> Give Your Nurses Back 166
     Hours Every Month

> Cut Door to Pain Medication
     Time in the ED

> Grow Volume by Aligning
    Accountability

> Improve Community Health
    through Cross-Referrals

> Re-Recruit High and Medium-
    Performing Employees,
    De-Select the Low Performers

> Increase Access with Pre-Visit
    Phone Calls

> Hardwire the Five
    Fundamentals of Service

> Step Up Communication to
    Move Results Faster

> Share a successful tool or tip
    on engaged leadership

> What was most useful in this
    issue of Hardwired Results?^TM

> Here's a checklist you can use
    to hardwire leadership
    excellence at your organization

> Order print copies

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Recently, I spoke at a national technology conference on operational excellence. In talking with attendees from high-tech firms, many spoke to me about the enormous potential rewards of being “first movers,” or companies who are first to market with an innovative new product (Apple's iPOD for example). Read Quint's Full Message

On average, nurses spend 10,000 minutes per month (i.e. 166 hours¹) responding to patient call lights. Nurses are called into each patient room 12 to 15 times daily for toileting assistance, positioning/transfer, to get or do something for the patient, pain medication, and a variety of other reasons. At one orthopedic unit, these four reasons alone accounted for nearly 71 percent of call lights² . If your organization gained back 166 hours per month, you might feel like you just hired a full-time RN at no extra cost. Read Full Article

"The top three things patients want in an Emergency Department are for staff to care about them, to be informed about delays, and pain control,” explains Studer Group Coach Julie Kennedy. "We have to hold up the mirror and ask ourselves how well we really do at meeting these expectations, even when we are afraid of finding out." Read Full Article

A healthy hospital becomes increasingly efficient in service delivery and therefore serves more of its community over time. By focusing on volume, organizations can grow services that raise patient satisfaction, improve quality by reviewing and aligning to physician needs, raise employee productivity, and increase revenue. Read Full Article

Emergency Departments around the country do a great job diagnosing patients and treating them for specific injury and illness. But how often do they consider the overall health of the patient before discharging them into the community? Read Full Article

There isn't a nursing unit anywhere that wouldn't rather work 'short', than deal with a difficult, low performing team mate," says Sue Boland, CNO at All Saints Hospital, Racine, WI. "It's critical to breed a healthy team."
Read Full Article

What happens when a patient doesn't show up or cancels an outpatient test or procedure? Open appointments must be rescheduled. And even if every lost appointment could be rescheduled at month-end, the add-ins are expensive because they result in lost staff productivity, additional staffing and associated overtime. Here's how to take an opportunity disguised as an expense problem to serve patients better while increasing access, productivity, revenue and volume: Make pre-visit phone calls.
Read Full Article

"When I ask employees what they would want for a family member if they were hospitalized, the things they consistently mention are respect, communication, appreciation, and confidence in the skill of the caregivers," explains Studer Group Coach Don Dean. "This leads us into a discussion of the Five Fundamentals of Service... how we ensure that all patients receive excellent care." Read Full Article

“Communication must be exhaustive to successfully engage employees and create organizational alignment," notes Studer Group Coach Lucy Crouch. "I tell leaders if they feel they might pull their hair out if they have to speak with one more person at the end of the day, they're probably communicating enough." Read Full Article