Creating catalysts for organizational change
It’s the perception of care that is important. Whether right or wrong, it’s that perception that drives patient preference.
Some of us thrive on change; others resist it, run from it or are paralyzed by it. Change is the one thing constant in our world generally, and of course, in healthcare.
Whether you are implementing a new EMR system, new procedure codes, new patient flow model, new website, or introducing a new provider, your ability to inspire your team to create catalysts for change will separate your organization from the pack. Why is that important? These days, people have a choice in healthcare. They want to be treated well (not just procedurally, but personally), and they want a good experience. Your staff wants the same thing – a good experience at work.
This just isn’t about the proper diagnosis for patients– this is about putting the patient at the center of their experience. The concept of “patient satisfaction” misses the mark. Some patients will NEVER be satisfied. What is important is the patient experience. It’s the perception of care that is important. Whether right or wrong, it’s that perception that drives preference. This may be a new way of thinking for you or your team.
Be a change agent
Creating catalysts for change in your healthcare organization involves seven steps:
- Attitude – if you are not on board with the change or excited about it, don’t expect your team to be.
- Objective – what is the business outcome of the change and how will it impact your team?
- Encouragers – find champions in the team that will encourage and educate others.
- Protocol – make sure that people understand the process behind the change.
- Implementation – create the plan, launch the plan, work the plan, re-evaluate, and continue working the plan.
- Celebrate – focus on the ways the change is positively impacting your organization, whether it involves the team, the patient, the provider, the business, etc.
- Accountability – what is working with the change, what is not working and what is missing?
For example, a few years ago when I was serving as the director of patient and family experience for a UNC Hospital, I stopped to talk with the parking attendant to find out how he was doing that day. He began to tell me about an idea he had to help our patients.
His station was located at the entrance to the Heart Center and he noticed that patients would frequently lean on the pole, or stop on the sidewalk to catch their breath. Sometimes they would ask if they could lean on his podium or his chair. He said, “What do you think about getting some benches out here, so people could take a break when they needed to? I think some of them really think they can make it, but they get so out of breath and need to rest coming from the parking lot or from upstairs.”
This parking attendant had been a registered nurse for over 30 years and he looked at patients with a different mindset – not merely how could he escort them to the hospital entrance, give instructions to the driver, or greet them with a smile and a cheery welcome. He looked for signs of distress. He wanted to protect our patients from harm. After a request was submitted to the service excellence department and promptly rejected with a form signed by the president, I got busy.
This parking attendant, who asked me every time he saw me about the progress of the benches, had the right attitude. Our objective? Give the patient a place to rest. Implementation? We enlisted the help of the facilities director. I invited him to meet me at the entrance to hear the story from the attendant himself. To our surprise, he shared a story of his own.
Several months earlier, he had accompanied his father to Duke Medical Center for some tests, and his father fell in the parking lot. He was tired and lost his balance. What an impact a bench would have made! So this facilities director became a catalyst for change – he ordered two benches, had them installed with bolts, created a concrete foundation for one of them near the parking lot on a grassy area and placed the other right beside the parking attendant.
A few weeks after the benches were installed, the parking attendant pulled me aside and said, “I’ve got to tell you what happened last week.” A patient was leaving the heart center and walking rather slowly towards the parking deck. He watched her stop, sit down on the bench, fold her head in her hands and begin to cry. She sat there a few minutes, crying while sitting on the bench. Then, she wiped her tears, raised her head, took a heavy breath and stood up. She turned to the parking attendant, smiled as he waved and she went on her way. He said, “Merikay, that bench was her safe haven for that moment.” As I wiped my tears away, we celebrated with a hug.
The facilities director re-evaluated the benches and now the campus has over ten benches for families, patients and team members to enjoy. How will you create catalysts for change in your organization today?
