Healthcare Blog - Page 11 of 12

Why should I care?

Part 3 in Our Series: A Smarter Approach to S.M.A.R.T. Goals “Please help me connect the dots”In our work with frontline health care staff, this plea is one of the most common ones we hear. With new protocols, payer requirements and regulations shifting constantly, staff understandably struggle to make sense of all of these changes. To President Trump’s comment that “Nobody knew health care could be so complicated,” most frontline caregivers would tell you that they know providing care is more challenging and complex every day. That’s why setting and explaining goals that are meaningful is so important. Chasing the numbers can become all-consuming In today’s metrics-driven world, it is easy for even the most compassionate caregiver to quickly become obsessed with the numbers. Thirty-day

Burl Stamp July 17, 2017 No Comments

Are your goals specific enough to change behavior?

Part 2 in Our Series: A Smarter Approach to S.M.A.R.T. Goals In last week’s blog, I outlined a smarter way for managers to approach S.M.A.R.T. goals. Designed to boost results rather than just improve goal-writing, our model emphasizes how leaders can better use goals to focus their team’s efforts and deliver superior outcomes:While there are many variations on the original S.M.A.R.T. goals model, the “S” almost always stands for “specific.” Writing a SMART goal that is specific means that all aspects of the goal are clearly defined and that it answers the standard 5 W’s (who, what, when, where and why). But even when a well-written goal is specific, it still usually focuses on what you want the end result to be, not on how

Burl Stamp July 12, 2017 No Comments

two men graduating from college graphic from stamp & chase

Powerful Advice for True Patient Advocates: “Thou Shall Not Stand Idly By”

During this year’s graduation season, my alma mater Washington University in St. Louis published a brief but compelling article titled, “A decade of lasting lessons.” Recalling meaningful advice from commencement speakers and honorees over the past ten years, the article offered counsel from personalities ranging from retired Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa to “Meet the Press” moderator Tim Russert (who sadly passed away just one year after his speech to Washington U. graduates). While all of the quotes were powerful in different ways, the life advice of two courageous speakers struck me as especially important for those of us who profess to be patient advocates and say we are committed to improving the patient experience. From Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel in 2011: My commandment is,

Burl Stamp June 27, 2017 No Comments

The Ultimate Compliment for Healthcare Providers

It was almost nine o’clock in the evening when I finally arrived at my hotel in Indianapolis from a long day of meetings and travel in preparation for the full-day workshop I would lead the next day. I was tired, but I was also hungry. I asked the front-desk clerk as I checked in if there was a place nearby where I could still get a quick bite. She pointed across the lobby and said, “I think Joan over in the bar can still get you something to eat.” The bar at the suburban hotel where I was staying was not exactly a hot spot on a Monday night. There were only two other people at a small table talking when I walked in and

Burl Stamp June 20, 2017 No Comments

spinning plates graphic from stamp & chase

In patient experience work, there’s no “Silver Bullet.” But are you trying to keep too many plates spinning?

In a recent blog post, I argued that the problem of searching for a single, easy-to-implement patient engagement tactic goes beyond the fact that one doesn’t exist. Believing that a simple silver bullet strategy is out there actually stymies continuous improvement, innovation and effective implementation. So if there is no single silver bullet, one might reasonably jump to the conclusion that a shotgun approach – implementing multiple solutions simultaneously – would produce better results. But that strategy has real flaws, as well. When I was working closely with the Experience Team at Ascension Health several years ago, we termed it “initiative fatigue.” In other words, teams were trying to launch and sustain so many different initiatives to improve care that they lost focus. It felt like

Burl Stamp June 14, 2017 No Comments

medical staff in a team meeting with stamp & chase

Three Messages Your Staff Want and Need to Hear Most

Whether you are a senior executive, middle manager or frontline staff member, health care seems to get more complicated every day. Endless regulations, increasing financial challenges, pressures to guarantee quality and safety. And now, the uncertainty of health care reform. But while the issues become increasingly complex, the communication frontline health care professionals need most from managers arguably becomes more straightforward, focused and— perhaps counterintuitively— basic as times get more complicated. Think about frontline employees’ most fundamental concerns. Do you appreciate my work, especially in light of the stress I’m often under? Have you helped me understand important issues and our responses to them? Do you care about my feelings on subjects and circumstances that really matter to me? Staff members understand that times are

Burl Stamp June 6, 2017 No Comments

medical staff at stamp & chase communicating with patient

Effective Leadership Communication: How to diminish the “F” factors that discourage employees from speaking freely

In a recent blog post titled, “Are Exit Interviews a Waste of Time?” I shared the observations of the chief human resources officer of a large, international corporation. He pointed out that employees heading out the door rarely are open about all of the true reasons for leaving because they fear burning bridges. The article “Can Your Employees Really Speak Freely?” from the January-February 2016 issue of the Harvard Business Review provides a thoughtful, research-based assessment of what encourages and inhibits open communication and construction feedback in organizations. Authors James R. Detert and Ethan R. Burris convincingly described the two “F” factors that are usually at the heart of employees’ reluctance to speak up: Fear and Futility. While Detert and Burris offer helpful perspectives on

Burl Stamp May 23, 2017 No Comments

nurse helping patient feel better graphic from stamp & chase

Competing Shortages: Is One Fix Contributing to a Bigger Problem for Nursing?

For more than 20 years, the looming caregiver shortages in primary care medicine and nursing have been well documented. In its study on workforce supply and demand projections released in November, 2016, the National Center for Healthcare Workforce Analysis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated: “Under current workforce utilization and care delivery patterns, the 2025 demand for primary care physicians is projected to exceed supply at the national level.” (See Chart.) Following this ominous yet not unexpected finding, the study goes on to point out: “With delivery system changes and full utilization of NP and PA services, the projected shortage of 23,640 FTEs can be effectively mitigated.” In fact, the study goes on to reveal that if current trends continue, the

Burl Stamp May 16, 2017 No Comments

inside doctors office graphic from stamp and chase

One simple question can reveal the underlying culture in a physician’s office

For the sixth time, I recently facilitated the annual Executive Dialogue of the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development of the American Hospital Association. The unique format of the conference features presentations by three nationally-renowned speakers followed by facilitated dialogue with the audience of senior healthcare strategy executives. Speaking to the program theme of “leading change,” Peter Fine, president & CEO of Phoenix-based Banner Health, talked not only about the organization-wide, big-picture, strategic opportunities for leading change, but also the very personal, day-to-day occasions health leaders have to change the way our patients experience care. He focused many of his remarks on the front-end of the care experience in physicians’ offices and other ambulatory settings, suggesting one straightforward question can provide the greatest insight

Burl Stamp March 30, 2017 No Comments

What we can learn from Coach K about patient experience accountability

I never thought I’d be writing a blog post under this headline. With a wife who is a die-hard Kansas Jayhawk and a son who is a loyal Indiana Hoosier, admitting that I could learn anything from Duke Blue Devils Coach Mike Krzyzewski is unthinkable in my house. Applying a lesson from college basketball to patient experience strategy seems even more improbable. But in December when Coach K suspended guard Grayson Allen indefinitely after he tripped an opposing player, his decision made me think about how well we as leaders in healthcare organizations hold every member of our team accountable for the impact their behaviors have on patients’ experiences. First, a bit of background. If you are not a college basketball fan, the central incident

Burl Stamp January 5, 2017 No Comments

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