A well oiled machine...

 

 

 

One of my all-time favorite movies is The Incredibles.  In fact it is the only thing I wanted for my birthday the year it came out (my 30th...I am a kid at heart).  In the movie there are many takeaways and real life lessons that apply to a broad spectrum of life issues and work instances.  The one that really applies to MPMC, especially the last week, is the scene where Bob (Mr. Incredible) is getting lectured by his boss, Gilbert Huph, for helping his customer's finding their ways through Insuracare's red tape.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Huph: "We're supposed to help OUR people! Starting with our stockholders, Bob! Who's helping them out, huh?! (sighs) You know, Bob... a company..."
Bob: "Is like an enormous clock."
Mr. Huph: "Is like an enormous clo-- Yes! Precisely! It only works if all the little cogs *mesh* together! Now, a clock needs to be clean, well-lubricated, and wound tight. The best clocks have jewel movements, cogs that fit, that cooperate by design. (chuckles) I'm being metaphorical, Bob. You know what I mean by cooperative cogs?"

 

Bending Huph's metaphor a bit, MPMC and any other medical organization, is like a clock...or a system.  For the system to work well all parts must be functioning at a high level and all jobs must be done in the best possible manner.  Also, all pieces are important, without one piece the clock will not function.

 

With the impending Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare" there is a part called the Value Based Purchasing Program (VBPP).  There are two main components of the VBPP one that focuses on patient outcomes and one that focuses on patient experience.  Patient experience items are room cleanliness, staff friendliness, etc. 

 

This area is important because it requires all staff to be on top of their game.  Future reimbursements from medicare will be tied to the scores we receive from the patients.  But the bottom line is...we should be doing this for our patients and each other anyways...to make sure we don't end up like this: