Tuesday, June 23, 2009

What you say and do is an example to others

Often what we say and what we do has an impact on others, without our ever realizing that we have made a difference in someone else’s life. For that reason, we always have to be aware of what we are doing. Most people can name a schoolteacher or other important figure in their formative years. That person probably does not know what an impact they made upon you. One of the biggest on my own life is a person that I never even knew their name. Something that they did change the course of my life and made me becomes the person that I wanted to become. I never had the chance to tell them the impact that they made. At the same time, I have had people that I could barely remember their name, tell me what a difference I had made in their life by just doing what I felt was part of my job. You are doing that to people around you all of the time and you never know it.

Often patients will remember the little things that you did for them. It may have made been the day that you got up and walked around the counter just to open the door for them. Maybe you went out of your way to find cheaper medication for them or helped in some other way. You leave an impression without ever knowing it. This can affect you in many ways.

You have satisfaction of knowing you did a job well and sometimes you are even recognized for that. However, do not expect to be recognized for a job well done, often you do not hear what people think of your work. If you do something poorly, it can come back to haunt you and can hurt you in ways you never know. For example, if you were rude to a patient and they tell a family member or friend it can keep that person form coming to the office and hurt business or it is possible that you want to apply for a job. One time I did not get along well with a co-worker due to several issues. Later on, I applied for a job with another company. It turned out that the former co-worker was related to the interviewer. I had done very well until they asked the former co-worker their opinion of me. Several other people later told me that was the reason I did not get the job. Healthcare is a small field in many ways. Keep that in mind and do not make the mistake of burning bridges. Once lost a reputation is hard to rebuild.

Always be an example of what you would want to follow. You may not be in a current leadership position, but that does not mean that you cannot set an example.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Who are Leaders in Healthcare ?

On Father’s Day as we thank our fathers for being leaders in our lives, we can ask, “Who are leaders in healthcare?” There are many types of leaders, some good and some bad. Everyone has since the effects that a charismatic leader can have and often the devastating consequences that these personalities can have on their followers. Leadership has been thought of in many terms over the years. At one point, the common belief was that great leaders were born and not made. During that same time period, most people followed in their parent’s footsteps and maintained the same job for most of their lives.

Times have changed and people’s views changed. Most people would agree that good leaders and either made or a combination of environment, born with natural talent, or learn to be a leader.

One of the best keys to being a leader was given by a firefighter, “You can’t be a leader if no one is following you.” To him it is important as a leader to know where you are going and to have followers. Some people are followers and some are leaders. It takes both and both should be good at what they do.
Some keys to being a leader include:

  • Being a role model, don’t be afraid to get down and do the dirty work. We all have to pay our dues sometime.
  • Know where you are going and let others know where you are going. Share your ideas and vision with them. They may have some good ideas on how to get there.
  • Challenge the old beliefs. Don’t do something just because that is the way it has always been done in the past.
  • Help and encourage others to act. Be supportive and help them to grow.
  • Follow your instincts. If you believe in the cause or idea, then make the decision and stick with it.

Many of the problems with leaders is our inability to trust them. When you are a leader, you need to move to the position that what you say is what you do. If someone can’t respect you and doesn’t trust you, why should they follow you? Your followers are important. Think about a flock of geese. They take turns being the leader, but while they are the leader, they can hear the other geese honking them on. The other geese are offering praise, support, and criticism. You will find that the critics can be the most vocal, but even they can urge you on, by keeping you moving forward.

You make yourself either a good leader or a bad one. If you are going to be involved, then get involved have the commitment and follow through. Be the best you can be at what ever you choose. Lead by example; be willing to do the necessary dirty work. Begin with the end in mind, that is know where you want your followers to end up before you start out. Help them to be come competent. People respect others that are competent and the competency has been proven. Inspire others to be competent and encourage them to have compassion and follow their heart as well as being confident in what they do.

Leaders are made by applying formal or non-formal education and experience. They often come out of adversity or need, they are the ones that rise to the situation to be the voice of reason and lead others. In many cases they may have not shown leadership tendencies until they were called upon, there is an ability to get along well and work with others but the leadership aspect at a high level can be achieved by training.

One of my favorite leaders is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. I first became familiar with his story several years ago in my readings and watching the movie Gettysburg. It was a difficult time to live and lead others during the Civil War and Colonel Chamberlain rose to the challenge. He had been a scholar and seemed an unlikely leader, but when the time came he was able to lead his men and help the cause. If he had not held Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg, the outcome of the entire battle might have been different. It was especially interesting how he fell back on his studies and faith; he used the experience of others to guide him in his direction. It was a good lesson in how we can learn so much from the mistakes and achievements of others. We would save ourselves a lot of problems if we could learn from the past and not be destined to make the same mistakes as our ancestors. Unfortunately, we do not always do that and will need leaders with Colonel Chamberlain’s the ability to learn from other people’s triumphs and failures so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

The speech that Colonel Chamberlain used to motivate the men reminded me of the one in William Shakespeare King Henry V. On Saint Crispin’s Day, King Henry in the play rallied the troops, by saying “We few, We happy few” and “We who are about to die gallantly” in his speech. This speech moved the troops to willingly sacrifice themselves for their leader. Both King Henry and Colonel Chamberlain were able to move their men from despair to be willing to lay their life down for their cause. They did this by emotionally enlisting the people. The listeners were told that the cause was just, personal calling was noble, challenge was critical, and the leader valued their support. There are many men and women that have been able to move people, but few have achieved that level of success.

Some time ago, Louis Gerstner as IBM chief executive had to motive his “troops” at the newly acquired Lotus Development Corporation to support him and IBM. He used similar tactics and was able to motive the newly acquired employees. Leadership is a learned trait; it does help to have certain personal characteristics, but can be learned. This can be done through observation, reading, and a willingness to learn from the past. Several of the leaders that we studied did not appear to have strong leadership skills before they were called upon, but were able to draw on their knowledge, beliefs, integrity, and had a willingness to act. People look for honesty, forward-looking, competency, and inspiration from their leaders. Many of us were fortunate to find this type of leadership from our fathers. Some of us were not this fortunate, can find examples of fathers or leaders that have provided this type of leadership. By following the principles that we learned from great leaders we can apply the knowledge to enable each of us to have strong leadership skills.
Have a great Father’s Day and remember to thank your Dad and the others that inspired you for providing leadership in your life

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

LAST CHANCE

There are only 6 more days for the Early-bird discount!!!!


The Professional Medical Staff Association (PMSA) is pleased to invite you and your colleagues to attend the 2009 “Changing the Future of Healthcare, One Team at a Time” Conference at the Doubletree in Overland Park, Kansas. During tough times it is vitally important for the team to work together to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

Having a dysfunctional team increases errors, decreases moral and can led to high staff turnover. By learning to work as a team, this can help the practice to improve and reverse many problems. This one-day conference allows the team to come together for group lectures and a break-off session to network with others that are doing the same job.

Highlights include lectures on the following: - Team Building - Team Effort: The Key to Getting Paid - Getting Better Results - Becoming a Better Employee
We are fortunate to have two speakers from the American Academy of Family Physicians this year. Gail Jones on practice management and teambuilding and Cindy Hughes on billing and coding. Join us July 17, 2009 at the Doubletree in Overland Park, Kansas. There is no better opportunity to meet and network with others that are facing the same obstacles as you. Register now and together we can learn how to change the future of healthcare, by developing your team! Best regards, Ms. Jennifer ZarateExecutive Director/CEO
For further information about PMSA, please visit www.thepmsa.org


Early Bird Discount if Registered before June 1st $150
Become a member of PMSA and attend the Conference before June 15th for only $225
Conference only, after June 15th $250
Become a Member & attend the Conference after June 15th $325

Friday, June 5, 2009

Patient's referring others

In a previous post I recently discussed my own provider’s practice and the service that I received as a patient.

Per a recent study* “When selecting new primary care physicians, half of all consumers relied on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and relatives, but many also used doctor recommendations (38%) and health plan information (35%), and nearly two in five used multiple information sources when choosing a primary care physician.”

This highlights the importance of how staff treats every patient. While I would not share the name of my provider, how many of your patients would share with others how they were treated and your practice name? As a patient, in the past I have been treated rudely and even heard staff gossip about me (it was a former employee of mine gossiping with my new provider outside the exam room as I waited to be seen). What message does this send across to our patients? How can we be sure that our patients are signing our praises and not spreading bad news about us?

Staff education on customer service and patient etiquette should be a high priority. If we rely on our patients to refer us to their friends and families, what message will they give? Be sure that staff is aware that what they do can affect the practice and in turn affect the need for their continued employment with the practice.

Conduct regular training sessions with your staff and consider conferences and workshops to help with the training. Conduct an audit of the practice and see how things are really going. If you do not already do patient satisfaction surveys consider starting one.

For additional resources and information www.thepmsa.org
*Tu HT, Lauer J. Word of mouth and physician referrals still drive healthcare provider choice. Center for Studying Health System Change, Research Brief No. 9, December 2008, Accessed from http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/1028/ on June 1, 2009

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Appointment Scheduling Doing It Right Every Time

One of the most frustrating aspects of a day for a provider is having a bad or inaccurate schedule. It makes it difficult for everyone to do their job when this happens. Occasionally mistakes can and do happen, but they should be kept to minimum. In a previous module we discussed the importance of repeating the information back, but still ensuring that you are not violating HIPAA and that others cannot overhear personal information.

It is easy when you get in a hurry to make mistakes, the importance of ensuring that the information is correct and that it is saved to the system. If you have all of the information entered, but do not save or submit the appointment, what good does it do? You have done all the work, but have still created a problem.

What should you do if you do make a mistake? It is important that if you think you forgot to save something or could have incorrectly entered something to do something about it right away. Even if you cannot do something about it (e.g. the new patient’s information was lost and you have no number or contact information), by saying something right away there may be something you or someone can do about it. Maybe the patient had been referred by another practice. Can you call the practice to see if they know who it might have been or maybe the patient had just been seen in the ER the night before? It is possible that you might be able to find out something or track it down. If nothing else, you can at least save the appointment slot and ensure that it is not double-booked.

What if you did not know that a mistake was made and a patient showed up that you were not expecting? Make sure that the patient has the correct day and time. Then tell management as soon as possible. If you do not have any open slots or are not a type of open access, the provider will need to be consulted to see if the patient can be worked in. In any case it is important to let others know of the mistake and correct as soon as possible.

Source: PMSA Front Desk Training Module Four