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Setting concise goals in the medical staff services department

Credentialing Resource Center Connection, July 15, 2010

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Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS, is a medical staff consultant based in Fayetteville, AR.

Dear readers,

I bought a little book last week, Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals : Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Goals for Any Performance Plan or Review by Douglas Max and Robert Bacal. I bought it because I often find that I am the last one out of the office at night. I hoped that the book would help me set goals in the medical staff services department (MSSD) and also help me guide my staff towards using their time better.

The issue that began my search for the magical words that would help bring the work of the MSSD into a manageable timetable was a call from the administrative suite. Here’s how that call went:

Administration: Do you remember that spreadsheet your office used to do for billing?

Me: Yes. About four years ago, we decided it was labor intensive and the information could be gathered by other means.

Administration: Think about doing it again, would you?

Ok, but why should I recreate the spreadsheet if it was so labor intensive the first time around that the idea was abandon? I have been to time management classes, LEAN classes, and MSP conferences all throughout my career. I have yet to find a way to do it “smarter, not harder.” I can’t find the right format for spreading my day out to meet the job(s) at hand. That’s where my new book came in handy.

After a little guidance from my new book and thinking about the issue more, here’s what I’ve determined are some of the ways to better manage goals in the MSSD:

• Set concise goals. A paragraph often uses too many words to define a goal. Goals should be specific, yet as short as possible so others can understand them. 
• Keep personal phone calls/e-mails/texting to a minimum. Explain your department’s policy regarding these personal communications and advise staff on policy interpretation.
• When it comes to posting goals, outlining them task by task won’t work. Rather, assign ownership of the goal, i.e., this week Judy needs to get October reappointments in the mail. This helps Judy plan her time, get the supplies she needs, and gives her time to ask for help if needed, to meet her goal.
• Goals should not be etched in stone; priorities change. Remember the spread sheet example above!
• Stop thinking of goals to judge performance; use goals to aim and guide.

I know that I am more of a stop and chat at the end of a desk kind of manager than one who calls a department meeting and announces the goals. I want to know what is going on with the staff so that I am aware of the barriers preventing each of us from reaching our goals. After all, well-trained MSPs means less time supervising.

Those are my current goals.

Remember, those who are afraid to ask are afraid to learn.

All the best,
Anne R. Buss, CPMSM, CPCS

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