In hospital and health systems' strategic planning, it's critical for physicians to be at the table — but this may be easier said than done. Here are nine questions to ask to identify communication roadblocks that hinder strategy, according to the Advisory Board Company.
Barriers preventing physicians from being involved in organizational strategy are likely linked to one of three categories: resistance among administrators, a lack of effective forums and physicians' time constraints. This survey is designed to help leaders assess which roadblocks are hampering physician involvement in strategy the most.
Answering "yes" to more than one of these questions in any one category suggests a barrier between executives and physicians at a hospital or health system that merits targeted action, according to Advisory Board Company.
Institutional resistance
1. Does your organization struggle to recruit or retain physician leaders?
2. Do executives or physicians ever describe each other as "us" and "them"?
3. Are you unable to identify three recent key decisions where your executive team deferred to physicians on matters beyond clinical practice or issues directly affecting physicians?
Lack of effective forums
4. Does most of the feedback your administration receives come from a handful of vocal physicians?
5. Does your organization have a number of low-traffic or abandoned physician communication channels?
6. Is physician governance still focused on clinical and practice management issues?
Time constraints
7. Do physicians routinely fail to show up to meetings or respond to communication from hospital leadership?
8. Do key decision makers rarely participate in or respond to feedback from existing physician forums?
9. Does your executive team primarily rely on in-person meetings to ask for input from physicians?
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