my neighbors

Today’s narrative follows directly from yesterday’s tale of the wildebeest, so it may be helpful to revisit to prior post.  Suffice it to say that the Neiman’s set wasn’t thrilled to learned I  compared them to our cloven friends.

One rule of the Kalahari is that the pursuer must approach the prey stealthily. Picture if you will a David Attenborough looking and sounding chap, more suitably attired to attend a formal tea than a desert trek, inching towards that same Baobab tree we discussed in a prior narration. Bands of perspiration rim his pith helmet, darkening it. He pats his forehead with a freshly pressed linen handkerchief and returns it to the breast pocket of his Khaki shirt. The wildebeest have moved from the shade of the tree to the nearby watering hole. While some stand guard, he notices that a few at a time quench their thirst. For protection the youngest of the wildebeest ensconce themselves in the middle of the circle. The narrator moves the boom of his microphone towards the herd.

“Did you see the Greatest Looser last night?”  Inquired the group’s leader.

“I TIVO’d it.”

“Can I come over and watch it with you?” asked a third as she quenched her thirst with a half-caf, mocha frappachino iced latte. “I totally spaced.”

The circle of soccer moms seemed to tighten as they saw me approach. “Still blogging?” coyly asked the wildebeest—cum soccer mom–wearing the Lilly Pulitzer capris.

All wildebeest aside, here’s the deal. I want to have a conversation with you. I need your help. Here’s my premise. Somewhere along the way we lost our edge, our hunger for excellence. There was a big push twenty years ago, a lot of attention was paid to the topic, and a lot of people cleaned up writing books and giving seminars. I want your help in understanding what brought about the loss of excellence and what can be done to turn it around. I’d like to learn what you’ve seen and heard. You don’t have to name the organization. I won’t name names, yours or the organization. You can send me a message, a private email, or post it for everyone.

Some ideas for comments include but aren’t limited to:

1. What’s broken
2. Why isn’t it being fixed
3. Where does the breakdown for excellence occur
4. Why patients leave
5. What makes them mad
6. Why do they hate a given provider
7. Do patients think they matter
8. Who has the power to solve the problems
9. Do providers want to be excellent business people
10. Is excellence profitable
11. What 3-5 things can a provider do to get on the right path
Thanks in advance.

How does this impact EHR?  It has everything to do with it.  If you only remember one thing, let it be this: It’s not about the EHR.  The EHR is a vehicle.  It can either be a vehicle for change, or it can be used to hamper change.  All the EHR really does it automate certain things.  It’s easier to automated inefficient and ineffective things than it is to automate efficient and effective things.  Why?  Because the bulk of the work lies in making them efficient and effective.  That’s where the change management and workflow efforts come into play.

My best- Paul