Biography

Owen J. Dahl, MBA, LFACHE, CHBC, LSSMBB, has been active in healthcare management for almost 40 years. He received his bachelor’s degree from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota, where he was a member of the first graduating class in the hospital administration program. He then spent more than a decade as a hospital administrator in various facilities in South Dakota. He also served in the United States Air Force.

His move to New Orleans in 1983 brought a major career change. He started a practice management and billing company, which grew to manage 65 physicians in 11 different practices with revenues well over $75 million. In 1993, he advanced to Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives with a paper on Total Quality Management and its application to the medical practice. He also received the distinction of becoming the first non-physician member of the Orleans Parish Medical Services Bureau Board of Directors.

Throughout his career, Owen has maintained a passion for education. He developed an adult continuing education program with Loyola University of New Orleans in physician practice management. He also is the original developer of the certification program for the Professional Association of Health Care Office Managers (PAHCOM) and the Institute of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants (ICHBC). The Institute program is currently available online through the National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants (NSCHBC). He has worked with the Louisiana State University Medical School Department of Graduate Medical Education conducting seminars for students, residents, and fellows in physician practice management.

Led consulting and management firms to significant growth. In his last role as Chief Executive Officer of SALCO Management, Inc. based in New Orleans, LA the company grew from one client to over 20, with 65 physicians directly managed by the firm. Despite the devastation that struck New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina, he was able to secure and right the ship for those practices that chose to stay in the market and was able to recover all possible for those practices that could no longer stay in business. He successfully led clients to increased revenue in spite of the declining reimbursement trend. SALCO was selected one of the top 10 places of employment New Orleans in 2004.

Active in the education of practice managers and consultants. Dahl developed and is the primary instructor of the review course leading a certified healthcare business consultant designation. He has taught physicians, medical students and others in a program on physician practice management at the University of New Orleans, the University of Houston - Clear Lake and also been a faculty member at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans.

A recognized national speaker on topics from lean management, revenue cycle management, scenario planning, practice operations, change management, disaster preparedness as semiar leader and key note speaker.

A published author including Think Business - Medical Practice Quality, Efficiency, and Profits; The Medical Practic Disater Guide Book; and co-author of Lean Six Sigma for the Medical Practice – Improving Profitability by Improving Processes. In addition he writes and contributes to articles in The Journal of Medical Practice Management®, MGMA Connexion, Medical Economics, Physicians Practice and several others.

Dahl received his Bachelors degree in Hospital Administration from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN; his Master’s from the University of Northern Colorado, and has done doctoral work at NOVA Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.