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Best strategy firm for healthcare ?

Hi guys,

I'm very new to the preplounge and to consulting as a potential career.

I'm an NHS doctor, have been so for 5 years or so now. I want to eventually move into healthcare leadership. In an ideal world I'd spend my time helping improve the quality of life for those who need it in my home country in Africa, through improving healthcare systems aiming for equality, equity and quality. 

Im seriously considering going into consulting mostly for the training opportunities, and the steep learning curve with regards strategy, finance and leadership. Obviously dealing with C suite, politicians and other high power people is going to be a great experience too. 

With that in mind, are there any particular firms that are known for their strategy consulting in healthcare? Or failing that with public sector work? (ideally in the MENA region) 

 

Appreciate any advice!

Thanks guys

11 Answers
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Top answer
Emily
Coach
on Nov 27, 2022
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

Within MBB, Bain currently has the largest healthcare practice. My understanding is that BCG's was significantly scaled down after a series of scandals on test and trace; McKinsey's also went through a similar situation about 5 years ago but has grown since. 

More broadly, PA, KPMG and EY have large healthcare practices - as the NHS comes under increasing budgetary constraints they will likely have the lions share of the work. Additionally, you can move into NHS strategy - there are a number of fellowships in NHSE for people who want to come and lend clinical input into the strategic decisions. 

Let me know if it'd be helpful to talk, and good luck! 

on Apr 19, 2023
Hi there, Thanks for sharing your insights on the nice approach company for healthcare. It's fascinating to see that Bain has the greatest healthcare exercise inside MBB, whilst BCG and McKinsey have had their personal challenges in this space. It's additionally fantastic to be aware of that PA, KPMG and EY have massive healthcare practices and may additionally be higher desirable for healthcare tasks with budgetary constraints. And thanks for bringing up the fellowships in NHSE for these fascinated in contributing to strategic decisions. Overall, it is clear that healthcare consulting is a unexpectedly evolving vicinity with many probabilities for these interested in making a big difference in this essential sector.
Rushabh
Coach
on Nov 25, 2022
Limited Availability | BCG Expert | Middle East Expert | 100+ Mocks Delivered | IESE & NYU MBA | Ex-KPMG Dxb Consultant

Hey Omer,

Glad to hear your nobel interests :)

Yes, there are indeed firms that are aligned to your goals. So you have two options broadly speaking:

1) Firms that specialize purely in Healthcare: ZS Consulting and LEK Consulting are the two firms that come to mind. These firms started out as experts in the life sciences space and dominate life sciences, med-tech and other healthcare consulting spaces. They have eventually also branched out to other industries, but are very much still market leaders in Healthcare.

2) General consulting firms with a healthcare practice: These are all other major consulting firms like MBB, Strategy&, Kearney, Roland Berger, Oliver Wyman, etc. These have their spread over a bunch of industries, including healthcare. Keep in mind that the extent of expertise and client exposure that you will get at these firms in healthcare will be lesser than those in category 1, however, these firms will also expose you to different industries, should you want to try them out!

Feel free to reach out to me if you need some more advice specifically with these firms!

All the best!

Rushabh

Mario
Coach
on Nov 26, 2022
Ex-Mckinsey (analyst->associate->manager) and now in tech (Bytedance) + Part time interview coach and mentor

Hi there, 

 

MBBs should always be the 1st choice when choosing your career move into consulting as all of these have a good healthcare practice but also provide the right learnings and mentorship. 
 

Other companies like accenture and PWC have emerging healthcare arms as well. 
 

Mario

Clara
Coach
on Nov 27, 2022
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

As someone who also comes from a different background, I can tell you that consulting can add a ton to your medical background, and precisely the skills to you need for your long term goal. 

I would aim for MBB first, 100%. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

Florian
Coach
on Nov 25, 2022
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 500+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

All big firms are very active in the healthcare sector and I am regularly working with and placing medical doctors at MBB (and most are driven by a similar thought process as you are).

Similarly, during my time at McKinsey, I met quite a few medical doctors as well (more than you would expect).

Two observations:

1. They perform generally very well during the interviews (above average).

2. They don't stay very long and go back either to practice medicine or enter healthcare leadership positions (for various reasons).

In short, if you are looking for the right firm, I would aim for MBB (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) to fulfill your aspirations.

Cheers,

Florian

Anonymous
on Nov 25, 2022

Hi Omer,

With your NHS background in UK,  consider Accenture Industry X. They are very active in Healthcare space and making huge investments.

Feel free to send me a direct message and I am happy to have an informal chat (free).

 

8
on Nov 25, 2022
1st session: -50% |EY-Parthenon|Tailored Case Preparation |Strategy & M&A professional |Free 15mins Intro calls |

Hi Omer , 

Rushabh gave quite a rounded answer to your question . 

To add, most consulting firms in order to better serve their clients in any sector (Healthcare in your case) look for candidates with deep knowledge in that industry vertical. So you should be able to find some good matches from your interest pov. 

 

 

 

on Nov 25, 2022
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi Omer,

Welcome to PrepLounge! In terms of your questions:

Q: Are there any particular firms that are known for their strategy consulting in healthcare?

Most candidates I helped targeting healthcare applied to the following:

  • MBB (they have a strong healthcare practice in most countries)
  • ZS Associates
  • LEK
  • IQVIA
  • ClearView
  • Putnam

If you need more help please feel free to PM me, I helped several healthcare professionals to move to consulting.

Best,

Francesco

Maikol
Coach
on Nov 25, 2022
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780

BCG is the firm with the largest project portfolio among the top 3. 
Then there are some boutiques, listed by other coaches. 
I would go for BCG with conviction.

Ian
Coach
on Nov 27, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

The big companies are all going to have a strong healthcare practice (that said, it does vary by region…as in, it's office specific). Other firms particularly focusing in healthcare are Clearview, Merck, and LEK.

Remember, networking is your friend here! Get talking to people on the phone to get a better lay of the land.

Anonymous
on Dec 22, 2022

Just wanted to add that you can get a sense of the work BCG does on healthcare (albeit being a while back) from this talk by James Kent (who has since left BCG and has stepped into a leadership role in the sector).

 

7
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