Now that I am really working in the hospital setting, I have to admit - I have been thinking more about what this blog should be about.

I'm definitely not one of those bloggers that lays it all out there for everyone to see. But I also think that authenticity, rawness, and political incorrectness is exactly what makes blogging valuable. Add on top of that the fact that my role includes taking advantage of market trends and thinking competitively, especially in the Chicagoland market.

So, I want to continue to share my musings about healthcare trends and think more deeply about how hospitals should respond. Are we entering into a new era where the very nature of hospitals will be changing? Will it be good enough to simply provide world class "healthcare services?" Yet, for competitive and common sense reasons, my hospital role will force me to apply a filter for my blogging.

Since Timothy has been born almost two weeks ago, the break from blogging has definitely refreshed me. Although I love being immersed in healthcare news every day, I've noticed that these past two weeks has given me a chance to step back a little bit. Amazing how quickly some "news" just fades away into triviality and how truly important and strategic things can be hidden from day-to-day perspective. I'm still looking for that balance of info intake & info digestion.

I'm also looking for that balance of how to juggle a new job, a new child, a new townhome, community/church responsibilities, and blogging. Though I'm not sure what it'll look like yet, Hospital Impact will have to evolve. Geesh, props to all those who've been blogging for so long!

After a short delay, I finally got to attend new employee orientation at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. In many ways, the day went exactly like I thought it would:
- Out of 60 new employees, ~50 of them were nurses, many of whom were fresh graduates. I was one of 5 guys there.
- No other new employees were from administration
- We talked about good hand hygiene
- We talked about values
- We got a $4 lunch voucher
- I was overwhelmed with all the benefits information

What I didn't expect (and was pleasantly surprised with):
- Mark Neaman, ENH's CEO/President made a personal appearance to welcome us and pump us up a little.
- We had a great presentation from the performance improvement department. They challenged us to look at our jobs & our organization with our precious "newbie" eyes and to take the initiative to provide feedback.
- The session was designed for some good interaction amongst us new employees - a few games, contests, etc. I didn't think they would bother as almost none of us will be working together. But you never know.

Now it's time again to select medical/ dental/ pharma/ vision/ 403b/ insurance plans.

Well, this was supposed to be my first week working at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare as their new Director, Business Development. On Sunday night, I was getting all ready to attend their new employee orientation on Monday morning.

The only problem was that this little guy had other plans.

Monday morning around 2:30AM the bag of water was officially "unzipped," preventing me from going to work. Instead, I traded my hospital administrator role in to be a patient. Timothy Chen was born June 12, 2006 at 11:45PM. Our first child. 6 lbs.

And given that my wife is an OB-GYN, it was extra special/funny/weird/great to be an OB patient. Just imagine your boss delivering your baby, only that it's completely no big deal.

I'll be taking some time to get used to my new role - both at home and at work. I'll continue to blog, but probably a bit less. Any and all parenting advice is welcome!

I had to skip out on my 1st day of work at the hospital today... nonetheless, I am in the hospital playing the role of a happy patient's spouse today! more later...

Well, this will be my last week at HFMA. I'll work through Wednesday, have Thursday and Friday to take a short breather. Then, on Monday, I'll be at Evanston Hospital for new employee orientation.

Out of 10-12 bosses I've had in my career, I think the best two I've had were here at HFMA. Picture the best boss you ever had - how would you describe them? I'd be willing to bet that they were both nurturing AND demanding.

And speaking of nurturing and demanding, I also don't think I've ever worked in a place with a better working environment - high importance on both relationships and results. It probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but I think a great culture is one of those elusive benefits that I will only appreciate more and more as time passes.

Anyway, blogging at hospital impact will probably be light this week as there is still quite a lot to do to wrap things up well. I'll also be preparing to speak at the PCMA Chicago Chapter meeting on Business Analysis.

Check it out at The Medical Blog Network.

also, check out the interesting comments on my "best" hospitals post.