Deaf and Dumb

 

We had a great senior leadership retreat on Wednesday of this week.  One of the things that we did as an ice breaker was to give a personal experience on how something or someone has affected us and our leadership style.  This was a very easy topic to pick for me because a day rarely goes by without me thinking of it.

I was born with a congenital sensorineural hearing loss; my hearing is classified as a profound loss.  Which is one step below deaf; I am 93% deaf in both ears.  This has definitely caused a lot of hurdles in my life.  However, I have been received well in all circles with understanding people.  Though, there is one teacher during my junior high and high school years that whole heartedly tried to undermine my every action. 

He called me deaf and therefore, dumb.  That comment has resonated through me my entire life.  I went on to graduate from high school, get my AAS in Radiology, BS in Kinesiology and I am ¾ done with my Master’s in Administration…some of my classmates have called me “4.0”.  While it seems like I am bragging (which I am somewhat) my point is that any obstacle and hurdle can be overcome if you have determination. 

In fact I have put determination as my personal vision, mission and description word.

In health care it always takes a healthy dose of determination (pun intended) to give quality care, excellent customer service, perform under duress, make changes needed to create the “employer of choice and provider of choice”. 

Thanks for all of your hard work this week!

Who signs your PTO slip?

In my last blog post I mentioned that Trudy and I would be discussing organizational clarity at the next managers meeting.  Organizational clarity has a lot of different pieces that are important in not only MPMC's hierarchy, but patient safety and care as well.  This is important from front line staff to the Board of Directors.

 

Advis, S., A. (2010) states that "when hierarchical differences exist between health care clinicians, communication problems may occur. Those individuals that exhibit intimidating behaviors may further hinder communication between health care clinicians, causing delays in patient care particularly if the organization’s chain of command fails to outline structured communication techniques and clinical practice guidelines to follow when disruptive behaviors are encountered. Disruptive behaviors of health care clinicians have been linked to adverse events."

 

This amplifies the need for a clear chain of communication/command.  I use the communication/command interchangeably because largely that is what it is, a direction of communication flow for conflict resolution.  However, the number one first thing one should do when there are non-life-threatening urgent matters is always work the issue at hand out with the person of interest.  This always helps prevent wasteful, productivity killing, unnecessary use of the chain of communication.

 

Only then if the issue at hand cannot be resolved you should move up the chain of command.  You might wonder which area to go to...go to your immediate supervisor, the person "who signs your PTO slip".  That is the best place to start.  The following is the Senior Leadership chain of communication.  This is MPMC design and the Joint Commission best practice.  

 We will be rolling out the full chart at the managers meeting. 

 

 



!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

To:  IT@mpmc.org

Cc:  Cole white, Carmen Covington, David Solawetz, John Wisneski, Bethanie Reynolds, Sherri Solawetz
Bcc:  Board of Directors

 

From: Trampas Hutches

 

Subject: !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i NEED MY SCANNER FIXED ASAP!!!!

 

Warm Regards,

 

Trampas Hutches, COO
Middle Park Medical Center
970-724-3130

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 How would you feel if you received this e-mail?  Would you be offended, angry, hurt?  How do you think the Cc people feel about this?  I know the senior leadership would frown on this.  Not over the scanner, but the sender is acting like a petulant two-year-old.  The Board of Directors would be wondering why they even received this e-mail, let alone the use of the blind carbon copy.  Not to mention IT would not be likely to move on the issue just due to the simple fact of human nature.

Right now you are saying to yourself “oh nobody sends these types of e-mails”.  You would be very wrong.  Aside from the obvious issues all around with this e-mail, the lost productivity to stop the fall-out from these e-mails are huge wasteful and “un-Lean”. 

 There are two things wrong with this:

1.        If the issue has not been resolved rather than Cc and Bcc sending chain of command should be followed.  An e-mail should be sent to the direct supervisor of the department in question
2.       All e-mail etiquette rules were broken

 

In the next managers meeting Trudy and I will be rolling out e-mail etiquette training.  This will be part of a broader training of organizational clarity.  The one thing that makes all of this go is communication.  It all comes down to the “good ol Golden Rule”   “Love thy neighbor as thyself”. 

 

I am glad to back to writing my blog as I have written close to a 50 page project over the past month for my Master’s Degree program.  This is one of my favorite parts of my job, my blog. 

 

**Disclaimer**  The above e-mail was completely fictional. 

 

 

Grabbing the bull by the horns.

 

 

What does Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus Christ, Charles Darwin and Socrates all have in common?  They all exhibited a great deal of...

 

cour·age

ˈkərij,ˈkə-rij/

noun

noun: courage

1.

the ability to do something that frightens one.

"she called on all her courage to face the ordeal"

• strength in the face of pain or grief.

One does not have to be a famous person to exhibit a large degree of courage.  In fact some of the biggest acts of courage sometimes go un-noticed.  As health care workers we see this every single day.  The courage of people battling illness, diseases and staring death in the face and winning (and losing).  That courage can be quite monumental in comparison to many of the above mentioned people.

 

Also, courage can simply be willing to face change during difficult times.  A lot of times we do things not because it is the best thing to do, but it is the easiest thing to do.  The phrase that comes to my mind is "because that is just the way we have always done it".  This statement along with the rapidly evolving and changing health care landscape can be detrimental to many health care organizations. 

 

Many battles have been lost due to the inability to find the silver lining in/and embracing change that is needed to adjust and adapt to changes that are uncontrollable.  At MPMC there has been change and there is more change to come.  This will require courage from the top leadership team and board of directors down to every single position in the MPMC organization. 

 

Sometimes you gotta grab the bull by the horns...

 

Our fearless leader, Cole "Tuff" White

 

 

HIPAA...It's a serious matter.

Ya it's boring, but it's serious...

Just about everyone has heard of HIPAA, it is especially drilled down into all health care workers for obvious reasons.  The whole reason of HIPAA is to protect sensitive information from becoming public knowledge.  HIPAA can be confusing, but it is also fairly simple.  The biggest phrase to remember is "is the information or access to information necessary to perform my job".  If the information is not a necessity, and you access it anyways you are in violation of HIPAA.  This pertains to even your personal records, your spouses records and your families' records.

The seriousness of the violation can be summed up in the following paragraph:

"Even if a person is the victim of an egregious violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the law does not give people the right to sue. Instead, individuals must file a written complaint with the Secretary of HHS via the Office for Civil Rights. It is then within the Secretary’s discretion to investigate the complaint. HHS may impose civil penalties ranging from $100 to $25,000, and criminal sanctions ranging from $50,000 to $250,000—with corresponding prison terms—may be enforced by the Department of Justice." 

All hospitals must self report any violation that is observed in its' organization.  usually this leads to immediate termination.  Also, it is worth noting that even minor violations can land a person on the National Database that will prevent any organization that participates in federal programs from hiring the violator.  Essentially if you violate HIPAA you won't be working in the health care field again. 

MPMC will be increasing the presence in the security of HIPAA related issues.  Also, we will be enforcing the rules and penalties.  I, myself, am astounded at how well the security system monitors for HIPAA violations.  So please...don't be the one that causes a jellybean (red flag)  to be sent to our HIPAA administrator's...

Here are a few HIPAA Myths/Facts:

Myth #1 Health care providers can share personal health information with employers.

FACT .

Myth #2 One doctor’s office cannot send a patient’s medical records to another doctor’s office without that patient’s consent.

FACT

 

Myth #3 The HIPAA Privacy Regulation prohibits or discourages doctor–patient e-mails.

FACT

Myth #4 Hospitals are prohibited from sharing information with the patient’s family without the patient’s express consent.

FACT

 

Myth #5 A patient’s family member can no longer pick up prescriptions for the patient.

FACT

Myth #6 The Privacy Regulation mandates new disclosures of patient information.

FACT

 

Myth #7 Patients can sue health care providers for not complying with the HIPAA Privacy Regulation.

FACT Myth #8 Patients’ medical records can no longer be used for marketing.

FACT .

Myth #9 If a patient refuses to sign an acknowledgment stating that he or she received the health care provider’s notice of privacy practices, the health care provider can, or must, refuse to provide services.

FACT

Myth #10 The HIPAA Privacy Rule imposes many new restrictions on hospitals’ fundraising efforts so that fundraising becomes almost impossible.

FACT

In the eye's of our patients...

 

I posted this video a few weeks ago..if you can't see it at work, please watch it at home...

 

 

 

 

Sometimes as health care workers we get caught up in the many processes that comes with the territory.  We are focused on documenting in the charts, hurrying up to get a patient chest x-ray done, speedily trying to fax lab results, going from meeting to meeting to make strategic plans, texting a friend instead of working,  not answering the phone during shift change, etc.  We all sometimes fail to realize the purpose of the work we do here.  This is collectively coming together and providing outstanding patient care for our #1 priority...our customer, the patient.  Even if you have no patient contact, your job affects the patient some how, some way...there are no exceptions to this rule. 

 

A simple way to help with this is a process called AIDET.  Or:

 

Acknowledge — Greet people with a smile and use their names if you know them. Attitude is everything. Create a lasting impression.

 

Introduce — Introduce yourself to others politely. Tell them who you are and how you are going to help them. Escort people where they need to go rather than pointing or giving directions.

 

Duration — Keep in touch to ease waiting times. Let others know if there is a delay and how long it will be. Make it better and apply service recovery methods when necessary. (we will be adding said recovery methods in the future)

 

Explanation — Advise others what you are doing, how procedures work and whom to contact if they need assistance. Communicate any steps they may need to take. Make words work. Talk, listen and learn. Make time to help. Ask, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"



 

Thank You — Thank somebody. Foster an attitude of gratitude. Thank people for their patronage, help or assistance. The phrase "Thank you for choosing MPMC" should be ingrained in every ones customer service skills. 

 

As you can see this process is based on communication skills.  This is interesting in that majority of the issues that arise in almost all industries and personal lives are communication related.  Just remember at all times try to view your work through the yes of our patients and ask yourself..."How would this look to me if I were coming through MPMC for care". 

 

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: