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Can you defend your request to start a hospitalist program?

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, August 11, 2010

Answering this question will help physician leaders determine whether the administration understands the potential hospitalist program’s value.

The key is to prove that you have diligently reviewed all of the variables that characterize a successful program and are achieving the expected results. You should have the confidence to stand behind your request and subject it to scrutiny by outside experts.

In addition, it is important that the medical director gets to know the hospital partners by meeting regularly with them to present performance reports and provide system reviews regarding how the hospital operations affect your program’s performance. Administrators are not interested in anecdotal experiences, but rather trends that can be quantified into business decisions. For example, noting that, last weekend, a patient had to wait until Monday to get a catheterization laboratory procedure is a concern but does not necessarily mean you should decide to change 15 employees’ work schedules. On the other hand, noting that 20 patients over a two-month period were delayed discharge due to the unavailability of a catheterization laboratory tech on weekends gives the administrator a better perspective of the problem and the opportunity to produce a cost/benefit analysis to make a more informed decision.

During the monthly meetings with administration, hospitalist program leaders have the opportunity to discuss steps the hospitalist program has taken to improve hospital operations, such as implementing a clinical pathway or changing the rotation schedule to improve the response to the ED. Regular meetings help to establish the important relationship between the medical director and hospital leaders. Get to know them before you need them.

The above excerpt is adapted from The Hospitalist Program Management Guide, Second Edition, published by HCPro, Inc. Download a sample chapter online by clicking on the “Browse the book” icon.

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