Christina's Considerations

CAeHC webinair on FBI's Cyber Program

Those who are interested in health information exchange (HIE) privacy and security may want to check out the next CAeHC webinar on Tuesday, November 10 at 1:00 PST.  The speaker is Special Agent James Harris, supervisor of the FBIs Sacramento Cyber Program.

I'll be driving back from an interview and hopefully (if the mountains don't get in the way) can listen.

Looking for a great new boss!

Jury duty (all six weeks of it) is over, final edits are being made on my book and the big push to get California's strategic plan(s) completed for accessing the ARRA HITECH funding is over.  I'm still working with the Public Health Department and will serve on California's Health Information Exchange Committee, but these aren't enough to fill my days.

So, I'm looking for a great new boss (or more) and scheduling interviews again!  

I'd love to find a full time hospital or other healthcare administrator job within commuting distance of Santa Barbara, but also realize this could take a few years.  As a result, I'm also looking for projects or interim assignments that will allow me to utilize my strong leadership, governance and operational expertise.  Some ideas include:

• advisor and coach for performance improvement, compliance and health information exchange projects
• providing interim leadership during recruitment and hiring periods
• initiating operational, financial or strategic turn-around
• disaster/emergency and continuity of operations planning and response
• review and recommendations for revenue cycle, supply, security, and customer (patient) flow processes and systems
• workplace and employee health assessments and planning and implementing health status improvement strategies
• objectively evaluating and monitoring organizational and workforce performance
• governing body orientation, education and performance assessments
• writing, reviewing, revising, and consolidating policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, job descriptions and plans
• community and public heath assessments and planning and implementing health status improvement strategies
• identifying  and facilitating the removal of obstacles to change
• planning and initiating change strategies (only if leaders are committed to constructively managing and resolving the conflict that will arise)
• facilitating planning and implementation of social media strategies
• safety assessments and recommendations for improvement
• establishing metrics and outcome monitoring and reporting processes
• planning to establish "meaningful use" and access ARRA and HITECH funding

This is just a start and I'll add more as the ideas flow, or let me know if you have a specific need.  But, most importantly, if you are a great boss looking for a star worker, call today to schedule your interview!

Do hospitals need to enter the world of social media?

I've been following Tony and Hospital Impact for several years now and it is great to see he is having success with the contributor format.  One of his contributors posted on whether hospitals need to enter the world of social media and I'm sharing it because it is yet one more voice on the subject and a nice example.

For those of you who want an example of what people are posting about the hospitals in their community visit the link to GWU Hospital Horrible.  I wonder if GWU knows about the post! 

Health 2.0: Social Media Book for Administrators

I'm on jury duty and missing the Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco and wish all of the attendees stimulating conversation and a great conference!

As an update, my book on use of social media in healthcare is undergoing a round of revisions now that it is in production.  The book provides an overview of the various forms of social media and social networking tools and their application in healthcare environments and offers a review of best practices from around the US.  It will be published by Health Administration Press and is necessary reading for any hospital administrator and others in the C-suite.

If you want to learn more, feel free to leave a comment or contact me via email

Hospital Administrator Bloggers

I've followed a couple of hospital administrator's who have blogged over the years, but in writing my book on use of social media in healthcare I found a few more.  I also know there are administrator's blogging on secure networks, like their Intranet.

Since there now seems to be more of a hospital administrator blogger community, I thought I'd start a list of hospital Presidents & CEOs who blog and it can be found on my side-bar under the title "Hospital Administrator Bloggers".  If you want to recommend a blog, just add a comment to this post or send me a link.

For those of you who may be wondering, I've left Nick in this list even though he is a former hospital President/CEO, because he is the first one I found back in 2005.

Social Media: Disruptive Force in Medicine!

You betch'a social media will be a disruptive force in medicine and healthcare.  Glen at the Healthcare Blog does a great job addressing one of the biggests risks.  However, their is already great risk in how we conduct our personal life (make choices) and the potential impact upon our professional life. 

My book on use of social media in healthcare is now in the hands of the publisher and being prepared for its release.  I'm really excited to have this opportunity to share my knowledge on the topic with my administrator peers and my vision for the future of social media in healthcare.

Blogonomics

I have to share this thesis on Blogonomics and its abstract.  While it isn't focused on healthcare it is a nice overview of blogs in general.

Time to reflect

First there was hospital evacuation and now preparing for mass fatalities!  It has been a busy time working and researching for the new book. 

Graduation ceremonies are over and it is once again summer break!  A time to re-charge, rejuvenate and re-energize!

Check out the reading program at your local library and have a wonderful and experiential summer!

Tweet and Wiki

I've been busy with  research and came across a couple of things I want to share.  First, I loved this cartoon, because whetherwe like it or not, our patients are communicating about their healthcare on social networks.  I think it is best when we learn what they are saying so we can respond.  Perhaps this doctor might make changes to his lunch choices or his cologne!

I also just finished the first chapter of the book Wikinomics and want to make a couple of observations about mass communication and collaboration using social media tools.  Just as Don Tapscott states in the book, I believe we will play more active roles in our workplace, communities, national democracies, and the global economy at-large and that the benefits will include the opportunity to make governments more accountable and lift millions of people out of poverty.

Just yesterday, (in the old days) big business, big government, politicians and plain old crooks could run and hide, if even for a while.  The new speed and efficiency of mass communication and peer collaboration will mean they can run, but not hide.  Those businesses and governments (including healthcare providers) who can harness and direct human skills, ingenuity, and intelligence more efficiently and effectively will not only survive, but thrive.  The pressure is on in healthcare and we shall see which of those among us is ready for the challenge! 

Use of social media in a disaster for communication

During some research last week, I came across an example of one of my suspected uses for the new social networking communication tools and want to share the link to Innovis Health's YouTube Video.  This small hospital and clinic system in Fargo, ND used their blog and Twitter to communicate with employees and medical staff, the media, their patients and families, and the public during recent floods.

I congratulate them on being an innovator and happy they were able to continue to support their community during this challenging time!

I'd also like to invite anyone to provide me with additional examples.  I'm writing a new book and want to include some exceptional examples.  Just leave a comment or send me an email.

Health Improvement Technology and Efforts

Health Management Technology had a great article on  Health Improvement Technology and I want to share a few of the highlights below.  I also want to call my readers attention to developments related to regional healthcare improvement efforts around the country.  These collaborative organizations are forming as regionally-based, multi-stakeholder organizations that are working to improve the quality and value of health care delivery.   A national coalition, NRHI, of these organizations has formed and their site makes it easy to identify those in your area.   The work of these organizations (towards a value-driven coordinated care delivery system and severity-adjusted episode-based or comprehensive payment system) fits in nicely with HIE efforts and I recommend that you include them as a stakeholder.

Our challenges:

• Our current delivery system, as well as, the information systems that run them, were never designed to expertly manage chronic disease or improve population health.  (They were designed to treat acute illness, injuries and perform procedures.)
• Consumers are effectively disengaged from their own health and not in the habit of proactively improving their health habits and making value-based decisions or managing their own health risks and conditions. (Many still want the healthcare system to take care of them.)
• Neither hospitals nor physicians are rewarded for keeping patients healthy or preventing chronic disease from developing in the first place.  (They are rewarded for treating disease.)

We can't afford this any longer and change is needed, starting with collaborative team processes between payers, providers and consumers.  We need:

• to digitize, re-design and commoditize the collaborative processes driven by people and teams that erase inefficiencies, drive down operational and medical costs and improve personal and population health.

• a focus on collaborative processes and consider data and information merely as valuable inputs to those processes, but not the end goal.

• technology to follow providers and consumers wherever they go and adapt to their analog and digital worlds.

Social Media Sites for Job Searching

The times are challenging and economic stimulation will take some time to produce real results, so it is up to each of us individually (with the support of our family and friends) to successfully navigate through the turbulence.

The people at Mashable have a great post on the top 10 social sites for finding a job.  Luckily, I'm already set for their #1 pick LinkedIn.  It will be interesting to see how my job search turns out and whether I find my next position using traditional methods or from the exciting world of social networking.

Visit my profile  and consider setting up your LinkedIn page.  It takes time to do it right, so don't wait until you actually have to conduct a job search.

Oh, and if you need an exceptional hospital administrator for interim assignments, consulting/special projects or you have a great job working with wonderful people, let me know!

Engaging Healthcare Consumers using Social Media Tools

Last week I attended the World Congress Consumer Connectivity Summit and want to share a few take-aways with my readers.

• In the Pyramid of Trust, healthcare is currently working to establish trust with customers.  Social media can help personalize information to address generational issues and the technology people prefer so it is more naturally absorbed.

• There are many opportunities for Public Health to apply social media tools to their outreach, education and prevention campaigns.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) seems to be leading the way and should be commended for their ability to conceptualize the changing learning opportunities.  My favorite is their partnership with Whyville to educate kids (and many grandparents) on seasonal flu and prevention. 

• Learning is social.  Acting on learning comes from context.  Context comes from the groups of like meaning or microcultures of meaning.

• Engagement is key and built on relationships. (Amen!)

• Hospitals and other providers need to be concerned about and prevent "domain squatting" by establishing their organization on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.  or at least check to see if someone else is already using your same name.

• Hospital and employee newsletters with video "articles" is bigger and better than words on the paper.  Seeing makes a bigger impact.  Mayo Clinic is a leader in this area.

• Keeping people healthy is local.  Social media can benefit those who already have a condition.

• Scheduling appointments is taking over renewing medications for top use of online services at Kaiser.

• Social media strategy -  add to and compliment what is already being offered.

• Use of patient advisory committees to confirm intended message is what is being received.

• Free iPhone applications include one developed by Community Health Network  for their patients and being shared now with all.  Pillbox.app is an electronic "pillbox" used to help patients or caregivers manage and keep track of medication schedules, especially when there are many.  CHN is now working on establishing a connection between Pillbox.app and their PHR.

The ROI of Social Media Tools is the risk of ignoring. Invest in keeping customers!

It was a stimulating two days of how we in healthcare can better engage and communicate with customers and consumers.  I'm glad I attended!

 

Healthcare Bloggers for Every Interest

Trusted.MD Network has a pretty nice list of healthcare bloggers who are posting on just about every topic imaginable.  Pay them a visit if you are looking for one that fits with your specific interests and passions. 

Web 2.0: New Vocabulary for Health Policy

One of my JHM columns was recently referenced in the Jefferson Medical College Newsletter.  It is a nice overview of some of the new terms and technologies that facilitate linkage and communication.  They truly are tools of the future for the progressive!