Healthcare IT & Transformation
I am often asked to come in to save an off-track project or implement software or process change an organization has been trying to get in place for years. Frustration is usually high and skepticism can be even higher. I am hired to “make it happen” which, honestly, I always do but perhaps not with […]
Project managers and their teams often put their hearts and souls into successful implementations. The project peaks from their perspective on go live day or a few critical days prior. Everyone works crazy hours… stress is high…. tolerance for human error is low. Its just the way it is. The larger the project the higher […]
Don’t just say your clinical system projects are clinically-driven. Make them clinically-driven! Anything less could fail. I’m not saying its easy. It can be challenging in any environment but the perception alone that a clinical system project is IT-driven can cause resistance, limited participation and even ultimate failure.
So what does it mean to be clinically-driven? […]
As a Canadian living in the U.S. as a permanent resident for many years now, I’m always frustrated at the primary characterization of the Canadian healthcare system as one where patients have to wait for care.
Please understand I’m not upholding the Canadian system as the be all and end all. I could write a variety […]
So what do I mean by enterprise layers? I’ve observed an abundance of IT staff supporting lots of applications with duplicate crossover functionality such as faxing, scanning, reporting, etc. Proprietary vendors are bundling their own (or third party) solutions for these common requirements and the results are many healthcare organizations have many different applications that fax, […]
Every industry I consult for tells me how unique and complicated they are. They all want IT people who speak their industry language and maybe even have experience on the end-user side of the fence. It is inherent in human nature to be comfortable with the familiar.
In healthcare, this need for “one of our own” […]
Many skilled and experienced negotiators are still out-negotiated and leave important value on the table. What factors affect the outcome of a negotiation? Is it the negotiator’s experience, skill, preparation, knowledge, body language, reputation, or decision-making? While these are all clearly factors in a negotiation, the most significant factor in determining the outcome of a […]
What kind of people make good project managers? It seems to me the role of project manager is one of the most conflicted and it is no wonder it is hard to find a “good” project manager.
Should your project manager be a task master who controls tasks and has a detail-oriented orientation or should the […]
What does patient-centric care even mean? To the patient? To the facility? To the care team?
You might wonder why a healthcare system needs to be reminded to center its efforts on the patient. It seems clear from a patient perspective. In fact, healthcare seems to be the industry with the most compelling reasons to embrace […]
What is Lean?
The concept called “lean management” or “lean thinking” is most commonly associated with Japanese manufacturing, particularly the Toyota Production System (TPS). Much of the TPS way of thinking focuses on improving productivity, eliminating waste, improving the quality of their products, and lowering manufacturing costs. Now these techniques are available to hospitals in the […]