In a unique partnership, PYA and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business have launched a new healthcare finance education program for physician leaders beginning in January 2026. The joining of a leading university with an accounting and healthcare consulting firm to help physician leaders build competencies in financial management as they advance in their careers is unique across the country.
“The PYA-Haslam partnership brings together PYA’s broad experience helping physicians navigate today’s difficult and evolving healthcare landscape with the college’s long-standing leadership role in the education of today’s and future leaders,” said Marty Brown, PYA President and CEO. “It seems only fitting we would combine our decades of healthcare experience in this visionary way to help physician leaders build skills and knowledge to effectively lead in an industry that is demanding more from them than ever before.”
“We work with physician leaders every day, and they tell us that taking on financial responsibility for a service line or group is one of their toughest leaps,” said Jim Rosenberg, Program Director and Director for Healthcare Corporate Partnerships at the Haslam College of Business. “Physicians aren’t trained in financial management as part of their education, so most are figuring it out as they go along. We’ve partnered with PYA to create a program specifically for physicians that gets them up to speed quickly.”
Physicians who are starting practices, starting leadership roles—or starting their careers—can benefit from learning the gamut of financial knowledge, from the foundations of financial management to the complex strategies needed to lead a healthcare organization.
The program, called Healthcare Finance Certificate Program, has two distinct tracts: Finance for the Physician Leader and Driving Financial Results in Healthcare. In both, physicians will use real-world experiences to develop competency in financial language and strategy, learn to lead for both clinical excellence and financial sustainability, and understand how to assess financial opportunities and investments in leadership roles. Registration for the program has opened.
The courses will be taught by the Haslam College of Business’ David Maslar, PhD, Associate Professor, and PYA’s David McMillan, Chief Financial Officer and Managing Principal of Consulting, both of whom contributed to the design of the program.
“A financial mindset is essential in healthcare. It provides the foundation for sustaining organizations, ensuring they can secure the resources necessary to deliver high-quality care year after year,” said Maslar. “We’ve worked with physicians for over twenty-five years in our executive education programs, and we know how to cut through the complexity of financial speak to help physicians build new financial management skills quickly.”
“We are proud to serve alongside the esteemed Haslam College of Business to help provide financial competencies physicians need as they advance in leadership roles in their practices and hospitals,” said McMillan. “For more than 40 years, PYA has supported physicians with practice establishment, mergers and acquisitions, business and compensation valuation, market analyses, revenue cycle improvements, tax planning, and many other services to help them manage day-to-day operations while providing quality healthcare.”
Each six-session, live online course offers continuing medical education (CME) credits and the option to earn certificates from the Haslam College of Business. The courses will cover topics including financial statements, balance sheets, income statements and profitability, cash flow, financial ratios, decision-making, profit-and-loss statements, time value of money, net present value and project viability, financial forecasting and pro formas, and applying and communicating financial decisions.
In addition to the six sessions in each course, PYA will offer optional ancillary opportunities for additional study through its robust webinar program, tools and resources, and the firm’s thought leadership and research.
The UT Haslam College of Business offers graduate and executive education programs that prepare students to reach their full potential and advance their careers. Haslam’s graduate programs address real-world challenges through an interdisciplinary approach that develops both analytical and leadership skills. Learn more about the Haslam College of Business graduate and executive education programs.
