Never heard of us? Chances are you haven't, since this site was turned on only last week! Hospitalimpact.org was started on March 25, 2005 in Chicago by Tony Chen. We're only 6 days old and it's already been a whirlwind of a time!

Hospitalimpact.org is the first and only healthcare blog dedicated for current and emerging hospital leaders, thinkers, and enablers. The vision is simple - to answer this question:

what will it take for hospitals to be the best run organizations on the face of the planet?

We'll do that from 4 different angles using 4 different blogs. First, get some fresh perspectives on why hospitals are so important. Hospitals are worth fightin' for. If we forget that, we are done. Then, find leadership insights drawn from leaders, thinkers, and organizations inside (and especially outside) of healthcare. And since we don't need to reinvent the wheel, link up to commentary on my favorite resources, books, and websites. Also keep an eye out on the scoop on hospitals. News you can use that signals new trends and opens up new strategies. Of course, you can look at it all together, too.

Also, occasionally, check out the about blog, where I make observations on healthcare blogging, my life as a hospital blogger, and other random things that come up.

Feel free to email me with questions, comments, ideas, tips, issues to be addressed, anything at tony[at]hospitalimpact[dot]org

Hope you enjoy the ride!

what will it take for hospitals to be the best run organizations on the face of the planet?

that is the question that I can't seem to let go.

these past few days have been quite humbling, I've realized how hopelessly clueless I am about putting up a presentable webpage. At times, I've felt like this dog - I can envision what I want, but I can't get there cuz I'm fenced in by my lack of web prowess.

I couldn't have done it without the forum communities of the blogging software I'm using. which actually brings me to one of the main purposes of this blog: to learn from each other. If each hospital could take the best of their knowledge and transfer it to all the others, and if hospitals could learn from the best run companies in the world, maybe hospitals could become the best run organizations on the face of the planet. that is the single-minded intention of this blog.

In the leadership section, I hope to explore topics like maximizing patient satisfaction, quantum leaps in hospital management, org culture, improving financial performance, strategic planning, influencing others, etc... by learning from other hospitals, other thinkers, other organizations. The most interesting part may very well be taking the lessons of the likes of Apple, Wal-Mart, and Southwest Airlines, and applying it to a hospital. My wife always laughs at me when we sit down at a restaurant and I "size up" the operations, branding, and competitive environment. "this is a perfectly positioned restaurant for this location," I say smugly. a little geeky? oh, yeah! I admit it. But it comes from a conviction that people (esp. leaders) have to take substantial time to think hard, process, and digest (not just learn or understand) information to really make an impact. We are a generation of news junkies and information junkies - too many have lost the ability to think original thoughts and to make the creative linkages between seemingly unrelated information.

the perspectives section aims for the same target, but goes at it from a different tact. Hospitals will never be the best run organizations on the face of the planet unless it employs the best, most motivated, most inspired, and most inspiring leaders on the face of the planet. (some hospital leaders I've met already fit this bill) Part of that is taking some time to gain perspective about why hospitals are so important, beautiful, and crucial - for individual lives as well as our society as a whole. If we forget why hospitals are worth fighting for, then we are lost.

the about section is more about this blog and about me. Blogging is a relatively new phenomenom and there is a lot to be said (and a lot for me to learn) about what makes a good blog.

the links section links you to my favorite websites, books, and resources. and the scoop section is noteworthy news. These sections are purposely focused (instead of comprehensive) and digestable. The problem in hospital management issues isn't the lack of information, it's that the information is too fragmented, too voluminous, and too disorganized to be useful. So this will be my humble attempt to prioritize, categorize, and connect.

Hope you enjoy the ride!

I'd love to hear from you! Email me with questions, comments, ideas, tips, items you want to see addressed at tony@hospitalimpact.org

the hospital I grew up with: Montgomery County Hospital, Blacksburg, VA. Back then, the building looked like a box - it didn't have that fancy semi-circle architecture. Of course, back then, it wasn't an HCA hospital.

much has already been written on the hospital's role in growing an economy, advancing society, providing peace of mind to a nation, etc. On a large scale level, all that is true. But on an individual level, hospitals are even more significant. it's hard to imagine life without hospitals. many of the most important moments of my life have happened in hospitals. new life... and new death... some of the greatest joys and sorrows, the darkest and happiest moments in life happen in the anonymous halls of our hospitals. People never leave hospitals unchanged - they are healed, fixed, broken, full of hope, fearful, relieved. somewhere between filling out the registration form and thanking the doctor, people's perspective on life changes, even if just for a moment. Our bodies are so resilient, yet so fragile. Our lives are so short, yet so precious.

strong leaders build strong organizations, and hospitals are no exception. there are some strong leaders in healthcare. unfortunately, the stereotype of hospital leaders is that they are the bad guys, the paper-pushing bureaucrats saying "no" to doctors and needy patients. More often than not, that's just not true. Most of the hospital leaders I've met have a passion for caring for patients. They might not wear stethoscopes around their neck. no, their tools to improve patient care are organizational behavior, leadership development, revenue cycle, and change management. maybe not as cool, but increasingly crucial. to be sure, they are businesspeople, yes, but their business is caring - making sure their hospitals are managed in a way to serve (and even delight) the patient. They do this while regulations change almost daily, payments from the government are erratic, billions of dollars of free care is administered unnoticed each year, and consumer groups bamboozle on their reputations. it's a thankless, complex, misunderstood, tough, and somewhat paradoxical job - they're driven by passion and profits. mission and margin.

if you are a hospital leader / thinker / enabler, this blog is for you. It'll all boil down to one simple question:

what would it take for hospitals to be the best run organizations on the face of the planet?

That is the question that I can't seem to let go. So, whether it's HIPAA, revenue cycle, quality, leadership, or whatever, I'm going on a journey to find some answers. and I have a feeling that some of those answers will come from unusual sources and unexpected places. Hope you enjoy the ride.