Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/324690
44 Executive Briefing: Hospital-Physician Relationships Imagine if you had . . . • Nationally recognized experts in medical staffs, regulations, credentialing, and accreditation on speed dial • These experts come onsite to provide hands-on solutions to your challenges • 24/7 access to hundreds of policies, procedures, plans, and tools developed by these experts Imagine if the above were combined in an affordable, high-value package – available to you today? Core focus areas The Greeley Membership Program helps hospitals with a wide spectrum of contemporary challenges and needs related to the following four core areas: Medical Staff Optimization & Physician Alignment Compliance, Accreditation & Quality Credentialing & Privileging Environment of Care & Life Safety Outsourcing Solutions Interim Staffing External Peer Review Leadership Seminars & Onsite Education Consulting 75 Sylvan St., Suite A-101 Danvers, MA 01923 888-749-3054 info@greeley.com www.greeley.com ©2014 The Greeley Company The Greeley Membership Program Continuous advisory support, resources, and members-only privileges for your entire organization The Greeley Membership Program offers a multi-layered service to clients seeking an ongoing partnership to promote physician success, hospital success, and quality patient care. Membership includes: • On-site consulting • Expert off-site advisory services • Membership website, including hundreds of continuously updated, exclusive documents • Webinars and audio conferences • Preferred pricing on Greeley national seminar seats and additional services To learn more about The Greeley Membership Program, please contact our Membership Director, Michael Corbishley, at greeleymembership@greeley.com or 888-749-3054. Contact us So what can hospital leaders do to resolve these situations peace- fully? He recommends the following: 1. Listen to everyone and honor their truths. Dr. Sheff refers to a well-known parable of the blind men and the elephant: Each man approaches the elephant at a different point and is asked to describe what they believe an elephant to be like. Each man has a vastly different answer based on where they approached the animal. For instance, one man touches the side of the elephant and describes the animal as a wall. One at the trunk says an el- ephant is like a snake. Another at the tail disagrees, believing the elephant to be similar to a rope. In other words, perspective matters, and generally in a conflict the parties have different perspectives of the situation. "Each party has their take on the truth, and their perspective is valid and need to be heard, honored and understood," Dr. Sheff says. In these types of situations a third party that was not originally involved in the conflict can bring value, he adds, since they are not emotion- ally intertwined in the situation and can listen to all points of view in an unbiased way. 2. Recognize and work with a dynamic of impact and intent. This is critical to rebuilding trust. "In every human relationship, there are moments when someone says or does something that has an impact that was not their intent," explains Dr. Sheff. "When that happens, it creates a scar." One illustration of this is a husband, weary from business travel, who returns home to his wife, who is angry. The husband, real- izing he forgot their anniversary, immediately starts telling her he'll make it up to her. In that instance, the husband is talking about intent, while the wife is in the "world of impact," as Dr. Sheff puts it. "Can she hear one word of [his] intent? The answer is no." In these situations, what the wife — or anyone in the world of impact — needs most is not the explanation of intent, it's the ac- knowledgement of the impact, Dr. Sheff explains. "In every medical community I've ever been in, they have a history of moments of impact and intent, and every one has left a scar," he says. To rebuild trust and help heal those moments, it can be helpful to go through and name those past moments to acknowl- edge their impact. "That can be very powerful." 3. Create clear ground rules for how parties will treat each other going forward. These rules should emphasize honesty, transparency and respect. That way, trust can build and large dis- agreements can hopefully be avoided in the future. 4. Do a substantive piece of work together, well. "You don't build trust by singing kumbaya together," Dr. Sheff says. Rath- er, trust is built from completing a collaborative project together. During negotiations, hospitals and physician groups can identify some opportunities for collaboration that would meet the inter- ests of both parties and choose one that is doable in a short time frame, like two to four months. "It should be short and straightfor- ward," he says. Once that project is completed successfully, the groups can tackle a project that could take four to eight months to complete. "And then trust is growing between the two organiza- tions," Dr. Sheff says. Though there are forces at play that can create conflict between hospitals and physicians, hospital leaders must recognize alignment with physicians is crucial to future success in the industry and work to heal old wounds and prevent disagreements in the future. n The Greeley Company provides innovative consulting, education, and professional services to healthcare organizations. We focus on needs and challenges related to medical staff operations & physician engagement; accreditation & regulatory compliance; quality, performance & safety; and credentialing & privileging. The Greeley Company serves administrative and clinical teams in more than 500 healthcare organizations nationwide each year—ranging from rural critical access hospitals to the largest health systems. This causes physicians to think, "Why should I trust you, believe in you or work with you when in three to five years there will be someone else who comes in with their own programs?"