Joseph Boback, MBA, joined Jefferson in 2022 as a clinic operations assistant in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Although he initially viewed it as a “gap year” position before pursuing physician assistant (PA) studies, his manager had other ideas.
Recognizing his instincts with people and his potential as a leader, she encouraged him to apply for an open practice-manager position. He agreed, telling himself he’d give it a year or two. Within his first year, Boback had a change of heart.
“I think this is my calling,” he recalls realizing. He pivoted from PA school to Jefferson's MBA program, completing the degree in 18 months. Last June, he stepped into his current role as Director of Clinical Operations for the Department of Surgery.
Boback now oversees the clinical operations of all 12 divisions within the Department. He leads three practice managers and a coding team of seven, with a total of 40+ staff across the divisions, including administrative assistants, surgery schedulers, patient service associates and RNs. He also ensures that physicians are meeting enterprise performance and revenue benchmarks, oversees medical billing and operative report review, and serves as the central point of contact for operational matters across the Department.
Boback says that what he most enjoys is the breadth of the work. Coming from a neuroscience background – he studied the field as an undergraduate at Temple University – the world of surgical subspecialties has been a new education. He also values everything he’s learning about all the roles reporting up to him. “I’m gaining a more holistic view of clinical practice operations,” he says.
Boback grew up in Bucks County and now lives in South Philadelphia with his husband. During COVID, he developed a passion for houseplants and currently cares for about 65 of them.
Recommended Citation
(2025)
"In the Spotlight,"
Jefferson Surgical Solutions: Vol. 21:
Iss.
2, Article 4.
Available at:
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/jss/vol21/iss2/4
