Benchmarks Project Description
- 1. IA2 (a): Benchmarks Developmental Plan (Approximately ½ page) Submit to Patreece Thompson pthompson@treececonsulting.com and Brian Pelowski Brian.Pelowski@DrexelMed.edu Please follow the format below when submitting your report Name: Carlayne E. Jackson, MD Institution: University of Texas Health Science Center ELAM program year: 2008-2009 Developmental areas selected (Select no more than two areas): Leading Employees Balancing Personal Life and Work Participative Management Resourcefulness x Change Management Compassion and Sensitivity Self-awareness Being a quick study Confronting Problem Employees Doing Whatever it Takes Putting People at Ease Building and Mending Relationships Straightforwardness and Composure Differences Matter Career Self-Management Decisiveness How I reported my results to my raters: I wrote a note on my ELAM stationary to everyone who was invited to complete the Benchmark survey. I thanked them for taking the
- 2. time to complete the survey and encouraged them to continue to provide me feedback. In some cases, I summarized what had been identified as my weaknesses, and told them I would be developing a project to address these. Successes and accomplishments: I have developed a Quality Management plan for our practice plan, UT Medicine, and initiated a new task force on Quality Improvement to oversee these activities. I currently chair the Clinical Operations Working Group which has been working for the past 6 months on ways to change the culture of our clinical practice to a more “patient centric” mentality. Some of the activities that we have already implemented include: 1. FISH training for the staff (based on Seattle Fish Market experience); 2. “Blue Ribbon Inspections” in which we assess physician, staff and patient related issues and score each clinic on a variety of metrics; 3. “Mystery Caller” program in which our staff call each other with a variety of questions and score the staff answering the phone; 4. Clinical Operations meetings presented to the staff over lunch. Challenges: UT Medicine has served a predominantly indigent population in the past and these patients, in general, have low expectations for patient service. We will be moving into a new 250,000 square foot building this summer (the cost of which is being borne entirely by clinical revenue) and our plan is to see predominantly Commercial/Medicare payors at this facility. In order to “grow” our commercial business, both the staff and faculty must learn to provide exceptional customer service. Currently, we have very poor patient access (3 rd available appointments are up to 90 days) and inefficient room utilization (most providers see 2-3 patients/room/4 hour session averaged over 46 weeks). Many of our providers cancel clinics due to “academic” commitments with little thought of how this impacts patient care and clinical revenue. There are inadequate processes to handle patient messages and refills in a timely fashion. In addition, consult notes are frequently not being sent back to the referring provider. Staff turnover during the last academic year was 33%! Anticipated next steps: 1. Develop a Medical Director program to provide physician leadership in each clinic and improve the “sense of team” within each work group. 2. Distribute physician access information to each Chair and Department Administrator and
- 3. schedule meetings to discuss strategies to reduce 3 rd available wait times. 3. Review current room utilization with each Department and designate space in the new building based on current and projected activities. 4. Host School of Medicine Town Hall in December to review Clinical Operations initiatives – where we’ve been, where we are, and where we need to be. 5. Launch Quality Improvement program and task force. 6. Continue quarterly Blue Ribbon Inspections and post results in each staff work room. 7. Work with Clinic Managers on developing processes for handling refills, messages, and consult reports. 8. Continue quarterly staff Clinical Operations updates. 9. Take Quality Improvement course sponsored by UTHSCSA 10. Continue to ask for feedback from Clinic Managers, Department Administrators and Chairs, and UT Medicine Staff. 11. Ask Vice Dean and Vice President of Patient Services to be my Coaches. Learnings to date: Change works best from the bottom up rather than setting rules and policies from the top down. Leadership needs to set the vision of where we need to be and allow the stakeholders to make it happen. A strategy that is effective for one Department may not work at all in another area – centralization is not always the answer. Above all, change requires that we remain flexible!