Sea spurge, compacts, and other descendants of Wipe off 5
Today's story is about how to implement a cultural change among a large group of people. Stick with me, as this will take a moment.Back in 2001 the Victoria Transport Accident Commission wanted people to slow down just a bit while driving. They understood that "Speeding just 5km/hr over the speed limit can mean the difference between a close call and a serious accident." The question was how to get people to do it, and do it consistently. Of course, you could have police and traffic cameras trying to enforce the speed limit, but that is resource intensive and can never be pervasive enough to ho...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 17, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Correlation ? cause and effect
I was recently directed to a lovely example of how an observation of correlation can be misinterpreted with regard to cause and effect.* It comes fromMind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich. Here ' s the excerpt:At dusk on September 7, 1997, a cougar crept up on Ginny Hannum as she was working at the back of her cabin at the head of Boulder Canyon in Colorado. The cougar crouched low among the rocks, facing her from about twenty feet, and it was ready to pounce. Although Mrs. Hannum was unaware of the cougar ' s presence, she had become " somewhat annoyed " by a raven " putting on a fuss like crazy...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 14, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Correlation ≠ cause and effect
I was recently directed to a lovely example of how an observation of correlation can be misinterpreted with regard to cause and effect.* It comes from Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich. Here's the excerpt:At dusk on September 7, 1997, a cougar crept up on Ginny Hannum as she was working at the back of her cabin at the head of Boulder Canyon in Colorado. The cougar crouched low among the rocks, facing her from about twenty feet, and it was ready to pounce. Although Mrs. Hannum was unaware of the cougar's presence, she had become "somewhat annoyed" by a raven "putting on a fuss like crazy. ...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 14, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
" A good way for doctors to let patients know they are antiquated and unfriendly "
< div dir= " ltr " style= " text-align: left; " trbidi= " on " > < div class= " separator " style= " clear: both; text-align: center; " > < a href= " https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BM7qV-cHeUY/VrztVOQvS9I/AAAAAAAALd4/zAYDrIIrc1M/s1600/IMG_0306.JPG " imageanchor= " 1 " style= " margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; " > < img border= " 0 " height= " 320 " src= " https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BM7qV-cHeUY/VrztVOQvS9I/AAAAAAAALd4/zAYDrIIrc1M/s320/IMG_0306.JPG " width= " 240 " / > < /a > < /div > < i > A friend here in Melbourne visiting a doctor in the community took this picture from the bulletin board in the doctor ' s waiti...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 11, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
"A good way for doctors to let patients know they are antiquated and unfriendly"
A friend here in Melbourne visiting a doctor in the community took this picture from the bulletin board in the doctor's waiting room. I posted it on Facebook with the comment:"I know some doctors feel frustrated about this issue, but even if they do, is the waiting room a really good place to put up a sign like this?"Within hours, I received a slew of comments, and I repeat a few of them here.Condescending, much?Gotta fight snark with snark! My search engine spends more than 2 minutes with me, doesn't disregard my input, and is available for follow up...so it'd be hard to confuse with a real doc. It is offen...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 11, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Ask, instead, why they would want to leave
It isn't often that I am surprised in a negative way by something relating to an Ohio pediatric hospital. Indeed, the hospitals in that state have been at the forefront of working together to enhance quality and safety for their patients.But this recent story in the Columbus Dispatch caught my eye. An excerpt:Non-compete agreements built into contracts help ensure that doctors can’t join a hospital’s crosstown rival or enter private practice across the street — at least for a while.The choice to relocate elsewhere to practice medicine is especially limited for pediatric specialists employed by Nationwide Childr...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 9, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
In memoriam: The Boston Courant
In the end, The Boston Courant did not shut down because of the oft-discussed pressures on the print media. No, it was because of legal fees and a judgment made against the newspaper from a former employee's lawsuit.David Jacobs and Gen Tracy and their loyal crew worked hard to provide neighborhoods of Boston with relevant, current news--well written and clearly presented. Advertisers rewarded the paper with their business because it was widely and consistently read.The owners and staff deserve to feel proud about their contribution to the City, which will be diminished by the absence of their newpaper. (Source...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 9, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Cruelty and enlightenment
I don’t know if the following observations are profound or trite or somewhere in between. They are prompted by a recent visit to the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart, Tasmania.Every country, it seems, has something to be ashamed of in its history. Certainly, among other things, the US bears blame for its treatment of native Americans, slaves imported from Africa, and forced detention of Japanese descendants during World War II.And yet, those same countries have often made contributions to political systems that are truly noteworthy in the advancement of human society. Think of the principles espoused in the Mayflo...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 8, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
There is no Holy Grail, just small chalices
Given the stakes to society and the persistent growth in health care delivery costs throughout the developed nations, there is an understandable desire to achieve the “breakthrough” technological solutions that will result in a substantial disruption in diagnostic and treatment practices and patterns that have evolved over the decades. Well intentioned and intelligent people with thoughtful ideas are focused on ways to achieve these solutions. Investors, seeing the large (and growing) percentage of each nation’s GDP that is devoted to health care, likewise hunger for the opportunity to grab even a small p...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 7, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
There is no billing code for compassion
I am borrowing a line from Dr. Amy Ship, the 2009 recipient of the Campassionate Caregiver Award from the Schwartz Center, to remind folks that nominations are now open for this coming year's award. The award recognizes health care professionals who display extraordinary devotion and compassion in caring for patients and families. It is open to health care professionals who work in any U.S. health care setting. The nomination deadline is March 31, 2016. Here's the link.There's no better way to express your appreciation to a friend, colleague, or caregiver than to nominate them for this honor. (Source: Not running a hospital)
Source: Not running a hospital - February 4, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Plus a change
I mean no disrespect to my Australian hosts when I say that I ' ve seen this all before. The details differ, but the same underlying themes emerge. And when stories are placed side by side, it can be confusing to the public.In Australia, the government strongly encourages private health insurance coverage for a portion of the population, a policy that was designed to reduce overcrowding in the public hospitals. There are a whole series of regulations that influence both corporate and individual behavior in this arena. These rules have essentially created the private health insurance market in the country....
Source: Not running a hospital - February 3, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Plus ça change
I mean no disrespect to my Australian hosts when I say that I've seen this all before. The details differ, but the same underlying themes emerge. And when stories are placed side by side, it can be confusing to the public.In Australia, the government strongly encourages private health insurance coverage for a portion of the population, a policy that was designed to reduce overcrowding in the public hospitals. There are a whole series of regulations that influence both corporate and individual behavior in this arena. These rules have essentially created the private health insurance market in the count...
Source: Not running a hospital - February 3, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Mind the step!
One of my "thinker in residence" sponsors here in Australia is VMIA, the Victoria state government insurance agency. I had just finished having a lovely cup of coffee and conversation with one of the agency's executives, where our topic had been risk assessment and mitigation.As I started to leave the coffee shop (not a state agency facility!), I stumbled and looked back to see a drop in the floor levels between two parts of the restaurant. While I can be clumsy (just ask my soccer buddies!), usually I'm pretty adept at walking out of restaurants without suffering harm. So, I looked back to reconstruct th...
Source: Not running a hospital - January 31, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
A canary in the coal mine?
How should we think about medical malpractice claims against doctors? Are they indicative of something about those doctors who've been sued? Are they a symptom of underlying quality and safety issues in a hospital, a kind of canary in the coal mine that suggests there might be deeper problems? These are long-standing questions.Perhaps part of the answer is provided in a new article in the New England Journal of Medicine, "Prevalence and Characteristics of Physicians Prone to Malpractice Claims," by David Studdert and colleagues. (The article has a theme that is somewhat consistent to one I discussed a few...
Source: Not running a hospital - January 27, 2016 Category: Hospital Management Source Type: blogs
Don't forget to floss . . . and take your drugs
An MD friend is a substance abuse counselor here in Massachusetts. She reported to me that a substantial percentage of her clients have been able to maintain their addiction through supplies of opiates prescribed by dentists. In all the recent talk about excessive use of opiates, I had never heard about this source.So I wondered if there has been any study of this by the profession or coverage of this issue by the media. After a search, I found this 2010 report from the Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management. Excerpts:The top specialty prescribing IR [immediate release] opioids in t...
Source: Running a hospital - February 1, 2015 Category: Health Managers Source Type: blogs
