Healthcare Advancement Initiative

Tony Kubica, MBA, has served in both hospital administration and consulting roles. He helps clients navigate transitions and accelerate results. kubicalaforestconsulting.com

Bob Davis, MS, FHIMSS, has served healthcare since 1960 with emphasis on operations process redesign and performance management. www.4rda.com

Rob Betka, MHSA, FACHE, has strong performance improvement, business process reengineering and change management experience. www.catalystadvise.com

Sharon Cox, RN, MS, has rich nursing administrative, consulting and training experience. She has co-authored 2 books for nurse managers. www.esharoncox.com

Sara LaForest, MA, has specialized in leadership strategy, organizational development, corporate training and performance coaching. kubicalaforestconsulting.com

Jennifer Way, BS, is a human capital management consultant with global recruiting, training, and coaching experience. www.waysolutions.com

Denise Reeser, MBA, Senior Member HIMSS, has specialized in healthcare since 1979. Her expertise includes health IT, health information exchange strategic and tactical planning, IT systems evaluation and selection and systems pre-implementation and implementation.

• Are your financials trending to red due to tighter reimbursements and shrinking endowments?
• Has your executive team achieved consensus on a strategic vision for the organization, and developed action plans for achieving organizational objectives?
• How many of the "mission critical" indicators on your balanced scorecard / dashboard have improved this year? Which are lagging?
• Are improvement initiatives on schedule?
• Are you confident that you have the operational strategies to be strong financially?
• Are your managers taking ownership for their performance?
• Do sabotaging behaviors threaten to derail your current strategies?
• How well do you transition your employees into leadership roles within your organization?
• Is your organization considering participating in a health information exchange (HIE)?
• Are your enterprise information systems utilized to their fullest? Do they meet interoperability standards?

Problem: The President of a community hospital asked for support in implementing the organization’s strategic vision

Solution: Worked with an executive team in a healthcare organization to achieve consensus on a strategic vision for the organization, and to develop action plans and personal accountability for achieving organizational objectives

Problem: An academic medical center faced default on bonds due to poor financial performance

Solution: Conducted a comprehensive operational assessment and created improvement plans. Improved processes for ED and Patient Throughput. Redesigned organizational structure to reduce layers, improve decision making and communication. Developed productivity targets, a revitalized monitoring system, and management action plans. Results were $10 million in EBITA improvements.

Problem: Midsize rural hospital losing money due to obsolete management practices, weak financial systems, and difficult demographics

Solution: Partnered with senior management to assess performance and roadblocks. Set one and two year productivity targets. Developed cross-functional process improvements and internal performance management tools then monitored progress. Sustained gains are resulting in +2.5% bottom line.

Problem: A community medical center was planning for an advanced clinical information system; wanted to identify improvements in core clinical processes that could be enabled by new technology

Solution: Created process models and, working collaboratively with clinical managers, identified productivity and work flow improvements the new IT system would support. Documented cost, quality, safety and efficiency benefits within blueprint for design, selection and implementation of the system

Problem: Large teaching hospital needed capital for facilities and clinical equipment

Solution: Implemented supply chain strategies in concert with physician leaders for value analysis, inventory reduction and clinical resource management which freed up $4.4 million the first year and on track for $9M three year goal.

Problem: The senior team of a tertiary care center struggled with declining staff satisfaction scores, high turnover in middle manager positions, and "turf wars" impeding important change efforts.

Solution: Management training for both new and seasoned managers brought the middle layer in the organization together using consistent management approaches and guiding principles while also fostering horizontal relationship building. Over the next two years the peer group improved staff satisfaction scores, reduced manager turnover, saved over $1,000,000 and developed an award-winning system for dealing with low performers.

Problem: The President of a community hospital was in need of health information technology strategic planning to position his organization more competitively and capitalize on the ARRA funding.

Solution: Worked with the identified stakeholders in the hospital to develop a strategic and operational HIT plan that addressed the resolution of existing IT deficiencies and future needs based on today's Meaningful Use and other HIE related requirements.

• Are you satisfied with the results of your performance improvement initiatives?
• Are you confident in the operational and strategic capabilities of your managers?
• Have recent information technology investments yielded the expected ROI? Did you identify improvements in core clinical processes that could be enabled by the new technology?
• Has your staff recommended at least two innovative recruiting tactics for scarce skills in the last three years?
• Is your organization positioned to maximize the benefits that can be potentially afforded to it as a result of diligent and cost-effective health information technology and information exchange strategic and operational planning?