How to play healthcare stakeholder jenga

Efficiency is a word that makes me flush a little. 

People often think efficiency is just driven by doing things faster and cheaper. That’s not wrong, but unfortunately, it’s not enough to be a Six Sigma black belt (I’m not, for the record). I used to think that implementing good systems, procedures, and oversight would solve most efficiency problems. However, with a decade of experience supporting teams as an operational leader, my philosophy has changed. I now believe that job satisfaction is one of the most important factors in supporting efficiency and results. 
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This is not a novel idea.

Plenty of research shows that job satisfaction is an important factor in driving quality and efficiency in service roles like healthcare and customer service. Low job satisfaction decreases efficiency, while autonomy and empowerment drive better efficiency, outcomes, and lower turnover - regardless of the business type.  My experience managing sales, advisory services, and customer service teams corroborates this research. 
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In healthcare, where care delivery often operates in a B2B2C model, neglecting the needs of clinicians delivering the service not only reduces positive clinical outcomes and experience for patients, but also results in slower contract growth, fewer referrals, and lower growth capacity. We often think about the patient as the primary stakeholder in a clinical setting - and they’re VIPs, don’t get me wrong. But the patient experience has just as much to do with the service itself as it does with the product, clinical program, and outcomes. Essentially, meeting the needs of the providers, while often seen as secondary to meeting those of the patient, has a foundational impact on the health of patients and the growth of the business. 

What we need to make sure we focus on is the side of the clinician who wants to be part of the team, work at the top of their license, and help people feel better. People are unlikely to deliver quality care if they don’t feel cared for themselves. 

This looks like...

• Supporting clinical education and continuous learning
• Building a community among clinicians for sharing best practices and problem-solving
• Limiting administrative work
• Reducing friction in the care team process and technology
• Appreciation and celebration 

Until “bedside manner and customer service best practices” is a class offered in medical school, I’d advocate for tech-enabled services professionals - largely in PDE and Clinical Operations - focusing on making clinicians’ experiences delightful and keeping them happy.

More reading: https://www.careops.org/post/careex-enhancing-clinical-experience-for-higher-productivity 
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