In identifying the most effective strategy-based roadmaps for healthcare relies on several factors including patient and employee preferences, stakeholders level of participation, and the mission of your organization. The diverse range of views in organizations with a multi-cultural team and patient base may lead to questions concerning the goals of patient care. The best practices include the standardization of healthcare processes to ensure fair and effective care for all. The adoption of SMART goals standardizes goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound. The implementation of SMART goals accentuates the value of patient-centered care. Additionally, SMART goals provide each key player with a level of commitment to their role in the quality of care they provide their patients while allowing for fair benchmarking.
Quality measures can be analyzed through patient surveys and other feedback tools. For example, the ‘Lean Six-Sigma’ is a methodology used to reduce waste while improving the quality of care. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) seeks to improve processes and outcomes through data-driven analyses. There are countless quality measures to consider in all professions and individual departments, so it is important to identify the gaps which exist in your organization to seek viable solutions. Selecting the right quality measure is crucial to utilizing time and resources appropriately. For example, you may find overlapping processes GAP and SWOT analysis provides a more comprehensive look into an organization’s position.
A balanced approach of providing quality patient care while considering the financial position of an organization is a tricky one and difficult to manage. Organizations often lack funding needed to implement the quality measures needed to improve the quality and accessibility of care. If we approach balance in phases, we can spot the critical areas of concern. The critical 5 principles of the ‘balanced scorecard’ include the ability to translate the strategy into operational terms, align strategies with interoperability measures, provide consistent budget analysis, have effective teamwork, and to adapt to change. I cannot say enough about teamwork, because employee engagement and the morale of the team will dictate much of how we deliver care daily. The long-term success of an organization lies within its ability to drive innovation to welcome and adapt to change. A receptiveness to change is a valuable skill in maintaining a competitive edge while creating opportunities for growth and improvement.
My experience in healthcare has been interesting in witnessing how people appear comfortable in their “own roles” and often refer to something “not being their responsibility” when asked to help in an area unfamiliar to them. I have learned through experience as a team we can be too overqualified or underqualified to help one another out. The segregation of team players based on hierarchy is divisive and does not foster an environment for providing quality care. Often people who have the mindset where they only perform functions defined under their role lack the interpersonal skills and ability to see the big picture. Over the years I have witnessed team players who lacked the ability to share the passion of our organization and while difficult, it is acceptable to cut ties with employees who lack the work ethic, attitude, and values needed to provide quality care. This has been very difficult in dentistry because workers are limited so negative attitudes and subpar performance have been excused.