“I
believe that highly effective healthcare organizations, “Put First
Things First” as Stephen Covey would tell us, by investing training
dollars in their most important asset “people”
A new trend
that I’m observing in healthcare management today is the hiring of
value analysis coordinators, managers and directors to establish and
manage their healthcare organization’s value analysis programs, then
giving them the mandate or charge, “OK now that you are on-board
-- go save us money”!
Larry Miles,
the father of value analysis, counsels us that an individual that
will be filling the positions of value analysis coordinator, manager
or director requires a minimum of 40 hours of classroom
instruction and 40 hours of on-the-job training for
leading and coaching their value teams before they can become
proficient as a value analysis practitioner. Do these new hires for
these positions have these kinds of credentials?
And if that’s
not enough, these new hires should also be experienced value
analysis trainers, because 80% of what a value analysis practitioner
does is training, coaching, consulting and
facilitating value teams so they can grow and quickly reach peak
performance. Do these new hires in this position also have these
credentials?
Since the
starting salary for the positions we are talking about could range
from $65,000 to $75,000 annually, I believe that highly effective
healthcare organizations should, “Put First Things First”,
by investing training dollars in their most important asset,
“people”.
For a value
analysis practitioner/trainer this investment in training would mean
that the individuals in these “people sensitive” positions must be
taught and must learn how to expertly and skillfully:
ü
Plan, organize,
lead and direct their
organization’s value analysis program without pushing and pulling
their clinicians in the wrong direction
ü
Train
their organization’s value team
leaders and team members in the art and science of value analysis
and team building, so that they will grow in performance and purpose
ü
Deploy,
facilitate, consult and coach
their organization’s value teams to generate prompt action and peak
performance
ü
Administer,
maintain and sustain
their organization’s value analysis program over the long term by
cultivating commitment, discipline and order
ü
Maintain
Documentation and Databases
of studies and data collected that is imperative now and in the
future for your healthcare organization.
The
mastery of the above basic learning objectives by your value
analysis coordinators, managers or directors is to insure that no
key element of your value analysis program will be overlooked,
neglected, ignored, forgotten or eliminated
because no one had the responsibility to manage these critical
functions for your value analysis program.
Ignorance Can Be
Hazardous To Your Healthcare
Organizations’
Financial Health
It’s been my
observation that healthcare organizations who haven’t invested in
the education and training of their value analysis
coordinators, managers and directors have found that this flawed
decision not to educate or train them has stunted the growth of
their value analysis program irreparably and caused them
irreversible financially losses.
After a year
or two an executive management team watching their anticipated
savings machine come to a sputtering, coughing and wheezing
end, then breathe its last breath and die, because
their coordinator, manager or director didn’t know what they should
of known.
This is
just part of the story!
To their amazement executive management then finds out that their
value analysis program administration cost was $200,000 annually
(sum of salaries, time expended and resources utilized), and only
had meager savings and quality gains to show for their efforts.
No
Wonder…Ignorance, blindness or naiveté
can be hazardous to your healthcare organizations’ financial health.
If you hire individuals to lead these mission critical programs that
don’t have the requisite and essential training in art
and science of value analysis, it can inhibit the growth and
maturity of your value analysis program.
Is this also
how you would select and hire your CEO, COO, CFO, CNO and CIO? I
don’t think so…
by
Robert T. Yokl, President
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