Hey Guys:
Also new to healthcare (~2 years). I work at an 700-800 bed academic medical center. Our projects range from back office (billing, reimbursement, call center, etc.) to operational (bed assignment, service delivery, nutrition & food service, patient education) to clinical (improved outcomes in plastic reconstructive surgery, reduction of “never events” (nosocomial infections, adverse drug events, drug errors, identification errors, etc.)
A few points come to mind based on my limited experience:
1. You are VERY close to the customer. Few industries have so many folks in direct contact with the Big C.
2. LSS is new to most people in healthcare – you’ll spend a LOT of time explaining what you’re doing.
3. LSS is not a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. It is only slightly less powerful & rigorous, but it can be a hurdle for some nonetheless. Besides, we can’t hardly ask some nurses to wash their hands and others not to, can we?
4. Healthcare is a fee for service industry. Be aware that eliminating “unnecessary” tests and procedures can actually REDUCE revenue. It is still the right thing to do, but requires a STRONG case and lots of change management with stakeholders who will lose $.
5. Physicians and hospitals are not always reimbursed the same way (MD based on services provided regardless of the time required, hospitals are often capped by contracts or even flat rates based on diagnoses). This is not necessarily a bad thing as it encourages MDs to ensure that their patients are ready for discharge, and hopsitals are incentivized to be efficient with time and resources. However, it means that the two sides have a fundamentally different perspective.
I look forward to any discussion – as long as it does not include a decision tree for sitters :laugh:
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