NFMGMA March 2016 Educational Session
CULTURE – It’s Not Just in a Petri Dish Anymore!
And
OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT – What Does it Really Take? Is it Even Really Possible?
Ken Hertz, FACMPE – Principal, MGMA Health Care Consulting Group
What’s better than winning the lottery? Winning the lottery twice! Well, pack your bags folks we’re getting a 2 for 1 at this month’s North Fulton MGMA meeting. Ken Hertz from the MGMA is going to be doing a double presentation on ‘Culture’ and ‘Operational Improvement.’
Part 1: Culture
We’ve all heard about how important culture is in an organization but how many of us really understand what that looks like, what it does for the employees that work there and the ultimate success of the company?
In the first part of his presentation, Ken is going to dive in to what culture is and what culture is not. This is incredibly important today in healthcare because the industry is undergoing significant change. Having the right culture in place can either help to propel a practice forward or, if the wrong or ‘defective’ culture is present, it can undermine everything.
In a lot of ways culture is shaped by your organization’s vision. Do you know what your practice’s vision is? If you don’t then it’s going to be difficult to tackle culture change. It’s not easy and it takes time. Ken suggests that you invest the time to learn what your culture is right now and evaluate the practice’s vision. Is it clear, inspirational, and well known to the entire organization? If not, communicate the vision and core values to your organization and you’ll start to develop the culture you want it to be.
For a great example of a company that understand culture and the power of visioning, take a look at Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Part 2: Operational Improvement
In part two, Ken will be talking about the importance of constantly improving operational performance at each and every level.
No one knows better than Practice Managers that operating margins are getting smaller and patient expectations are getting higher. The practice that strikes a fine balance between operating efficiently and effectively and offers the highest levels of patient care with the best outcomes will be the one that will thrive. Operational improvement is more important now than ever.
Some of the things you’ll learn from Ken are:
- Benchmarking is a key tool in achieving operational improvement
- How to use internal and external benchmarking to identify best practices and performance standards
- Become a learning organization – constantly learning and improving will set you apart
- Recognize and instill in your organization that operational improvement never ends
After part two, Ken hopes that you’ll start benchmarking and consider bringing together teams to evaluate what works and what doesn’t. Also, consider LEAN as a tool to help with this.
We’re not a shy group so ask questions during the meeting and get the most out of Ken’s knowledge while he’s with us. There’s also a ton of great information about this up at MGMA so leverage our national association, too.
I’m excited to hear about both these topics so don’t miss out. Register today at the North Fulton MGMA and share this with your peers and colleagues and invite them to join us. It’s not quite like winning the lottery but remember we do have door prizes so you could get lucky!
