How Healthcare Works, LLC

In the early 2000s, the buzz phrase for hospitals and healthcare organizations was "core competencies" or a set of behaviors organizations wanted all staff members to exhibit.  One of those behaviors was "treating others with dignity and respect." To some employees, they wondered the reason that was even a behavioral issue.  They felt that they pursued healthcare careers to preserve the rights, health, and dignity of patients and others.  Unfortunately, that is not the case for everyone. Considerable research has been done regarding treating patients with dignity and respect.  The focus of the research is how care providers can enhance the autonomy of the patient while also caring for the patient.  Calling patients by their preferred names, engaging them as care partners, and not talking to them in sing-song voices as one would a small child, are all measures that have been taken.  However, dignity and respect goes beyond patient care in a healthcare orga...

While some Americans may cry for government to get out of their healthcare, the probability of that occurring is slim to none.  Healthcare is one of the most regulated industries in the United States. The regulations are to protect the health, safety, welfare, quality and cost of healthcare services in this country.  Moreover, close to 18% of the United States' gross domestic product is spent  on health care. Gross domestic product is the total of all goods and services that are made in a country in one year.  That means, in one year, almost $1 out of every $5 is spent on healthcare. The federal government spends over $1 trillion a year on healthcare. As such, politics and healthcare are not a marriage of convenience.  They are a marriage of necessity. Of course, healthcare and politicians are dependent upon the millions of Americans who consume healthcare services every year.  Healthcare organizations can have the best hospitals, the best equipment, the ...

A young adult male, Bob,  rushed up to the desk of the doctor's office.  Bob told the clerk that his dad was there. He knew his dad was there because his mom told him that his dad was sick, so Bob should not plan on coming over for dinner that evening. The young man demanded that the clerk let him see his dad.  He told her that he had a right to know what was going on with his dad.  Bob started getting very irate and told her that she better let him see his dad or he was going to sue the clinic.  The clerk just smiled and told him that was not possible.  She asked his name and said that she would check to see if he could go back to the exam room.  The clerk left for a few moments and came back and told Bob, that no, his father did not want him in the exam room. Bob was furious.  He knew about HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) from his own past experiences with doctors and nurses.  He remembered his parents discussi...

I remember the time I got frostbite like it was yesterday.  I was in junior high.  I had a blue puffer jacket that snapped up the front.  I loved that jacket.  I left the house that morning, and my mom asked me, "Aren't you going to wear a hat?"  I told her I didn't need one.  The truth was that I didn't want to wear my hat. My mom had bought me this really cute knit hat with faux fur around the edge with matching gloves and a matching scarf.  The gloves had faux fur around the cuff, and the scarf was a plain knit scarf.  When I wore the hat to school, the kids on the bus made fun of me and asked me how many rabbits I killed to wear that hat.  I quit wearing the hat. I went to school that morning having convinced myself I didn't really need the hat anyway.  I had heard about frostbite, but I never thought it would happen to me.  I thought it was just something adults used to scare kids into wearing hats and gloves when they didn't w...

My first shot at writing a book was about 11 years ago.  The book was to be titled, "Welcome Home," and its basic premise was that onboarding new staff during the first 90 days should be similar to welcoming guests into your home or community. The first 90 days is crucial to new hires, and to employers as well.  Up to 25% of new hires leave during the first 90 days.  Those hires could have cost healthcare organizations millions of dollars a year.  I contend that like any organization where someone is "new..." a workplace, a church, a community, a school... that it is the organization's responsibility to make the newcomer feel welcome. Let's examine the case of Pauline.  Pauline was hired by a health system to be a clinical researcher.  She had several years experience as a floor nurse, and she wanted to move away from floor nursing.  Her former employer was not able to provide her with opportunities to leave floor nursing, so she accepted the new pos...

My first work from home experience was as a medical transcriptionist.  I initially began the position on site at the hospital. Then, the hospital decided that transcriptionists would be more productive and the hospital would save expenses on overhead if the transcriptionists worked from home.  Their assumptions turned out to be true.  Productivity did increase, and the transcription office was utilized for other purposes.  Even though I am an extrovert, at the time I really enjoyed my work from home experience.  I went to school full time during the day in a traditional university setting, and I worked full time at night.  I was able to do my homework on breaks.  Also, I didn't feel isolated because I had my classmates for my social experience.  Moreover, my coworkers and I had already developed a bond in the office and would get together for coffee or to take walks or to go shopping.  Our department director, furthermore, required the transc...

Some may say to be successful, three legs are needed on their chairs: time, talent and money.  Energy should be added as a fourth leg.  Unfortunately, rather than moving individuals and organizations toward success, bullying hinders success, leadership and growth.  Bullying wastes valuable resources like time, talent, money, and energy. Bullying Wastes Time Time is a valuable resource, and bullying wastes time. Thousands of hours are spent a year on school, community, and business anti-bullying programs.  Teachers, administrators, executives, community leaders, and even Congress spend time every year addressing bullying issues and receiving training to address bullying issues.  Moreover, when bullying does occur, time must be taken to address the issue whether the bullying occurs at a school, in a workplace or in the community.  Investigations, treatments and reprimands take valuable time away from other important activities. Bullying Wastes Talent ...