On October 10th, Arnese will give a presentation on “The Trifecta: Cost Containment, Quality, and Accessibility in Healthcare” at Becker’s Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place October 9-12, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Arnese’s session, click here.
Question: What is the No. 1 principle you uphold and practice to effectively lead a team?
Arnese Stern: Build people up. Being from small-town USA; my grandmother used to say, “You get more with honey than with vinegar.” In my most recent leadership years; I’ve been testing this theory. I have found that it actually works, as evidenced by a 1% employee vacancy rate within the organization in which I serve, increasing the CMS quality rating from a 2 Star rating to a 4 Star rating and by being recognized by PR News as a Top Women in Healthcare finalist (The final selection is July 2019). These successes are due to the fellowship of a team that I am very proud of. I was supportive of the employees, responded to their concerns, built them up and then set the expectation for them to “do more.” And, to do that “more” with a sense of urgency. It has not been a walk in the park. Building teams up requires making a personal connection with the individual employees and truly knowing that specific team. If you don’t know a person or team; It’s very difficult to know how to build them up. Due to team dynamics, leadership styles have to be nimble to meet the needs of that person or team. We have to care for that person and team in order to be compelled to build them up. This isn’t as easy as it might seem. Resistant employees, strict State and Federal laws, and represented employees (Unions) with contractual entitlements can make it very difficult to build people up. Building people/teams up in hurting, distrustful, or hostile environments is hard! Yet; When employees know you care about them and not just what they can do for the company; They will re-engage. In fact; many of them get excited about their achievements as individuals and as a team and are less resistant to executing the next initiative. Building people up creates leaders and organizational loyalists.
Q: What does healthcare need more of? Less of?
AS: In my opinion, Healthcare needs more patient/consumer accountability. Healthcare organizations, regulatory bodies, and federal agencies are lax in promoting consumer engagement. It is imperative for patient-consumers to partake in their own personal health and to play their role in the reformation of healthcare. Patient- consumers could impact healthcare by partnering to improve their own quality outcomes and healthcare cost reduction.
A plan could be for organizations to understand consumer attitudes and preferences in their geographical region. And, customize preventive medicine and education to support healthy behaviors and outcomes.
For hospitals to be successful in a Pay-For-Performance environment, patients must be active participants. This would directly decrease readmission rates and reduce spending,
Patients should have more answerability for their own health and outcomes.
In my opinion, Healthcare could use less of/fewer; Leaders and regulatory bodies who make decisions, though well-intended, that ultimately places strain on patients and the healthcare delivery system. Decisions and goals are being made/set by individuals and institutions whose expertise lye’s elsewhere.
Q: What contributes to better conversations between a health system’s financial and clinical leaders?
AS: Shared understanding and executive communication to articulate guidelines, responsibilities, and owners of key processes. Having regularly scheduled meetings between both groups is paramount to build relationships, familiarity, and an environment where easy and tough conversations can coexist in the same meeting. Having clear financial expectations communicated from the CFO and agreement acceptance from the COO and CMO demonstrates the executive unity needed for clinical and financial leaders to follow.
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
