After spending 26 years working his way up the ranks of the American Medical Association, Lynn Jensen reached a crossroads.
The first non-physician to serve as interim chief executive officer of the association (1997-1998) -- now its chief operating officer -- Jensen had reached the pinnacle of health care association management.What to do? At 54 and at the top of the health-care peak, the University of Utah alumnus had a bevy of offers from health-care companies and associations. Among them was Phase 2 Consulting, headquartered in Salt Lake City.
Last week, Phase 2 announced Jensen had come aboard as a consultant while he evaluates his options. Jensen said he may in the future join Phase 2 as a permanent partner. Either way, the new job will bring Jensen and his wife, Carol, closer to their childhood home and family.
Raised in Pocatello, Lynn and Carol Jensen have a daughter and siblings in the West. Another daughter is finishing her education at DePaul University in Chicago, where Lynn Jensen also taught during his early years at the AMA.
"This move allows us to relocate to Salt Lake, which is an area we both love so much," he said. "And there are a lot of exciting things happening in health-related areas in Salt Lake."
Jensen's retirement from the AMA is effective at the end of June, and he said he will likely move to Salt Lake City during the latter part of 2000.
Phase 2 Consulting assists health-care companies with strategic planning and turnaround plans for distressed hospital systems. The Salt Lake company also has an office in Austin, Texas, and consultants in other cities.
Joining Phase 2 will allow Jensen to reacquaint himself with the health-care industry on a more individualized, client-based level, he said.
"I thought it would be helpful to get some perspective. The health-care sector is going through a lot of chaotic changes right now. Phase 2 Consulting deals with and confronts these issues in a very direct way."
For the company, luring Jensen to Utah was quite a coup.
"We're very excited," said John Short, managing partner at Phase 2. "Lynn has been on the national scene developing standards and priorities for the industry and will help us elevate the level of our services. He is an excellent problem-solver."
Jensen said he hasn't ruled out a permanent position at Phase 2.
And as for Short? "We realize he's entertaining some other opportunities," he said with a smile. "But we're really doing everything we can to get him to Salt Lake, on whatever basis he'd like."