Physician Beware
Communication Breakdowns Tips to improve employee interactions By Aubrey Westgate
About a decade ago, family physician Randall Rickard separated from a larger healthcare system in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to form Family Practice Partners, an independent four-physician, two-site practice. Unfortunately, breaking away from the larger healthcare system led to major communication breakdowns between staff members at the new practice, says Rickard. “We formed this group and we didn’t have much effort put into working together,” he says, noting that faulty communication arose within each practice site and between the two locations. Employees were failing to discuss their daily schedules and responsibilities with one another, and as a result, coordination and efficiency suffered. “To build teams you have to build communication,” says Rickard. To combat these types of breakdowns, Rickard and his colleagues began “huddling” with small groups of employees each morning to briefly discuss the day’s schedule and identify what each individual could do to keep things running smoothly. They also initiated full-staff meetings regularly to relay goals, policies, and upcoming changes to employees. That way, Rickard says, “We could all work toward the same point as opposed to just randomly establishing schedules without communicating with each other.” Today, Family Practice Partners is thriving. So much so that it’s even added a third practice site to its group. “We did a much better job once we started communicating,” Rickard says. “…In order to innovate we had to communicate a lot.” CHAIN REACTIONS
Often practices underestimate the importance of communication, says Barbara Stahura, a practice management consultant at PYA GatesMoore in Atlanta. 26
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“A lot of times people see communication as a ‘soft skill,’” she says, noting that it’s not as “in the news” as say, coding changes, and it might not seem as measurable as accounts receivable. But, done poorly, it is very measurable in terms of the problems it creates, she says. As Rickard learned, the poor interchange of ideas can cause inefficiencies and disorganization. Worse, it can hinder quality of care, says Sherry Migliore, director of consulting at PMSCO Healthcare Consulting in Harrisburg, Pa. “If you have inherent issues in terms of how staff communicates with each other, you are going to have communication issues with patients as well,” she says. Of course, when quality of care is hindered by poor expression of information, both the patients and providers suffer negative results, says Miranda Felde, assistant vice president of patient safety at The Doctors Company, a nationwide malpractice insurer in Napa, Calif. “If there is a patient harmed and the patient decides to pursue litigation or file suit against the physician provider, the physician has to endure that,” she says, noting that 85 percent of medical malpractice cases result from communication failures. Making clear communication a top priority is the first step to improving it at any practice. If staff members don’t understand its importance, they don’t take the time to ensure they are articulating their ideas properly, says Migliore. Stahura says implementing formal communication policies is key. Leaders should “define their expectations” regarding verbal, written, and nonverbal communication skills and policies. But leaders also need to show staff members that they too are working to fulfill those expecta-
tions, she says. “You can’t expect your staff to communicate well and treat patients well if they’re not seeing it modeled at the top.” THE CRITICAL TOOL
Meetings provide an ideal opportunity for leadership to prioritize and address communication issues, says Migliore. Meetings can also (as Rickard learned) ensure your staff is working together to reach shared goals. • Staff meetings. Meryl Luallin, a healthcare marketing consultant with SullivanLuallin Healthcare Consulting in San Diego, advises weekly staff meetings to keep employees updated and connected. Meetings minimize confusion that might later lead to communication breakdowns, and they reinforce a constant flow of discourse between staff members. Migliore recommends making communication an agenda item at such meetings. This helps relay its importance, and it also provides an opportunity for staff members to continually discuss problems and identify ways to solve them. • Department meetings. For large medical practices, Stahura suggests short weekly meetings within each office area to discuss issues and keep staff informed. • One-on-ones. When employees continually communicate poorly with one another, a manager should step in to help facilitate a discussion and resolve the issues, says Migliore. www.physicianspractice.com
3/20/12 1:08 PM
