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55 Clinical Integration & ACOs M ax Weber, a sociologist, philosopher, economist and political scientist, is often referred to as the "father of modern sociology." Although Mr. Weber's last book was published in 1922, many of his theo- ries live on today and can be applied to a number of industries, including healthcare, according to Thomas H. Lee, MD, CMO at Press Ganey, and Toby Cosgrove, MD, CEO of Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Cosgrove and Dr. Lee published an article ti- tled "Engaging Doctors in the Health Care Revo- lution" in the June issue of the Harvard Business Review. In the article, the two authors addressed physician engagement through a framework in- spired by Max Weber's theories. The framework focuses on four main channels: engaging physicians in a shared purpose; address- ing economic self-interest; leveraging the desire for respect; and appealing to a sense of tradition. Engaging physicians should be a critical focus for hospital leadership because "any strategy that healthcare providers hope to accomplish must have the support of their physicians," says Dr. Lee. Dr. Lee says he and Dr. Cosgrove felt the frame- work was useful given the complexity of health- care. "We see our organizations and other orga- nizations sometimes falling short because they are only undertaking one or two of the categories in the framework, and there needs to be an orga- nized approach to all four," he says. Engaging physicians in a shared purpose Shared purpose means inspiring physicians with common organizational goals rather than piece- meal targets. "The healthcare industry is going through drastic change, which makes many physicians feel very uncertain," says Dr. Lee. "Instead of focusing on what's wrong with healthcare, Dr. Cosgrove and I thought it was important to focus on overall orga- nizational goals and what physicians are working to create," he says. Although the changes in the industry may be frus- trating, the ultimate goal is to create a system that is better for patients, and "that is why we went into healthcare," he says. By putting the spotlight on pa- tients a shared purpose among physicians is created. Dr. Lee says creating a shared purpose among physicians isn't based on data. Rather, it is based on narratives and stories. "Creating a shared pur- pose is about realizing what makes us proud or what makes us ashamed, and data can't do that the way a story can," he says. To help facilitate this process, hospital leader- ship needs to allow physicians to talk about cases where they felt proud and did a great job of taking care of a patient. By having a positive focus, rather than looking at negative situations, physicians are What the 'Father of Modern Sociology' Can Teach Hospitals About Physician Engagement By Ayla Ellison You have an out‐of‐network problem. You just don't know it. Learn how to increase your out‐of‐network reimbursements by over 30% www.collectrx.com info@collectrx.com 1‐877‐230‐2440