Human Resources Archives - Sharon M Weinstein

December 16, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

Healthcare Marketing…solutions-based

Today’s healthcare system is replete with problems that begin with access and end with outcomes. The communities we serve are more interested in staying well than in being ill, and they are more willing to try alternatives to traditional care as long as there is not out-of-pocket expense involved. So, the publics we serve want it all, at a nominal cost, with good outcomes. How we do that in today’s environment is a challenge as well as an opportunity.

The challenge offers healthcare organizations the chance to move beyond the problem, i.e., limited access, long lines, high costs, using emergency departments for primary care, and more – to become the solution. And how do we become the solution – by empowering the public to assume responsibility for care and their outcomes, by knowing that wellness does not begin in the doctor’s office – rather it begins with the small decisions that we make each day when we buy groceries, order from a menu, pack our kids lunches and more. When we offer solutions, we succeed.

We’ll walk through some of those solutions that are well within our reach!

The customer experience…does anyone ever ask what the customer/consumer/patient wants and expects? Forget the satisfaction surveys and delve deeply. Identify the opportunities that bring participants to your brand. Get it right the first time. Build a winner in this industry by simplifying the process and delivering on your promises. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) created Triple Aim – Population Health, Experience of Care, and Per Capita Cost.

The challenges:

Many organizations work in silos, with no one accountable for all three dimensions of care. By now, most health care organizations and community leaders have heard of the Triple Aim. It’s a multi-dimensional framework developed by IHI to optimize the health of a defined population and improve the care experience while reducing costs. Yet, while organizations and coalitions understand the benefits of implementing the framework, they’re not clear on how to begin the change process — especially when initiatives happen in silos and no one is accountable for all three dimensions.

In the DMV area, the system becomes more important than ever before; access to records and coordination of care to ensure outcomes is imperative. The patient is the driver!

The issues:

Convenience
Communication
Consistency

The trends:

The patient/consumer/customer will become more involved than ever before
The more informed the patient – the better the outcomes
The patient must have an advocate
By 2021, patients may compare their hospital experience rating against those of other hospitals prior to making a choice and choose like they would a hotel or airline
Too many portals take up too much time

The solutions:

Counting reputation
Establishing a laser-focus on experience is critical
Engaging value-conscious patients and consumers
Identifying competencies needed by healthcare professionals
Integrating behavioral health and medical care
Enhancing wellness programs that improve health and reduce costs
Identifying the gatekeeper: not obsolete but more difficult to coordinate care

What are you doing to integrate solutions within your healthcare marketing plan?

July 24, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

What are your strengths?

What are your strengths? Within the workplace, you identify your strengths as communication skills, technology, people management, writing, leadership and more. What about within your life – how would you identify your strengths? When you update your LinkedIn profile, what changes do you make? Perhaps those changes address your workplace, your functions, your responsibilities. Think beyond your professional profile; think about yourself.

I encourage you to consider the following areas: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and intellectual.

The physical you requires good nutrition, appropriate weight, beneficial exercise and adequate rest.

The emotional you needs to give and receive forgiveness, love and compassion; needs to laugh and experience happiness; needs joyful relationships with yourself and others.

The mental you needs self-supportive attitudes, positive thoughts and viewpoints and a positive self-image.

The spiritual you requires inner calmness, openness to your creativity, and trust in your inner knowing.

The intellectual you requires fulfillment, personal development, and satisfying relationships.

It is mid-year, and perhaps it is time to realize your strengths and reach your potential.

Resolve to be the captain of your ship – your body/mind/spirit. A comfortable, healthy balance between your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects doesn’t happen accidentally. Someone has to be in charge, and that someone is always you. Sit back, recognize your strengths, and prepare to launch anew in mid-2017!

May 22, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

Do you have/need a spine?

A spine. You need one to survive and thrive!

A lot of people are afraid to tell the truth, to say no. That’s where toughness comes into play. Toughness is not being a bully. It’s having backbone.

— Robert Kiyosaki

Have you ever felt used, abused, taken advantage of, insecure? Chances are we have all felt that way at one time or another, especially in childhood. I grew up with very little—if any—self-esteem, and yes, I was walked on—and over—many times. I gravitated to folks similar to me. One of my first boyfriends was a wonderful guy who would give you the shirt off of his back, and never ask for a thing in return. And everyone took advantage of his generosity and kind spirit.

Being known as Mr. Good Guy may work for a while, but it certainly cannot last forever. At some point, even the most generous of us will finally say, “Enough!” Chances are, when that does happen, things have come to more than enough, and we are at our wits’ end trying to decide how to get on with our lives and assert ourselves.

How much of a spine—or backbone—do you have?

To answer that question and determine where you stand and what you need to do to get out of your own way, ponder these questions. Respond honestly.

Is the whole world out to get you?
Do you moan and groan?
Do you worry too much about what other people think?
Do you avoid taking a stand?
Are you easily distracted from your goals?
Do you avoid all risks, even small ones?
Do you control what you will do each day, or do others control you and your behaviors?

If your responses are anything like mine were at one time, it may be a good time to grow that spine, get a life, and move on! There’s no time better than now!

April 5, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

Use Your Words…starting with “A”

How often have you told your kids to ‘use your words?’ When we were raising our now adult offspring, we really did not use that term. We noticed it when our kids became parents themselves, or when we watched the movie entitled, Parental Guidance with Bette Midler and Billy Crystal.

Whether we are raising kids, engaging employees, or collaborating with partners – we want to emphasize positive words. In comparison with good words, “angry words send alarm messages through the brain, and they partially shut down the logic-and-reasoning centers located in the frontal lobes,” write Newberg and Waldman in the book Words Can Change Your Brain.

So, I started with the letter “A” and I discovered these positive A words: ‘able, acceptance, accepting, action, activate, active, add, addition, adorable, advantage, affirm, ageless, agree, agreeable, aid, aim, abundance, accountability, accomplished, achieve, acknowledgement, adaptability, adventurous, agility, alertness, ambition, anticipation, appreciative, authentic, awesome, admirable, accommodating, ample, appreciative joy, actability, affable, alacrity, amiable, astounding, attractive, alive, achievable, acts of kindness, adaptable, adaptive, adequate, admirably, admiration, admired, adored, adoring, adoringly, advanced, advantageous, advantageously, affability, affably, affinity, affirmation, affirmative, affluence, affluent, afford, affordable, agile, agilely, agreeableness, agreeably, aligned, alluring, alluringly, altruistically, amaze, amazement, amazes, amazingly, amiability, amicability, amicable, amicably, amusing, appeal, appealing, applaud, appreciable, appreciated, appreciates, appreciation of beauty, appreciatively, appropriate, approval, approve, ardor, art of appreciation, art of stillness, art of well-being, assurance, a reason for being, accommodative, amiably, accolade, acumen, adjustable, admirer, admiring, admiringly, adorer, adroit, adroitly, adulated, adventuresome, and ambitious.’

Think about the words that you use on a daily basis. Are they positive or negative? How do you make others feel with your words?

Whether it is Parental Guidance or Words Can Change Your Brain…give positive words a chance. Use your words to reflect your attitude in parenting, in business, and in life!

February 9, 2017 By Sharon Weinstein

E is for Engagement…

Nurses are the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and they are at the core of care delivery, safety, and outcomes. In today’s environment, we hear much about the patient experience but think about it – you cannot deliver a great patient experience without great employee engagement.

Are those responsible for providing care in your organization treated as well as those they serve? Engaged employees are energized, committed, action-oriented, problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and innovators. They have a voice, and their voices drive change within the organization. They see, touch, and feel it each and every day. Engagement is woven within the vision, mission, and goals of the institution, and your staff knows it.

A crisis exists today…and that crisis is stress. Regarding of the professional role, stress is usually work-related. We all have the same requisite number of hours in a day – only 24. And yet, we try to extend those hours and make them equal 36 or more. It is virtually impossible, and our productivity demonstrates our failure to adhere to the ‘work day’ as a somewhat normal work day.

A workplace is only as good as how it treats its workers. Today’s employers are constantly seeking ways to assist their workers in managing their job responsibilities and their personal responsibilities and needs. Strategies for work/life balance help create supportive, healthy work environments; strengthen employee commitment and loyalty, and result in more productive workplaces and improved patient outcomes. Nurses are at the heart and soul of healthcare, and yet, they sometimes do not have time for self-care and renewal activities – activities what would make them whole, enhance their well-being, and allow them to celebrate themselves.

Think about what drives engagement! “An analysis of Press Ganey’s national nurse engagement database Dempsey et al, 2015 identified drivers of nurse engagement. Key drivers of nurse engagement in 2015 included:

The organization provides high-quality care and service.
The organization treats employees with respect.
I like the work I do.
The environment makes employees in my work unit want to go above and beyond what’s expected of them.
My pay is fair compared to other health care employers in this area.
My job makes good use of my skills and abilities.
I get the tools and resources I need to provide the best care/service for our clients/patients.
The organization provides career development opportunities.
This organization conducts business in an ethical manner.
Patient safety is a priority in this organization.”

By giving nurses a voice; by providing a healthy work environment, including opportunities for professional advancement and personal growth, today’s health systems will put the E in Engagement – enhancing retention, empowering staff, and enriching the workplace.

To start the process: