Christopher Ohman has joined Kaiser Permanente as senior vice president, Health Plan Operations, for the organization's regions outside of California. Ohman begins his new role effective February 2, 2009. He comes to Kaiser Permanente after having served as president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans, a trade association representing 40 health plans. Ohman replaces Peter Andruszkiewicz, who earlier this year was named president of Kaiser Permanente of Georgia.
On-site back rubs, and keys to the exercise room might make employees relaxed and more physically fit, but one observer says it won't necessarily improve job performance. Those perks might not even be what employees want or value.
Debbie Paller, vice president of the Physician & Employee Business Unit at Press Ganey & Associates, says hospitals need to do a better job understanding what employees want. With that in mind, the healthcare quality monitor this month introduced a new "Employee Partnership" model that focuses less on recruiting gimmicks and more on employee engagement.
"Our historical approach was to focus on satisfaction. We used to measure engagement and improve engagement by leveraging satisfaction," Paller says. "Through our research we found that they are two very different psychological conditions that should be leveraged in their independent states to get the maximum benefits."
The Employee Partnership model centers around what Press Ganey calls "Five Partnership Principles," namely: systems and leadership, resources, teamwork, direct management, and engagement. Systems and leadership, for example, focuses on issues like job security, input on decisions, fair wages, and recognition. Direct management focuses on coaching, trust, communication, and feedback.
At first glance, the Five Partnership Principles appear to be the same old boilerplate and buzzwords we've heard before. Communicate with your employees? Recognize achievement? Of course! But it's more than that, says Paller.
"From a hospital's perspective, they may feel they are already doing this. The question is, Are you bridging that gap to where employees are perceiving it? Perception is realty," she says.
For example, hospitals try to recruit and retain employees with "wow factor" stunts like mortgage assistance or concierge services when they should be concentrating on bread-and-butter issues like wages, professional development, employer relations, and scheduling flexibility.
"What we have found is the basic stuff tends to get lost," Paller says. "The wow factors are great, but employees, especially in these times of economic uncertainty, are looking for things that give them that stable feeling of employment." The best way to find out what employees want is to survey them. "Ask the employees: 'What do you think? Are you receiving communication? Do you have the opportunity to speak up?'" Paller says.
Beyond that, Paller recommends questioning senior management to determine if they're on the same frequency with employees. It's a little tougher for senior management, because they have to determine if they know what employees want, and if they're getting their intended message through to employees.
"'Are we communicating? Are we getting information out, and are we receiving it back? How do we do that systematically?'" Paller says. "If you get to questions you can't answer or you're giving anecdotal answers like 'We've always done it this way,' that's probably a good indication that you don't have a very systematic way to deliver on those five principles."
When you have the employee surveys and senior management feedback in hand, compare them to find gaps between what you think you're providing and what your employees think they're getting. Once you've found the gap, look for bridges.
If your employees aren't getting the message, for example, it could be something as simple as the mode of communication. You may be proud of the reams of job-related data and daily institutional updates on your hospital's intranet. But, what if your employees can't access a computer, or they don't have time to sit down in front of one? Maybe they'd prefer an old-fashioned notice posted on the bulletin board by the time clock.
Paller says improving communication with employees and responding to their needs is an incremental process, as senior leadership gets feedback and adjusts. But she says it is progress that can be measured.
"Create partnerships with your employees and you do get significant organizational outcomes," she says, including improved safety, quality, productivity, and financial measures. "The lagging indication of whether or not you are making an impact is to take a look at those types of indicators," Paller says. "While it is a philanthropic reason that you want to improve employee relationships, ultimately you want to see the results on your bottom line."
John Commins is the human resources and community and rural hospitals editor with HealthLeaders Media. He can be reached at jcommins@healthleadersmedia.com.
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Plastic surgery has boomed in Venezuela, ironically, while President Hugo Chávez has attempted to remake the nation as a socialist nation. With the economy awash in money thanks to record oil prices, plastic surgeons report that business has doubled in the past five years. And they expect little slowdown next year, thanks to a culture that puts an emphasis on physical attributes.
David Watson, MD, has served the people of tiny Yoakum, TX, for more than 50 years. This month, Watson received the Country Doctor of the Year award, which honors a primary care physician who best exemplifies the spirit of rural practitioners. The award is given out by Staff Care, the largest physician staffing service in the country, which hopes to attract more young doctors to family practice.
Even before taking office or introducing concrete policy proposals, the Obama administration is moving to build public support around the broad notion that the U.S. health system needs an overhaul. To Washington veterans, the approach may seem backward, or even naive, but Obama is betting that the energetic, technology-savvy supporters who fueled his candidacy will act as a potent counterbalance to the traditionally powerful special interests that have defeated similar reform efforts.
A Kansas senator has proposed a bill that would allow tax breaks for doctors, nurses and dentists who accept Medicaid patients. The law would be used as an incentive for them to see more Medicaid recipients. Legislators say the move would make up some of the gap between how much the taxpayer-funded program reimburses for healthcare and the actual costs of that care.