Engaging Physicians--2

“Curmudge, other than giving your ancient brain its daily exercise, why are we writing another posting on Beeson’s Engaging Physicians (1)?”

“Because not everyone will read the book, Jaded Julie. I at least want to share with them a few of Beeson’s most important teachings. Perhaps we can do that with a quotation or two from each of the most critical chapters.”

“Have at it, Curmudge. I’ll just sit over here and take notes.”

Create and Communicate Organizational Vision and Goals

“Physicians care about clinical quality, practice efficiency, the quality and training of the nurses they work with, profitability, their reputation among patients, staff, and colleagues, their input on issues, appreciation for what they do, and responsiveness to practice concerns.”

“If leaders are unable to clearly communicate how an organizational effort will benefit physicians, then the strategy should be redesigned.”

“The leadership message to physicians should be: ‘Our goal is to eliminate barriers to care and to eliminate those things that waste your time.’”

Establishing Physician Confidence and Trust

“The importance of building trust with physicians cannot be overestimated.” “Trust in the leadership team precedes physician collaboration, participation, and alignment, and will be a vital element to the physician engagement process.”

Building Physician Leadership

“Perhaps the most important goal of physician leaders is to facilitate and execute the hospital’s transition from individual physician autonomy to system-based care delivery. System protocols, order sets, and evidence-based medicine outperform individual physician decision making in nearly all clinical circumstances.”

“Improving patient satisfaction and physician communication is the most common goal of a physician champion.” “Historically, physicians significantly underestimate the true impact of their own behavior on a nurse’s work experience.”

Training Physicians

“Leveraging the influence of the engaged physician who leads by example is perhaps the greatest catalyst of change in the behaviors of the healthcare workforce.”

“A physician’s technical ability to diagnose and treat a medical condition did not rank in the top six physician attributes that patients ranked as most important.” “In order for physicians to be successful, to grow business, to expand revenue, and to establish a reputation in the community, physicians must deliver the patient’s definition of a great physician.”

“Physicians are the smartest and best students in the world.”

“The reality is that trained, consistently executed communication behaviors will drive every measure of performance that physicians consider to be important—patient loyalty, malpractice risk, patient compliance, clinical outcomes, patient safety …and the quality of a physician’s work life.”

Physician Measurement and Balanced Scorecards

“If there is distrust, animosity, or significant ‘issues’ between leadership and physicians, then measuring and reporting physician performance will come under intense heat, protest, and rejection from physicians.”

Recognizing Physicians

“Recognition changes people, changes physicians, replicates behaviors, creates physician loyalty, and builds partnership and trust with a system and its leaders.”

“Curmudge, you didn’t include anything from Beeson’s discussion of AIDET* for physicians.” (*Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank you.)

“I just assumed that everyone had read about AIDET in Studer’s book, Hardwiring Excellence (2). Which brings me to my final word about Engaging Physicians: READ THE BOOK.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon

(1) Beeson, Stephen C. Engaging Physicians: A Manual to Physician Partnership. (Fire Starter Publishing, 2009)
(2) Studer, Quint. Hardwiring Excellence. (Fire Starter Publishing, 2005)