Healthcare Providers -- Its Time for Your Physical
I think this is a good time for a checkup, or physical as it is termed in the healthcare industry. I mean this is a good time to check the health of your site or setting. As healthcare providers, we are dedicated to curing our patients of their ills and keeping them healthy. My question is, "Do you have the same attitude about the place you work?" Is your site meeting its highest goals? If not, then it is time for a change. I think that as a group healthcare sites are a lot like our patients. Some patients
don't work hard at keeping healthy. In fact, many engage in behavior that is very
detrimental to their well-being. You probably can easily image such a person.
Maybe they are very overweight. Well, there are many healthcare facilities that are
like that. They have many processes in which there are steps which add no value,
that are a complete waste of time and effort. Then, there are patients who do a lot
of the right things. They eat correctly, get a good amount of exercise, and generally
have a positive outlook. There are a few healthcare facilities that are fit too. What does a healthcare site in not so good shape look like? These sites, I believe,
have as their goals just to meet their compliance standards, those set by the state,
JHACO, or the FDA or some other body. As long as they are being accredited, they
are satisfied. Their attitude may be, "If it isn't broken, don't change it." They are
like patients who are content to just sit on the couch, watch TV, and eat whatever
they like as long as they don't feel poorly. What does a healthcare site in good shape look like? I believe that such sites are
continually looking for ways to better themselves. They engage in "continuous
quality improvement" activities. They are really concerned about the health and
attitudes of their patients and clients. They use surveys and they question and
listen. Some even use a tool called quality function deployment when designing
new facilities or programs. Besides listening to patients, they pay close attention to their employees. They
actively seek ideas from the employees on how things could be done better. They
want to have their employees enjoy working at their site and support its mission.
The leaders of such sites actively reflect this attitude. Further, such sites seek ways to improve the processes at their site. They cut waste
and save time and improve the bottom line. Many tools for doing this can be found
in quality disciplines such as Lean Healthcare and Six Sigma. You can find a very
good white paper on Lean Healthcare at the www.IHI.org website. What are the results of these positive and active approaches? Our patients are
happier, fitter, and find time to do the things they want. They generally live longer
with fewer health problems. Healthcare sites which are actively engaged in
continuous quality improvement programs generally find that they have the time to
accomplish their objectives and don't feel rushed, they have an improved bottom
line, and they rarely experience adverse events. The doctors don't have to work
impossible hours to accomplish all they want. They work as a team. Let me encourage you at this time to sit down with your colleagues and leaders and
assess the health of your site. If you find that you fall short of what you should be, I
hope that you put in the effort to reach the best goals. After all, we expect the
same from our patients, don't we? Donald Bryant helps healthcare providers meet their challenges and writes
"Making Good Healthcare Better" a free monthly ezine for healthcare
providers who want to dramatically improve patient health, improve the
bottom line, and make work more rewarding, guaranteed. More free articles
are at his web site. Be sure to visit.
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