Added September 12, 2019

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

Creating Healthy Culture

Let’s ask the question, why is it important to have a healthy organization culture? The best answer is that a good corporate culture drives company performance, even within Healthcare.

And when we think of a successful team leader within an organization, our minds tend to conjure up some superhuman with extraordinary persuasive abilities and titles streaming from their name. The truth is, to be an agent of change requires anyone within the organization to see where improvement is needed and to care enough to actively present the information in an educated, persuasive way to encourage dialogue and the sharing of ideas and then be a part of the implementation of protocols within change. This can be initiated at grass root.
Scanning the culture. Every organization is unique in their needs.

Culture Scanning

Scanning the culture is a critical key component in discerning ‘temperature and pulse,’ meaning, to develop an intrinsic comprehension of the medical corporate culture which then potentially drives up performance.
While there is a vast difference between private sectors and government, what they both have in common is the aim to create, a culture which is supportive of positivity and improving practitioner/patient support. As new innovations are integrated into current operating systems, this will lead to better job satisfaction and patient health outcomes; which in turn translates into greater economic gains and happier patients, improving overall workplace statistics.
Within the healthcare where patients’ health and even lives are continuously on the line, the benefits of a positive atmosphere within the workplace culture cannot be overstated. To create a cohesive healthcare team and mutual respect in the medical arena often requires a different approach than might be used for an office-based team or a small business. Typically, what is needed is to have a shared vision teamed with clear strong communication and to have commitment around the table. Focus groups and knowing the status of current programs in play is a great place to begin discerning for ‘temperature’ or in other words, the values, mission and vision.

Phases Within Change

There are a number of ways to make transitions from one protocol to another efficient and seamless. There are a lot of changes taking place within healthcare as organizations implement quality and value based healthcare vs fee for service; new effective technologies are being developed for primary care and hospitals all around the country.
We can all agree that the healthcare industry is in a state of constant movement and very few people like change, especially the sickest of patients, namely multimorbidity and chronic psychiatric. So how can we create positive change within our care practices with as little discomfort and as much cohesion as possible?

• Communication is absolutely the most important part of a corporate upgrade culture plan and is the #1 key within healthcare. Overcoming the team communication gap enables the administration, physicians and care team to not only know what the cultural goals are, but also why change matters and how it will benefit the whole.

•Teamwork is essential to encouraging professional togetherness and developing an environment of trust. Opening the door to encourage teamwork can be begin with practitioner questionnaires, targeted focus groups, and discussing the status of current programs but it can also be a matter of simple collaboration.

• Recognition of the hardest workers their viewpoints are integral. Who are the key players? Who are the providers that the organization most depends upon? Regular expression of appreciation for a job well done instils a work culture of respect, while at the same time motivating care teams to strive for excellence. Care providers who feel that they are undervalued, unsupported or unnoticed are less likely to perform to the best of their abilities, which can become a drain on organizational energy, expenses and flow. Allow providers to have some jurisdiction and voice towards the desired outcome. When people are involved in the change effort, they are more likely to join in, rather than resist. This is why it is critical to get employee buy in at all levels in the planning and implementation of a new protocol or patient healthcare program.

• Patient Service and Satisfaction should always be emphasized as part of an organizations culture, particularly in healthcare. “Patient experience is at the heart of healthcare,” said Jason Wolf , president of the Beryl Institute and founder and president of the Patient Experience Institute. “This idea of consumerism makes technology important, but technology for the sake of technology is the demise of it,” he said. “When it’s purposeful, it becomes a wellness tool, a mean by which we can reduce readmission and give people greater ownership over their care.” As we tie together teamwork, recognition, technological advances and training in ways that support the best possible outcome for the patient, then we are proactive instead of reactive.

Belief into Action

“In Plato’s Theaetetus , knowledge is defined as the intersection of truth and belief, where knowledge cannot be claimed if something is true but not believed or believed but not true.”
It is no surprise when it comes to healthcare, that organizations, providers and patients can feel overwhelmed. The uniqueness of each patient case is complicated especially within multiple chronic conditions coupled with psychiatric illness; these factors intensify the result of positive to negative health outcomes. There are also numerous other factors to consider and legal requirements to fulfil in order to construct and maintain an effective, continuous quality based improvement program with sustained positive health outcomes and patient satisfaction. No wonder this is a tall order to fill and cannot be accomplish by one gifted individual but requires collectively working as a team.
When it comes to turning belief into action, does your organization have buy in or understanding and commitment to do what is asked of them? (truth and belief)
Will acting not only improve the care of patients but also greatly benefit the organization?
Does everyone have the training and resources to act? If not, what will it take to achieve that synergy?
Here is a partial list of factors addressed by CareAdopt Remote Technology that will enable the success an organization, provide knowledge and expertise for empowering a synergistic team and initiate a highly effective, supported quality-based improvement program.

CareAdopt addresses…
• The Problem
• The Goal
• The Aim
• The Measures
• Analytics
• Care Management
• Adoption
• Financial Alignment

As healthcare professionals, we enter into the field because we care about people and we desire to give our hands to the bettering of patient health and experiences while also striving to make care affordable for everyone. It takes consistency to keep the above factors in mind: CareAdopt makes sure every quality improvement goal links back into improving the health of high risk populations, reducing the time and cost of healthcare. As we focus on care management collaboration and sustainability, medical organizations will do more than just provide better care—they will undoubtedly move the healthcare industry into one solely dedicated to quality and equity.