Becker's Hospital Review

41 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 41 CEO / STRATEGY 3 changes to better position your hospital for the next pandemic By Hannah Mitchell R esearchers from Boston-based Har- vard Business School and Durham, N.C.-based Duke University shared three ways hospitals can be better prepared for a future pandemic in a June 10 report published in Harvard Business Review. e COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted the inefficiencies of hospitals' financial mod- els. Even as hospitals were filled to capacity, many hospitals encountered severe revenue losses. ere is no effective model where de- mand increases, yet revenue plummets, the authors said. e U.S. healthcare financial model relies on costly, highly reimbursed services, such as joint replacements, cardiac procedures and other elective services. COVID-19 cases used a lot of hospitals' resources, but they offered lower profit margins than lucrative proce- dures, which were postponed at the start of the pandemic. e authors suggest that changes to hospitals' financial models can best position hospitals for a future crisis. ree ways hospitals can better prepare for the next pandemic: 1. Expand into new services. Although it is difficult to increase the number of beds in a hospital, hospitals can increase patient services, such as "hospital at home." Many organizations should be capable of pro- viding care remotely with monitors, sensors and clinicians who can make house calls. Hu- mana and Phillips have already invested mas- sive amounts in the hospital-at-home field. 2. Share resources with struggling hospitals. Banks compete with each other, but also lend to each other when one is facing a liquidity crunch. Hospitals can work in similar ways with mutual referral systems and sharing equipment when there are shortages. Instead of hoarding supplies like personal protective equipment and ventilators, hospitals should have shared their supplies with hospitals in need. 3. Encourage plans for surges in demand. Payers can influence hospitals to have a well-developed plan for when there are surg- es in demand and could advertise these hos- pitals to encourage this behavior. Patients who need consistent access to care, such as older adults, may be attracted to these facil- ities because they know they will still have access to services when a crisis strikes. n The pandemic showcased what effective hospital leadership looks like: 6 lessons to learn By Hannah Mitchell W hen the pandemic hit, researchers from New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University began in- terviewing nurses at a large university hospital to identify the factors hindering or improving employee effectiveness, according to a May 17 report by Harvard Business Review. During the first wave of COVID-19 infections, there was a lot of uncertainty about how to treat COVID-19 with limited per- sonal protective equipment. Many nurses could no longer perform effectively — or even make simple decisions — since there was little clarity on what they were supposed to do. Six study findings: 1. High patient volumes mixed with surges of stress in providers put a strain on serving patients while protecting their own emotional well-being. In one example, a nurse said she asked for time off to recuperate. Her supervisor said that time off would help her manage exhaustion and stress, but that it went against hospital policy on allotted paid time off, and the PTO request was denied. 2. Other nurses shared discomfort speaking up during meetings with nurse educators because they didn't want to add tension to the session. This prevented them from getting the answers they needed and working at their fullest potential. 3. Hospital leaders and scientists were eventually able to share more information, which alleviated some of the nurs- es' anxiety. Supervisors also encouraged nurses to consider creative ways to provide support to families who were un- able to be with their loved ones due to visiting restrictions. Nurses began painting hearts for their patients and photo- graphing patients holding the hearts for their families. 4. Emotionally intelligent supervisors saw an opportunity to support employee growth. For example, a supervisor of- fered a nurse whose colleagues perceived as harsh coach- ing to build the skills she needed to effectively recognize and manage her emotions and improve the relationship with her colleagues. Nurses felt fulfillment knowing that their actions eased their patients' pain, which helped them heal during times of immense stress. 5. Nurses performed at their best when there were clear expectations on how to perform their job from hospital leaders. Nurses were more likely to push toward their fullest potential when they felt supported by supervisors to prob- lem-solve creatively and manage their challenging feelings. 6. Healthcare leaders should also build trust with their staff by soliciting feedback from employees at every level of the organization. The lesson learned during the pandemic can be applied to any hospital undergoing change, such as leadership changes or hospital mergers. n

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