By: Craig Allan Ahrens
The Business of Healthcare
A talk show and discussion forum dedicated to the strategic issues impacting the business of healthcare

As most of you know, I have been engaged in an interim executive "turn around" project for a major health system. During the process of getting into the operational details and day to day management, I realized how much I owe my fellowship mentor, David Olson, CEO, FACHE.

He is going to be embarrassed, but he deserves my gratitude and recognition for taking an arrogant raw graduate student and instilling in him a since of duty to the profession and knowledge about how hospital operations really works. The things I learned from him seem basic to me today, but were profound to me as a Fellow. He taught me the following:

- Physicians drive healthcare and are your clients. Listen to them and make them happy, but don't forget the ultimate customer, the patient and the community. When physician versus patient/community needs conflict, side with the patient/community always. In the long run, the organization willl succeed with this simple formula.

- Nothing determines the success of an organization more than hiring the right people and letting them do their job.

- Let people do their job, but let them know that they are being held accountable through measurements. Tie their measurements to incentives.

- Create connections with knowledgeable colleagues from across the country who share your healthcare passion. Through this not only will you have good friends, but there is strength in numbers to make a positive change in the industry.

- "Make Haste Slowly". Most things are not things that need to be addressed today. Prioritization is key to success. Sometimes in our hurry, we do not look at all the details and miss something.

- "Be Decisive". One of the most difficult things is to make a decision. You will never have all the information necessary usually to make sure that you have the right answer. You have to make a decision balancing your judgement, data, and the timing necessary to succeed.

- "Be Fair, Not Everyone's Friend". It is impossible to be everyone's friend, when you have to make difficult decisions concerning resource allocation, budgets, etc. Remember, your duty to the health of the organization is first and not to friends. Explain decisions, but do not justify.

Thank you David. I utilize these concepts on every engagement I have and thus far they have helped me succeed.

It is a new year with ambitious personal goals. As most of you are aware, I am completely redesigning the www.thebusinessofhealthcare.com website and related podcasts by the first quarter of this year and that is why you have not seen new podcasts posted. I apologize, but I want to migrate all the podcasts to the new site and I hope that this doesn't impact the loyalty of my listeners. The wait will be worth it with new services, material, and innovative programming!

You can listen to the previous podcasts on my website or on Itunes!

A podcast is up on the "The Business of Healthcare" website or on the Itunes store under the Business of Healthcare. Our last guest was Parveen Chand, who is a facilities and business development planning executive for BJC Health System's Barnes Jewish St. Peter's hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. We discussed their innovative approach to facilities planning and budgeting.

If any of you have any ideas, people, or topics that you think that would be interesting for the "The Business of Healthcare" podcast, please email me at info@thebusinessofhealthcare.com.

Thank you.

If you have Itunes on your computer, click here
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Most recent podcasts:
Show 8: Healthcare Facility Planning and Strategy - A New Approach
Show 7: Roundtable Discussion with Three Healthcare Leaders: Strategic Issues - A Midwest, East Coast and West Coast Perspective
Show 6: Service Line Success and the Strategic Impact of the Rebasing of DRGs
Show 5: Orthopedic Service Line Planning
Show 4: Neurosciences Planning for Healthcare Institutions
Show 3: Human Resources as the Critical Hospital Strategic Partner?
Show 2:Patient Satisfaction and Customer Service as a Hospital's Strategic Priority
Show 1: Surviving and Thriving as an Independent Hospital in a Competitive Market

Mr. Ahrens is a healthcare strategy consultant at ECG Healthcare's Midwest office with expertise in general hospital strategic planning, operational turn-arounds, physician business development, and service line planning. You can reach him at info@thebusinessofhealthcare.com.