Here are three tips for success at a small hospital.
1. Devise a strategic plan. Once you've gathered a great deal of information about the needs of the community, develop a strategic plan for enhancing or implementing needed services. "Every hospital needs to have a very thorough and thoughtful strategic plan that examines the environmental factors that a hospital might be facing in any given market," says Mickey Bilbrey, vice president of Eastern operations for Quorum Health Resources (QHR). "Listen to the medical staff and professionals because they know what is sustainable from a clinical and financial standpoint."
Hospital executives should listen to the medical staff and their community members to assess what services are needed most at the hospital. "Talking and listening with the medical staff is important because they work with patients from the community every day," says Mr. Bilbrey. "Also, listen to board members because they are out there in the community and they can be a voice of what they are hearing." To best collect this information, create a forum for the community to easily interact with the hospital.
2. Keep employees engaged. Employee engagement is an important aspect of employee satisfaction and low turnover rates. Several factors can spark malcontent among the employees that require delicate HR handling. In some cases, as was mentioned in the previous point, the central administration can cause stressors on the employees that need fixing. In other cases, department heads or managers may lack the necessary leadership skills to keep their employees happy, even if they are brilliant medical professionals.
"When appointing our department heads, we look at individuals who have outstanding clinical skills and patient satisfaction, but these people aren't always good managers," says Alex Rintoul, CEO of Medical Center of Elizabeth Place in Dayton, Ohio, who outsources many HR services to MedHQ. "When I see a manager who has rusty leadership skills, I ask our HR professional to speak with the manager about meeting employee needs and keeping their department engaged."
3. Work with a good BPO. When deciding on a Business Process Outsourcer, it's important to understand the strength of each company's balance sheet and compare their performance to others in the industry, according to a report from National Patient Account Services.
Here are four other important aspects of a good BPO include:
1. A focus on healthcare entities—not all industries are the same and companies focused on healthcare can help hospitals with their unique needs.
2. Early-out services—the company should be able to work accounts during the first 90 days after discharge at a reduced rate, according to the report.
3. Use state-of-the-art technology—success is incumbent on the ability to employ modern technology for increased efficiency.
4. Recorded calls—recording calls allows you to review work done by your BPO and examine customer complaints.
1. Devise a strategic plan. Once you've gathered a great deal of information about the needs of the community, develop a strategic plan for enhancing or implementing needed services. "Every hospital needs to have a very thorough and thoughtful strategic plan that examines the environmental factors that a hospital might be facing in any given market," says Mickey Bilbrey, vice president of Eastern operations for Quorum Health Resources (QHR). "Listen to the medical staff and professionals because they know what is sustainable from a clinical and financial standpoint."
Hospital executives should listen to the medical staff and their community members to assess what services are needed most at the hospital. "Talking and listening with the medical staff is important because they work with patients from the community every day," says Mr. Bilbrey. "Also, listen to board members because they are out there in the community and they can be a voice of what they are hearing." To best collect this information, create a forum for the community to easily interact with the hospital.
2. Keep employees engaged. Employee engagement is an important aspect of employee satisfaction and low turnover rates. Several factors can spark malcontent among the employees that require delicate HR handling. In some cases, as was mentioned in the previous point, the central administration can cause stressors on the employees that need fixing. In other cases, department heads or managers may lack the necessary leadership skills to keep their employees happy, even if they are brilliant medical professionals.
"When appointing our department heads, we look at individuals who have outstanding clinical skills and patient satisfaction, but these people aren't always good managers," says Alex Rintoul, CEO of Medical Center of Elizabeth Place in Dayton, Ohio, who outsources many HR services to MedHQ. "When I see a manager who has rusty leadership skills, I ask our HR professional to speak with the manager about meeting employee needs and keeping their department engaged."
3. Work with a good BPO. When deciding on a Business Process Outsourcer, it's important to understand the strength of each company's balance sheet and compare their performance to others in the industry, according to a report from National Patient Account Services.
Here are four other important aspects of a good BPO include:
1. A focus on healthcare entities—not all industries are the same and companies focused on healthcare can help hospitals with their unique needs.
2. Early-out services—the company should be able to work accounts during the first 90 days after discharge at a reduced rate, according to the report.
3. Use state-of-the-art technology—success is incumbent on the ability to employ modern technology for increased efficiency.
4. Recorded calls—recording calls allows you to review work done by your BPO and examine customer complaints.