Experts list five things hospital leaders should do now to improve relationships with physicians.
1 | Be visible
Round on your doctors one-on-one. Ask what's working well and what they need from you to deliver better patient care. Then do it. Michael Hunn, senior vice president and regional chief executive of Providence Health and Services, likes to wear a neon yellow safety vest for rounding on physicians. They know what he's doing when they see it.
2 | Appoint a physician champion
Identify a well-respected physician who is adept at facilitating difficult discussions and getting buy-in from other physicians. Physicians need to talk to physicians.
3 | Credit doctors for success
Express frequent appreciation privately and publicly. Remember, you can't overdo it. If something's going well, credit the docs.
4 | Be transparent
Share and post results publicly. Some hospitals use a stoplight report to show progress on doctor-requested items. Green means "completed," yellow means "in progress" and red means "evaluated but can't go forward."
5 | Align incentives
The annual evaluation is where the rubber meets the road. If you want administration and physicians to align their behaviors, align their goals with weighted, objective and measurable expected outcomes.
