Sow the seeds of empathy to improve patient experience
by Doug Della Pietra
Last week I posted the following to Twitter and LinkedIn:
The Wisdom of Giving http://ow.ly/naFzP puts "givers" in charge of patient experience initiatives to influence the patient experience.
In his SlideShare, Bruce Kasanoff suggests many customer--and, I suppose patient--experience initiatives fail because they are designed and led by takers, who he describes as "driven more by ego than empathy" and who put their own needs above the needs of others. In addition, takers focus more energy on selling than serving and don't understand customer needs because they don't really listen.
In contrast, g...
Source: hospital impact - September 5, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Flipping the switch to value-based healthcare
by Kenneth H. Cohn
"We face a serious dilemma," recounted a community hospital CEO who participated in my seminar, Practical Strategies for Engaging Physicians. "If we stop doing fee for service now, it will cost us millions of dollars. On the other hand, if we wait, the trap door may close behind us. We need to be ready to flip the switch."
All the other CEOs in the room nodded their heads.
The fundamental challenge in the transformation of U.S. healthcare from volume to more value-based metrics is readiness in an uncertain environment. As I've noted, "complex adaptive systems involve a collection of people acting in...
Source: hospital impact - September 5, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
10 influential women in health IT
by Dan Bowman, FierceHealthIT
From government officials to hospitals administrators to patient advocates, women are making an impact in health IT by leading innovation and change in all facets of healthcare. We asked our readers to nominate the most influential women in health IT for our second annual list.
And boy, did they respond--it was tough to keep the list to 10. We received nominations for women who are changing the face of personal health data and patient engagement, advancing nurse informatics, promoting mHealth and tele-medicine, using technology to improve global healthcare, developing healthcare apps and mor...
Source: hospital impact - September 5, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Where's the healthcare reform push for provider education?
by Alicia Caramenico, FierceHealthcare
For most people, a vacation means leaving work far behind, but not for me. So while a recent trip to the Dominican Republic was a small break from editing and writing about the healthcare industry, I still found myself getting caught up in (or starting) discussions about healthcare and healthcare reform.
Although, it wasn't my fault--I sat next to a nurse who worked at a hospital in the greater Philadelphia area at dinner one night. So two topics, the Philles and healthcare, were bound to come up.
There's been a big push for education around healthcare reform so I was shocked to he...
Source: hospital impact - August 29, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Hospital CEO: It's time to embrace environmental healthcare
by J. Knox Singleton
After receiving my master's degree in health administration from Duke University in 1973, I wanted a career where I could meld my business skills with my drive to help others. It seemed to me that hospital administration might be a career that would allow me to combine my skills and passion into a rewarding career.
Little did I know where this path would lead me.
Recently, I co-authored a book, "Sustainability for Healthcare Management: A Leadership Imperative," that challenges healthcare leaders to think through the implications of our decisions from fiscal, societal and environmental perspectives...
Source: hospital impact - August 29, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
5 ways hospitals can cope with the pain of change
by Andrea J. Simon
Some healthcare organizations are struggling with change. They never anticipated the speed with which the transition from volume to value would become a crisis, with declining inpatient admissions occurring much faster than expected.
As anthropologists, we work with organizations that need to change. We know that the brain hates change. Added to that, people are driven by the power of habits. We realize the demands on our time and energies have changed and doing the same old thing is, in a very Darwinian sense, mal-adaptive. You don't want to find you and your institution extinct, do you?
As the rese...
Source: hospital impact - August 27, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Doc execs: Moving from white coat to suit jacket
by Rebekah Apple
While landing your first executive role is exhilarating, the effort to land such a coveted position can be challenging. When I talk with physicians about making this transition, I emphasize the need for going over their professional inventory. This means taking an objective look at quantitative experience and demonstration of business acumen.
Many physicians believe they could do a better job than their current administrators, and they may very well be right. Physicians often ask how they can get experience without having the job, and how to get the job without experience.
Below is a checklist that will...
Source: hospital impact - August 27, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
The case for teleradiology: A community hospital perspective
by Mike Bassett, FierceMedicalImaging
In an interview published earlier this month with FierceMedicalImaging, David Levin, M.D., a professor and chairman emeritus of the department of radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, discussed some of his reservations with the practice of teleradiology.
According to Levin, while the original concept of teleradiology--providing supplemental services to smaller radiology practices that struggled to be constantly on call--wasn't a bad one, in recent years it has devolved into an excuse for radiologists to work less.
However, for Carlos Vasquez (pictured)-...
Source: hospital impact - August 22, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
The promise of population health
by Kent Bottles
As a lecturer at The Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health in Philadelphia, I sometimes forget not all hospital and medical leaders really understand population health.
It is one of those phrases--like accountable care organization or value-based payment or patient-centered medical home--you hear all the time. But what does population health really mean?
It should not surprise me that front-line hospital administrators and practicing physicians are confused by the term because the academics have not really provided us with a workable definition.
What is population health and why has i...
Source: hospital impact - August 22, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
The patient experience family is growing--and it should
by Jason A. Wolf
I remain inspired by what I shared in a blog post earlier this year, that there is a clear and growing movement for patient experience improvement. While I have been fortunate to be an active participant in what I deem a noble endeavor, it is important that we are mindful of the opportunities and pitfalls that come along with this type of systemic change.
Simply stated, and perhaps related to the recent adventure of becoming a new father, my metaphor here is that our patient experience family is growing and that says great things about the future of the movement.
The latest research on the state of pat...
Source: hospital impact - August 22, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Lessons from Beyonce: Hospitals need evidence-based management
by Lynn McVey
My intention here is to discuss evidence-based management practices. But first, I want to discuss Beyoncé. I was fortunate enough to see her show at The Barclay Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., last week. The show sold out in 60 seconds but amazingly, I was able to buy the very last seat in the house, so I went by myself and arrived early.
The employees wore very large name tags. As I entered Sharon extended her hand to shake mine. "Welcome to Barclays!" she said with a smiling, proud face. "Thanks!" I replied with as much enthusiasm. Sharon was certainly infectious. I was immediately impressed with the Bar...
Source: hospital impact - August 21, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
The promise of population health
by Kent Bottles
As a Lecturer at The Thomas Jefferson University School of Population Health in Philadelphia, I sometimes forget not all hospital and medical leaders really understand population health. It is one of those phrases--like accountable care organization or value-based payment or patient-centered medical home--you hear all the time. But what does population health really mean?
It should not surprise me that front-line hospital administrators and practicing physicians are confused by the term because the academics have not really provided us with a workable definition.
What is population health and why has it...
Source: hospital impact - August 21, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Patient experience goes beyond provider walls
by Anthony Cirillo
Time to revisit my take on a term I put forth several years ago, the chief experience officer (CXO).
On my first go-around, it was simple enough. I was a marketer. One of the biggest marketing tools you have is word of mouth. And word of mouth comes down to the experience of care. Therefore, if it is that important shouldn't we have a CXO? Evidently the Cleveland Clinic thought so.
On my second go-around, I actually filled out roles for this position--chief context setter, chief healing officer, chief promise keeper.
So here is the third go-around, which gets to where healthcare in general is movin...
Source: hospital impact - August 15, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Closing the provider-psych patient information gap
by Jeremy Tucker
In the emergency department, psychiatric patients can be particularly challenging. Evaluation in the ED is primarily based on history from many different sources--police, family, EMS, many times second hand or on a written report or petition.
Often, family does not accompany the patient to the ED. Patients can be unreliable, intoxicated or just plain unable or unwilling to answer questions. This presents opportunities for "information gaps" to occur for the care team.
The medical clearance is fairly routine. You certainly have to be suspicious of intoxication and ingestion. There are a few and not ter...
Source: hospital impact - August 15, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
Why hospitals should care about the social media soapbox
by Nancy Cawley Jean
Years ago, when someone was unhappy about a product or service, the response was typically to call a customer service department or write a letter to the editor. Of course they also complained to family and friends--and that word-of-mouth bad advertising went a long way.
Today, social media gives people a powerful voice to share their thoughts, good or bad, about any topic under the sun, and be heard like never before. One person behind a keyboard or with a smartphone in his or her hand has the potential to be heard by millions of people around the world.
So with that potential reach, it's no wonde...
Source: hospital impact - August 15, 2013 Category: Health Managers Authors: Wendy Johnson Source Type: blogs
