HR Pulse - Spring 2009 - (Page 24) How to Be An “Always” Leader By Bob Murphy, R.N., Esq., FACHE External pressures are pushing us from being “Sometimes” organizations to being “Always” organizations, and chances are that means moving from being “Sometimes” leaders to “Always” leaders. I t is amazing how much the same we are—how similar are the issues that we face. Right now, whether you are a leader in a hospital or health system, you are facing the realities of financial pressure, competition, quality and service mandates, and labor shortages in critical positions. Leaders know that if we do the same things we are doing now, in five years our results will be less than they are now. Just like when you’re promoted to a new role, the skills that helped you be successful to this point might not be the same ones you need to be successful going forward. What will make for better results? Health care leaders looking to make an impact over the next five years need to become “Always” leaders. A New View of Leadership A recent challenge introduced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is destined to change the way we think about our roles as leaders. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) voluntary survey of patients changes our fundamental language and attitude about leadership. The HCAHPS survey asks patients to rate health care providers on the frequency of how often we do certain things, where previous surveys asked about patient “satisfaction.” Asking how often they saw certain things is very different than asking how satisfied they were with the same things. For example, patients are asked: How often did nurses treat you with courtesy and respect? How often did doctors explain things in a way you could understand? How often were your room and bathroom kept clean? The possible responses are: Never, Sometimes, Usually, and Always. As the results are compiled and published on the CMS Web site, only the percent of Always responses matter. When CMS uses the data in its calculation for reimbursement, they will likely use the percent of Always to reward high-performing organizations. These external pressures are pushing us from being Sometimes organizations to being Always organizations, and chances are that means moving from being Sometimes leaders to Always leaders. 24 HR Pulse Spring 2009
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