Hospital Marketing Journal

Optimism

by Jon Headlee

Seeing the potential for the best in all we do seems simple enough. But how often do we find ourselves questioning another person’s ability to smile or carry on in the face of adversity? Probably more times than any of us can count, or will admit. Optimism is probably one of the most critical character traits to encourage in your staff. Negativity – one of the opposites of optimism – can be destructive in the workplace. While it is good to always be prepared for the worst, it’s not good to always expect the worst. Julia Child once said, “You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an honest effort to confer that pleasure on others? Half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy." In other words, optimism is contagious. Lead by example, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly others will follow. Expect the best outcomes. This is probably the purest definition of Optimism. As an optimist, don’t let any obstacles get in your way. Focus on the positive. Look for the good in every situation, even those that may not have had a perfect outcome. Be confident. Believe not only in yourself, but in the members of your team. When you work together, the possibilities are endless. Wear a smile.  A smile says so much – confident, optimistic, happy to be part of a team, and much more. But best of all, a smile is also contagious! Several years ago, I met an amazing man who not only inspired me, but also helped me grow into the person I am today.  He had the ability to laugh – and maintain unfailing optimism – in the face of daily stress and heartache. When I asked how he did it, he explained simply that his sense of humor was critical and without it, he wouldn’t be able to function. Those words really struck a chord with me, and I now live by his example, and sometimes I get asked the same question: how do I do it? None of us ever intend to be negative or pessimistic but sometimes we unconsciously let the wrong influencers impact the way we see the world. The optimistic person sees the world through rose-colored glasses. So, the next time you're confronted with a situation that threatens to impact your view, think of Julia Child and say something optimistic Can you think of someone in your life that embodies the spirit of optimism?

Calmness

by Nancy Daugherty

Whether it’s a crazy day at work, a hectic holiday season, or battling with your kids over their homework, we all understand the importance of remaining calm under pressure. But it’s not always as easy as it sounds.

I recall the first time I had to drive my daughter to the emergency room. I was panicked the entire way. When my sister met us at the entrance, she gave me the best advice. “You have to be calm so that you can talk with the medical team and tell them what’s going on,” she said, looking at me straight in the eyes.  And as difficult as it was – and even though I was shaking uncontrollably – I was able to postpone my much-deserved nervous breakdown until later.

Of course, flipping the switch from panic to calm can take some practice. To achieve a strong sense of calmness in your personal or professional life, try some of these tips:

• Let go of the past. Bad feelings from past events or experiences can resurface during trying times, which can lead to anxiety or agitation. Calm people are able to focus their time and energy on the future, not dwell on the past.
• Be patient. When confronted with stressful situations, adrenaline kicks in and sometimes the impulse to rush into rash actions or decisions. Even when faced with the need to act quickly, take a deep breath and be confident that your next move is the correct one.
• Keep a clear head. It’s important to be alert and pay close attention to detail. Staying on your toes and always being aware of what’s going on around you will help create a state of calmness.
• Show courage under fire.  When the pressure is on, it’s your moment to shine. Have confidence in your knowledge and training and let those skills guide you.

Calmness is an essential trait in the workplace, and in every aspect of your life. It helps to create a positive, solace atmosphere and builds trust among everyone around you. Now that’s not to say that at my son’s next basketball game, you won’t see me jumping out of my seat, shouting “shoot it” several dozen times.

In what ways have you seen those around you demonstrate calmness?

Hospital Innovation!

It matters and it’s happening now.

By Jon Headlee, President Ten Adams Today’s hospital CEOs are suffering from a number of significant challenges. Healthcare is stuck in the middle of a revolution that seemingly has no end. According to a recent American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) survey, the top 4 challenges for hospitals in 2011 are: 77% - Financial challenges 53% - Healthcare reform implementation 32% - Governmental mandates 31% - Patient quality & safety What to do? What to do? According to ACHE (and Ten Adams by the way) the answer is to INNOVATE! According to the report, developing a culture of innovation will help hospitals cultivate the visionary leaders and implement the management systems they need to improve the healthcare they provide, and do it more efficiently.   Hospitals need to: Initiate the quest for innovative solutions by establishing empowered R&D teams led by passionate, C-Suite team members. Encourage the adoption of original ideas and insights by fostering an information exchange among all hospital staff, and business experts outside the organization. Establish and encourage new thinking and decision-making processes that enable management to overcome seemingly intractable operational and ethical issues, with the goal of improving quality and cultivating promising healthcare leaders. In other words, hospitals need to foster innovation inside their own 4 walls, amongst their doctors, nurses, administrators and all other personnel.   A culture of innovation will not only help the employees become engaged and more effective in their jobs, but it will also encourage them to be more motivated, efficient, perform at a higher level, and provide patients with better quality of care.  A patient who believes they are receiving the best quality of care and the best value will be a repeat patient for life and a powerful advocate for the organization. In all business, innovation is the catalyst to growth.  Every business needs an innovation engine to generate great ideas that will move the business forward.   Significant innovation creates competitive advantage and it goes without saying that competitive advantage is the life-saver for hospitals in this highly competitive healthcare environment. What is innovation and how can a culture of innovation help hospitals in these tough economic times?  Innovation is the commercial application and successful exploitation of an idea.  In business, this could be: improving or replacing business processes to increase efficiency and productivity developing entirely new and improved products and services to meet rapidly changing consumer demands or needs adding value to existing products, services or markets to differentiate the business from its competitors and increase the perceived value Innovation will help you: improve productivity reduce costs be more competitive build the value of your brand establish new partnerships and relationships increase turnover and improve profitability Want an example of innovation in practice? Take a look at The Innovation Center at Columbus Regional Hospital. For the past several years, Columbus Regional Hospital (CRH) has used innovation as its central growth strategy.  They innovate in everything they do, from delivering medication to patients, to serving drinks in the cafeteria.  Innovation allows them to deliver the best patient care and helps distinguish them from their competition. "When we talk about innovation we mean the process of using new ideas to make something better and solve problems," said Lynne Maguire, Vice President of Planning & Marketing and Chief Strategy Officer. "Sometimes it is to make something new, and sometimes it is to improve an existing process." Maguire is chief strategy officer at the 225-bed Columbus Regional Hospital 50 miles south of Indianapolis, which recently opened an 18,000-square-foot Innovation Center. The goals of the center are considerable: differentiate the organization in the marketplace, enhance staff recruitment and retention, provide better patient outcomes — and serve as a model for other hospitals looking to build their own innovation programs. "Organizations that can rapidly improve, rapidly adopt best practices and rapidly innovate are going to have strategic advantages," Maguire says. The time is NOW to introduce a culture of innovation.  The organizations that embrace this concept will be the hospitals + healthcare systems that guide the healthcare industry into a new dawn of health delivery in the 21st century.

Hospital Branding Webinar:

How to Stand Out in the Sea of Sameness

“Hospital branding” is an important topic today – the center of many discussions among hospital marketing professionals throughout the U.S. With many hospitals merging or consolidating, and the pressure from high operating costs, hospitals need to find and send the message that spells “value” to their prospective patients. Understanding “hospital branding,” how it is defined, how it is accomplished, and what strategies and tactics can be employed to make it work, is a marketing concept that needs some answers. Because this topic is so important, Ten Adams is sponsoring an informative Webinar entitled, Hospital Branding: How To Stand Out In A Sea of Sameness. This free Webinar will be held on Monday, October 10, 2011 for one hour, starting at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time). The Webinar is open to anyone interested in hospital and healthcare marketing. Jon Headlee, President of Ten Adams, said, “Ten Adams is proud to sponsor this upcoming event. We realize how difficult it is today for hospitals to make those all-important branding decisions – to develop their marketing strategy amidst a tough economic climate, where they are forced to deal with increasing regulation and inadequate reimbursement, and despite all of those challenges, trying to figure out how to bring in more patients to boost revenue.” The hospital and healthcare industry have grown and matured to a state where they must make some difficult decisions regarding their branding, in order to compete for future market share. The Webinar is designed to help marketers and administrators understand a variety of branding issues - to see that the hospital brand is so much more than just the logo and tagline, encompassing the entire patient experience. This online training is delivered by a panel of national experts in hospital branding, covering such topics as: What makes a great hospital brand? The importance of delivering a great experience A powerful brand is much more than a name, tagline or logo How brands are built from the inside-out, but sustained from the outside-in Discover how to find your hospital’s key brand differentiator How strong brands drive patient volume and increase revenue How and where your hospital brand is being judged every day Social media’s impact on your hospital’s brand & how to get better at managing it Keeping everyone happy: great brands are sustained by great communication Case studies and anecdotes Speakers at the Webinar include: Jake Wengroff: Global Director, Social Media Strategy & Research, Frost & Sullivan Dan Rogers: CoFounder of Bearings Branding Jon Headlee: President of Ten Adams Guest Hospital Speaker: To be announced shortly The Premiere Sponsor is Ten Adams. Webinar Host: Social Media Training, Inc. and Media Sponsor: Hospital Executive Today. Click here to register: Sign up https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/244860142

Does Teamwork Improve Patient Safety & Quality? Definitely!

by Nancy Daugherty

Teamwork. In hospitals today, improving the quality of patient care and outcomes depends heavily on teamwork and innovation.  Recently, researchers examined whether hospital cultures that focus on optimizing teamwork have better patient safety results. Although cultures varied by hospital, those with cultures that focused on optimizing group/teamwork had significantly higher safety scores compared with more hierarchical/bureaucratic hospital cultures.  The findings suggest that a hospital's cultural is critical to the success of programs designed to improve patient care and outcome quality.   Not only was the group/teamwork culture positively associated with patient safety, team culture also provided greater job satisfaction, perceptions of management, and working conditions. This study was supported by Partnerships in Implementing Patient Safety and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, divisions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  More on this study can be found at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/advptsafety.pdf Can teamwork improve patient safety?  YES!  In fact, patient safety depends on it.  Everyday, teams of professional are making complicated and important decisions regarding a patient’s wellbeing.  These decisions are often made in complex situations that include: Information overload Time pressures Constantly evolving situations Multi-component decisions Severe consequences for errors It is the coordination of all the people working at a hospital, communicating together, that will spell success for the safety of the patient.  It is a well known fact that patient safety is enhanced through interdisciplinary teamwork, but unfortunately, teamwork is not something that just “happens” by putting people together in a business, or a hospital.  Teamwork is often difficult, misunderstood, and occurs too infrequently. Effective teams consist of individuals who work together to achieve a common goal or purpose and who hold themselves accountable for team output.  Teams have compassion for one another, and can anticipate the needs of other members.  Because the needs are expected, it isn’t necessary to communicate them overtly. This “implicit” communication is especially important in situations of high stress and time constraints.  Effective teams are adaptable and work as effectively in regular situations, as in times of crisis.  Teamwork is all about the willingness to cooperate for a common goal. Healthcare professionals are often trained to maintain a “unilateral” approach to working with a patient.   However, changes in how they are trained to view teamwork (valuing the input of others, focusing on the benefits for the patient), will reduce conflict and enhance performance across the board.    It is important to train team members (via demonstration, practice and feedback) and then, they will better understand each others’ roles and build realistic expectations.   All of these skills will enhance patient safety and avoid unnecessary errors. Patient safety is near the top of the list of major challenges facing hospitals today.  Most CEO’s will tell you that “patient safety” consumes a large portion of their day and is something they are constantly reviewing to see what can be done about it.  Patients today analyze hospital safety records in order to determine what hospital they will use, certainly for surgeries and even outpatient procedures and tests.  Because patient safety is vital to the character of a great hospital, teamwork plays an important role in helping the hospital earn that reputation. What examples have you observed of teamwork improving quality of patient care and safety?