include:

• Steadfast Commitment: Focus on excelling in current roles before seeking new opportunities.
• Value Alignment: Ensure career decisions resonate with personal and professional values.
• Mentorship and Sponsorship: Cultivate meaningful relationships with mentors who can support and guide one’s leadership journey.

Maureen underscores the importance of patience and dedication, advising leaders to prioritize quality and integrity over rapid progression.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Scott Becker commending Maureen Frauenfeld for her impressive career and contributions to the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians. Maureen’s insights into addressing the physician shortage through innovative pathways, navigating industry consolidation, and fostering strategic partnerships provide a comprehensive look into the future of healthcare leadership and management.

Her thoughtful advice serves as a beacon for emerging leaders aiming to make impactful changes in the healthcare landscape. The conversation underscores the critical need for adaptability, strategic planning, and unwavering commitment to patient care in the face of evolving challenges.

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Notable Quotes:

• “We’re trying to respond innovatively by building pathways within our organization and within the School of Medicine that didn’t exist before...” — Maureen Frauenfeld [01:34]
• “Having a for profit entity really opens up what we can do...” — Maureen Frauenfeld [05:30]
• “Remain steadfast in the job you're doing and lead from where you are...” — Maureen Frauenfeld [06:35]

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About Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

The Becker’s Healthcare Podcast is dedicated to the individuals who drive U.S. healthcare forward. Releasing four new 15-minute episodes daily, the podcast offers industry news, analysis, and thought leadership from influential healthcare decision-makers, providing listeners with up-to-date insights and comprehensive discussions on pivotal healthcare topics.

Transcript

[A]

This is Scott Becker with the Becker Healthcare Podcast. We're thrilled today to be joined by a brilliant leader. We're joined today by Maureen Frauenfeld and Maureen serves as Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice President, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians. Maureen, can you take a moment and tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

[B]

Sure, absolutely. Yeah. I just began my time at University of Maryland Faculty Physicians about two years ago in this role. I started in healthcare first as a consultant and then moved to the world of academic medicine, starting out as an administrative resident at Hopkins and then I never left this world. My niche has evolved to providing strategic planning and oversight for enterprise wide initiatives in academic healthcare. And my particular focus is on physician integration and alignment. And just a little bit about faculty physicians. The faculty practices focus is to carry out the mission of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, focusing on clinical growth of both primary and multidisciplinary care. We are looking to improve access to over 40 medical specialties we have. Our patients are served by nearly 1,400 School of Medicine faculty in Baltimore and across the state of Maryland.

[A]

Well, thank you very, very much. Thank you. Fantastic. And talk about in the physician world, in the health system world, Maureen, what are some of the trends that you're following closely currently? What's top of mind?

[B]

Yeah, two things for me, the worsening numbers problem healthcare and another being industry consolidation. First on the numbers problem in healthcare. It's a hot topic. It's 2025 and we're still talking about how there's a national shortage coming of primary care and specialist physicians. Something very top of mind for us, given we're a faculty practice plan. And so we've started dedicating our focus to the expansion of how do we use apps in light of this shortage. So in my role, I've been tasked with designing new pathways for PAs and NPs to train with our faculty, whether that be through clinical rotations while they're still in some of our school programs through the University of Maryland, or whether that's through something new we've launched, which is an app fellowship program really focusing on medicine specialties such as gastroenterology, cardiology and nephrology. I think what's key is we're trying to respond innovatively by building pathways within our organization and within the School of Medicine that didn't exist before to kind of create that new pipeline for clinical providers. And maybe it isn't physicians. Maybe we can help solve the problem with apps that other trend I mentioned that I'm keeping an eye on. It's how there's consolidation in the healthcare industry. There's a lot of non traditional players entering the market looking at acquiring physician groups. And part of my role in strategic initiatives it's managing our physician integration pipeline through a for profit army called fpe Faculty Physicians Enterprises. So we're competing with private equity, some of these other groups that are coming into the market to not necessarily acquire but partner with high quality primary care and specialty care practices that are seeking to align with us because of our reputation. As for providing great care to Marylanders, thank you.

[A]

No, that's fantastic. I mean lots of stress and struggles there. Take a moment on the apps and so forth. I know we're at a spot where now currently there's about 5 million nurses in the country, 5.2 or so. There's only about a million 100,000 doctors. And it just feels like there's no way around because we're producing nurses at a great pace, about 190,000 a year or so. 175 to 190. We're producing doctors at an incredibly slow pace, 25,000 or so a year. That one way or another we're going to have to rely more and more on nurses and advanced practitioners because we're just our medical education system. And I don't mean this offensively, anybody. We produce great doctors, but is out of step with a lot of the rest of the world where they produce doctors a lot quicker than we do and produce great doctors that we are the beneficiaries of. But does this mean we're just going to become more and more reliant on apps and, and advanced practitioners and nurses and so forth?

[B]

I think there will be a new reliance on them. I think we're going to have to think differently about our staffing models. You know, apps work better, better in some specialties compared to others. And also some PAs are focused on more on certain specialties like orthopedics, whereas NPs can sometimes be focused more on the ologies. We're trying to figure out what, what does that look like? What are these new people coming especially fresh out of school, which specialties are they seeking? And I think we're learning a lot of that through our existing clinical rotation opportunities where we're seeing more NPs apply compared to PAs in some areas. But essentially we are creating these opportunities to create recruitment pathways. We would like them to stay, we'd like to continue to innovate and respond to Just how things are right now.

[A]

No 100%. And talk about you've got this great career, you're a great system. You also did a master's in public health I think at Boston University. A great, great place. Take a moment. What you're most focused on and excited about currently. You spoke a little bit about it, but what are you most excited about currently?

[B]

I would definitely say it's this new enterprise we've created where having a for profit entity really opens up what we can do. Because University of Maryland faculty physicians is a nonprof. So having this for profit arm that functions kind of as a holding company, it can enable like the formation of completely new either wholly owned subsidiaries or joint ventures. And I was starting to do a little bit of this work at Hawkins where you can do so much by working under a for profit arm and looking to align physicians with your faculty. Who they want, they already are very connected with, they're already sending tertiary quaternary cases to them. They want to do more together. And in that same breath we're trying to create more access for the patient. So we kind of have similar goals. And that type of alignment work is really what excites me the most.

[A]

That's fantastic. And take a second on advice that you would give to emerging leaders. Take a moment. What advice would you give to emerging leaders?

[B]

Yeah, I would say remain steadfast in the job you're doing and lead from where you are. I recently saw this cartoon in the New Yorker of a butterfly laying in a chair at the psychiatrist's office. The psychiatrist sitting and listening with a notepad ready and the butterfly saying, I finally became a butterfly and everyone's asking already what's next? And my advice is to temper those external pressures, make choices that align with your values and the right timing for your career. And along the way, understand the value of, of partnership in your growth and seek out two way relationships with mentors or sponsors because those are people who want to invest in you, learn from you, ultimately help you grow on your leadership journey.

[A]

You know, I think that just is literally fantastic advice. This concept. So many people are trying to do so many different things, moving on to the next thing before they do great at the first thing. And focusing on where you're at and what you're doing and doing great at that is I find the best way to ultimately excel. Yes, keep your eyes open. But to really be focused on what you're doing currently and do fantastic at it, I think is right on.

[B]

I couldn't agree more.

[A]

Thank you so much today, Maureen, for joining us. What a magnificent career and continued good luck at University of Maryland. What a great place. Fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us today.

[B]

Yes. Thank you so much for having me.

[A]

Sam.