Clintcast

The healthcare reform/debate is continuing to churn as the US Senate is putting together their version of the proposed bill. There is perhaps an unprecedented amount of input and feedback associated with this process as players from all corners of the healthcare arena make their preferences known. As such, it is vital that providers themselves actively participate in this process. After all, they will be charged with providing whatever service is agreed upon in the end. Thusly, it is critical to be taking efforts now to understand what is being debated, what the implications are downstream and how we can potentially position ourselves to be prepared for the eventual decided direction. Check it out!

As healthcare reform draws closer, one aspect that appears to be likely enacted regardless is that of bundling payments to follow the patient throughout the various facets of the healthcare process. A prominent side-effect of this tactic is that facilities which have invested time and effort into building strategic partnerships to smooth and facilitate these transitions will benefit greatly from this new process. Learn how you can be positioning yourself and your organization to benefit from these changes tomorrow (and today)!

Care Crowd Creed Item #4 - I Make A Difference - how true! The healthcare profession is nothing without those last four but critical letters C-A-R-E. It is perhaps to the most important, as well as rewarding, aspect of this profession. To truly succeed on a personal level as well as to facilitate successes with our customers, it is vital that we actually provide on a daily basis REAL care, not just going through the motions care. Today Clint discusses some of the various manifestations of this requisite factor and how it contributes to your ability to make a difference everyday!

Technology is here to stay. It is increasingly ingrained in every aspect of our lives and those resistant to its integration will likely find themselves hopeless behind the curve. Unfortunately, this doesn't have to be as difficult as many imagine it and taking the time now to become familiar with these advances (or better still an early researcher/adopter) can in fact, bring about tremendous opportunities. Healthcare is abounding with promising (and current) technologies such as tele-health and home/safety-monitoring, for instance, that can help enable returns to the home for many customers who do not truly need continual oversight in a facility. Be sure to investigate ways in which technology can help you provide better customer service today!

It should be a goal for all of us to strive for continual self-improvement. That being said however, it is okay to not know ALL the answers, especially in a leadership role. As you go about making rounds to get a pulse on your staff, it is often more helpful to actually “act stupid”, in the sense that you instead seek the staff members’ input into possible solutions to issues, rather that just degree an answer on your own. This encourages teamwork as well as “solutions closest to the problem” thinking and decreases the perception that you are just another surveyor/auditor/etc spewing oversight rather than empowering others. Check out these ideas!

Hunches are a curious facet of human existence. It is a fascinating ability to somehow recognize the slightest discrepancy in the usual pattern, even if only subliminally... that “something's wrong” feeling. It is vital in healthcare that we be allowed to follow up on these hunch situations to see if there is indeed something going on such that our early, proactive actions can provide an improvement in service. It is this aspect that often makes the difference between an organization being proactive (great service) and retro-active (always dealing with the past). Develop your skills on hunches - it pays!

We see it every day - there are countless examples of successes where a customer in our care has achieved a positive outcome, be it overcoming long odds in a surgical procedure, returning home after transitioning from a difficult health stage, the birth of a child under risky circumstances, etc. These successes are an opportunity for us to recognize each day just what an impact our presence has made in the life of another. It truly brings to light the tenets of the Care Crowd Creed in a meaningful and measurable way. As such, it is vital that we take time in those precious moments to celebrate the very reasons we are in the people business in the first place!

One of the most prominent ways healthcare is changing these days is the relentless acceleration in the pace of the day. This is true for most all aspects of life beyond healthcare as well. One such area where this becomes a problem is when issues happen and commonly, excuse-making ensues. Customer service in today’s models needs to grow beyond this - hence the adoption of no-excuse policies. Furthermore, how those policies are taught to employees can likewise be adapted to newer models to speed up uptake while increasing effectiveness. Check out today’s podcast for ideas on how to achieve this using Rapid-Cycle Scripting Practice.

It is currently true that healthcare is operating in a stressed economy (like everyone else), a result of which is that some aspects of financial, regulatory and operations issues can be attributed as a struggle. However, it is an illusion to believe these are the only forces at work to create this leaner environment. More than ever (and increasingly in the future) healthcare is viewed and executed with greater transparency whereby more traditional market forces common in other business markets can come to bear to drive aspects such as cost-management, oversight, competition, wages, etc. This will not go away anytime soon (if ever) so we need to utilize this current time to be sure we are addressing these areas to best capitalize on these market forces, for our good AND our customers. Here are some ideas to think about!

As discussed in earlier podcasts, 50-50 relationships are critical in partnerships as it establishes that both parties have rights as well as responsibilities. By forging these partnerships, we can synergize strengths and opportunities to effectively make 50+50=110 (or more), whereby the sum becomes more than its parts and the result is a win-win for everyone. Vendor partnerships are one such relationship that your organization can participate in to help deliver better customer service and not have to ‘go things alone’. Learn how today!