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Change at an organizational level typically brings along some level of performance disruption.  Whether there is a process change that requires developing new routines for your front line employees, or a learning curve associated with a new customer relationship management system for your sales team, there is usually a temporary drop in performance compared to the status quo.  This temporary disruption can be minimal, or...

In the United States, the healthcare system is perceived to be the key driver of health and health outcomes and usually serves as the focal point of efforts to improve health. However, transforming the healthcare delivery system in and of itself may not lead to the desired improvement in health outcomes.  Research demonstrates that improving population health and achieving health equity also will require broader...

Even among healthcare professionals, reporting physician quality can often be a confusing subject. Different entities have different quality requirements, and even within a single organization, different programs require reporting for different measurements to satisfy payment goals. Of course, as federal standards are often used as a baseline for all other programs, the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements are most frequently discussed and, just as...

Are your processes stagnant? Has your external environment shifted on you, requiring a review? Or, are you in need of a mini-process improvement methodology to help refine some of your work processes?  In coaching physician practices on transformation activities, many practices are using a quick and easy process improvement strategy taught by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). This methodology is called PDSA.  PDSA stands...

To many of my friends, I am known as ‘the friend with a truck’. Many of you may be grinning, as you know this means I am the personal mover of choice whenever a friend is moving somewhere new. Needless to say, I am experienced in helping people organize themselves in a new space and in enhancing their ability to acclimate. Most recently I worked...

With all of the changes and challenges in healthcare today there is the sense of having the weight of the world on one’s shoulders. Whether you’re a CEO, CNO, COO, CIO, Middle Manager or front line supervisor, your plates are full already and you’re being required to take on more responsibilities. You ask – where am I to find the time to do one more...

All facets of clinical practice, whether primary care provider, specialist, hospital, or post-acute, are facing the need to transform clinical processes sooner than later to avoid dings to Medicare Reimbursement. The effectiveness of a clinical encounter is having a more significant impact on quality outcomes for the patient and reimbursement to the healthcare provider than ever before. For example, with an acute care hospital discharge,...

It would be hard to find two topics that were discussed more in 2016 than value-based healthcare and the rising cost of pharmaceuticals.  For many of us, these topics represent the two largest disruptions to a market that we have seen in our lifetime.  As a person that strongly believes in disruption, I saw it fitting to write about both of these in the same...

There is a lot of information circulating through various channels these days about healthcare reform, Obamacare, quality improvement, and reducing the cost of care.  Unfortunately, most of those are filled with acronyms and are written in a way that can only be understood by people in the healthcare profession.  In order to help identify why consumers of healthcare should be interested in healthcare quality and...

Change is hard.  Try a simple experiment – move your trash can to the other side of your kitchen.  How frustrating is it when you toss a banana peel onto the floor where the can used to live?  From another angle, how much more frustrated would you be if someone else had moved the can and never told you? On a much larger scale, when...