Fridge-Tweets

More often than not, I am inspired by the people that I work with. Employees and Independent Contractors that are truly engaged in their work and the importance of their work, give me inspiration and energy to continuously work to improve their ability to do their jobs and tasks effectively. We are immersed in a technology world here at HQAA. We have a highly sophisticated, one-of-a-kind data system that has custom designed interfaces for staff, surveyors and customers. It’s a constantly improving, evolving, almost living entity that we all interact with daily. We have fast computers, complicated phones (with an HQAA app!), and capabilities that 10 years ago were mere ideas.

One day early last summer, I purchased a box of “Magnetic Poetry Kit – Office Version” and put up the 200+ business-related magnetic words on the staff refrigerator. I added a little sticky-note that simply said, “have fun”. Not highly sophisticated or technologically functional, but a step away from anything electronic and just patiently awaiting human interaction.

Since summer, I’ve often stopped and pondered the statements that have been made by staff. Then it dawned on me that I should share these anonymous thoughts, since so many are thoughtful and make real statements that pertain to who we are as a company. I found myself chuckling too at a few and was honestly surprised there weren’t more of the tongue-in-cheek variety – especially knowing the sense of humor that folks possess. Below you will find a few of the compilation of quotable quotes from the fridge. The darnedest things can be found in the darnedest places!

“Create Vision      Utilize Opportunity”

“Client is our future”

“We have smart professional men and women”

“Maximize success by asking and sharing”

“Collaborative team goal through company mission”

And then the statements that made me chuckle:

“I like vacation”

“Break with hot strong coffee”

“Interactive change after nap”

“Think Friday.com”

And finally someone put together a statement that is made quite frequently, and made “famous” by our Assistant Director of Surveyors, “You CAN Do it!”

My original intent in putting up the magnets was to just create an option for team creativity. I’ve been impressed with what I’ve read and so thought that our “fridge-tweets” should be written down. I’m now going to rearrange all the magnets to see what happens when we get to start all over...

It’s Time for Private Health Insurance to Quit Hiding Behind Accreditation

If healthcare is truly, 100% committed to the quality of care for the beneficiaries, patients, caregivers and employers that pay for it, then insurance companies need to develop their preferred provider contracts based upon the quality of the health care provider/supplier, not by whom they are accredited with. To exclude suppliers based upon their accreditation credentials is like telling a person they cannot join your association because they have a “T” in their name, or because they drive a blue car.

There have been some very disappointed suppliers as of late who have contacted me due to their facing a potential substantial loss of their business with a 3rd party insurance contract, all based upon who they are accredited with. If one really thinks about this situation, suppliers, and potentially great suppliers, are being excluded based upon a choice that was made and offered through a huge government contract commonly known as Medicare. Talk about a rock and a hard place. Suppliers who chose an accreditor at a time when tens of thousands of suppliers were mandated to achieve accreditation, now find themselves on the short end because they didn’t choose the “correct” one in the eyes of the insurance companies. Even accreditors that have been deemed qualified by CMS are being discriminated against.

To these private insurance companies I say, “quit hiding” behind the accreditation certificate and look at each supplier for who they are, who they serve, what products they offer, and how efficiently they offer service, equipment and delivery to their customers. I say to ask the suppliers to submit their customer satisfaction surveys, their quality improvement reports, their compliant logs, their billing accuracy, and so on. I say to conduct your own satisfaction surveys to ensure your patients are satisfied with the suppliers who they have worked with. I would bet that you will find excellent, dedicated, patient-focused suppliers that you might have excluded previously because they “drive a blue car” or “have a ‘T’ in their name.” Let’s face it – accreditation and the standards that are imposed are only as “alive” as the organization that breathes life into them. Sure, there are differences in how each of the accreditors impose their standards and observe their implementation, but the bottom line difference is the owner that maintains quality on a day-to-day basis.

It’s time insurance companies really truly look at who they are signing contracts with, and not hide behind discriminatory decisions based on who they are accredited by. It’s time that they admit that “choice by accreditor” is an exclusionary tactic that, frankly, is unfair and illogical. I know I am hedging a bit close to discomfort when I say that “choice by accreditor” seems not so far away from denying someone a membership because of their religious or educational affiliation. It’s a stretch, I know. But I am mad. Mad on behalf of the thousands of customers/providers/suppliers that in good faith made a choice that was 100% acceptable in the eyes of the public healthcare system, only to find out that the same choice creates exclusion in the private healthcare sector. What sense does that make? Does private healthcare do a better job? Does private healthcare guarantee higher quality? I think it would be tough to prove.

What I do think is that all suppliers who have been denied contracts should revolt and dare the insurance companies to look at their quality systems, patient satisfaction, billing efficiencies, complaint logs, referral source satisfaction, and so on. Suppliers can prove that on their own merits, they should be considered for contract opportunities. Dare the insurance companies to look past whose name is in the “Accredited By” line, and to look inside the organization at its quality of service, commitment and equipment.

And I dare the insurance companies who use accreditation as their sole determinant for approvals, to develop criteria to ensure the suppliers are of the quality and distinction that is required, and to quit using accreditation organizations as the bargaining chip. You don’t know what kind of quality you are missing and, ultimately, your beneficiaries lose out. How can it be said that insurance companies care about quality when potentially high-quality suppliers are being excluded? Quit hiding behind accreditation certificates and demand proof of quality from your potential preferred providers. Isn’t that the most logical and important?

Organizational Change…not just a catch phrase

• Mergers and acquisitions
• Innovation
• Technology
• A decline in sales and/or market share
• Initiatives for restructuring/reorganizing
• Globalization / expansion / growth, and
• A sense of urgency

• Not engaging all employees
• Managing change only at the executive level
• Telling people “we have to change” (crisis mode)
• Sending staff to “change training” and expecting it to occur automatically
• Not honoring the past
• Not giving staff time to vent first and then change

• Accept that change is a process
• Move forward step by step
• Assess potential risks and generate motivation
• Form a powerful guiding coalition
• Create shared values for change
• Communicate the vision
• Empower others to act on the vision
• Plan for and create short-term wins
• Consolidate improvement and keep the momentum for change moving
• Institutionalize the new approaches

HQAA Renewal Process: Manage Your Process Effectively

• Eight (8) to nine (9) months prior to the expiration date, the supplier receives an e-mail notification that they should begin the process
• If the supplier has not yet begun, the supplier receives a courtesy letter via USPS seven (7) months prior to the expiration date
• Four (4) months prior to the expiration date, the supplier receives a certified letter advising that their accreditation is expiring

Change