September 2022 News

Dr. John McB. Hodgson

SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS

THE DOCTOR'S CORNER

 
   
Thanks for connecting with Hodgson Leadership Solutions. It’s been a busy summer, but I hope you are doing well and also had some down time with family and friends.     
 
As we head into the fall, our September Newsletter focus is on practical ways we can improve our work environment.

     As I am sure you know, healthcare providers are at especially high risk, with some research suggesting our risks are almost doubled. Our chronic exposure to stress can cause physical and emotional exhaustion, dulling of caring responses to patients, and negatively impact our personal relationships.

     While we are at greater risk of burnout, it is not inevitable.  There are practical steps we can take to create a less hostile work environment and improve our quality of life as well as the quality of the healthcare we deliver.

Serving with you,

 

 

John McB. Hodgson, MD, MSCAI

WHAT’S NEW?

heathcare education, Healing the System: A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Hearts of Healthcare Providers, healthcare consultants, Dr. John McB. Hodgson

Just Released!
Healing the System - A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare
by John McB. Hodgson, MD 

If you are frustrated and fatigued with an impersonal, administrative-heavy system, long work hours, ad lack of respect and autonomy, this book will encourage you with practical solutions to challenges that plague our healthcare systems.

Amazon Rankings
#1 in Physician & Patient Caregiving
#1 in Health Risk Assessment
#1 in Health Care Delivery

One of our first reviews:

“Well worth the time to read and carefully consider the reality of the problems we face in healthcare. It contains some extremely practical and, indeed, pragmatic approaches to resolving or lessening the dysfunction.”

Lorick Fox, MPAS, PA-C, AACC 
 
My goal in writing this book was to attempt to address issues that we actually have control over and which we can impact with simple changes to the way we approach care.  Rather than expect government to “reform healthcare” I believe that we are far better equipped to make changes on the front lines that can impact our work environment, that of our administrator colleagues and, most importantly, the patients we care for.

Healing the System – A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare

by Dr. John McB. Hodgson

Chapter 1 – How We Got Here
“Rather than being practitioners of the mission to serve the poor and ill, we have become a mechanism to ensure sufficient income and economic viability.”

 

COMPLIMENTARY RESOURCES – cOACHING WHITEPAPER

 “Packing as much as possible into each day may be good for the bottom line, but it is short-sighted, and we are now all paying the price for overlooking community-building.  We do not have to practice in an environment that feels increasingly hostile, isolated, and uncomfortable. Those days can be behind us.”
     

Professional coaching is underutilized in medicine.  We experience very busy schedules, make life altering decisions, and fight fatigue every day. Having someone who can look at the big picture and help us navigate can result in many positive outcomes.

Just SIX healthcare coaching sessions for 88 practicing Mayo Clinic physicians improved quality of life, resilience, job satisfaction, engagement and meaning at work.  Read the results of the randomized clinical trial.

You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC

Medical Necessity?

cardiology

Cardiology Care and Medical Necessity

I have been providing cardiology care for patients for years.  Today was an example of how challenging providing high quality cardiology care has become. I sent a patient for emergency open heart surgery today.   He should have gone last week.  Why didn’t he?  “Medical necessity” is why.   When I saw him in the office it was clear he was having classic angina related to coronary atherosclerosis.  I have 40 years of experience in diagnosing this. In days past, I would have set him up for a cardiac catheterization the next morning.  But insurance did not deem it “medically necessary” since he had not yet had a stress test.  To avoid him being stuck with a large unpaid bill, we set him up for a stress test.  Of course, that had to have prior insurance authorization as well, taking another few days.  After that, we had to wait for an opening in the stress testing schedule.  All told, it would be three weeks before he could have a stress test to prove that he needed a heart catheterization. 

Yesterday, he called my office to report that he was running out of nitroglycerine since he was using up to 10/day and unable to do anything without chest pain.  I abandoned my patience with the insurance company and had him come to the emergency room for admission.  On arrival he already had elevated heart enzymes and then required a nitroglycerine drip for pain control.  At his catheterization today he had severe left main coronary disease.  Fortunately, he remained stable and I was able to have a cardiology colleague set him up for emergent open heart surgery. Now it really was medically necessary!

I am aware that a tiny percentage of providers have abused the insurance system, but I am confident that we spend far more on insurance authorization than was ever spent on unnecessary claims!  How have we allowed an insurance “reviewer” working off a checklist dictate what our patients need?  How is it that their “approval” has more weight than my 40 years of cardiology training and experience?  What happened to trust that we will do the right thing?  Thankfully my patient did not literally drop dead at home.  But I have to wonder how many others actually did while waiting for “medical necessity” clearance.

heathcare education, Healing the System: A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Hearts of Healthcare Providers, healthcare consultants, Dr. John McB. Hodgson

There is so much that can be done to improve both cardiology care and the overall healthcare system. My recently released book, “Healing the System – a Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare, identifies the problems, the root causes and practical solutions.

With provider dissatisfaction at an all-time high, our leadership coaching resources and practical healthcare education will improve the way healthcare systems work so that healthcare providers can get back to doing what they love to do—care for patients, solve problems, and influence the delivery system.

It is possible to create an environment and culture where everyone in the medical field can thrive and where a sense of fulfillment, joy, and satisfaction can be returned to the practice of medicine.

Stay Connected

You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC

Silo Syndrome

physician leadership

Silo Syndrome - How Good Physician Leadership Can Help

Physician leadership sometimes means stopping the work to support the worker.  Here’s an example.  “I’m not sure why I chose this job!”  A very competent and normally confident advanced nurse practitioner came to me recently and was distressed about a patient she had seen who was nearing the end of life.  She felt ill-equipped to have end-of-life discussions or shoulder the difficult questions or decisions that would occur with the patient and his family.  The full weight of provider responsibility and the impact we have on patient outcomes was especially heavy that morning. I offered some reassurance and even some “advice” I had received 30 years ago from a mentor: “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen!”  Of course, I was not serious with my advice.  However, it reminded me of the dysfunctional culture that we sometimes practice in.   Certainly, as young physicians, despite being sleep-deprived, exhausted, and hungry, we were told to “suck it up” or to “man up.”  We were taught to be self-sufficient, and that support should not be expected.  Keep working, stay in your silo and tough it out!  How insane!

This mentality needs to change.  My colleague was suffering from what I call “silo syndrome.”  Good physician leadership can turn the silo syndrome into a highly motivated, well-functioning team of healthcare providers if we will recognize that it isn’t just the patient that needs care.

Her work situation had been designed such that she worked alone and was expected to run an independent panel of patients.  While a physician might do initial consults, she was expected to do all of the follow-ups and make the follow-up decisions based on testing results. She was technically part of a multi-provider “center,” but she certainly did not feel part of a team.  No time was set apart for consultation with a physician, no patient reviews were performed, and trying to get advice on the fly was nearly impossible. 

Because healthcare workers are subjected to continuous work environment stress, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of teaming. Every physician interested in good physician leadership needs to take into consideration the fact that all of us need personal interaction.  We need the brief encouragements, the brief moments of celebration for a nice patient outcome, and a brief intellectually stimulating review of an interesting case.  My colleague needed to have someone to process her feelings with and someone to walk with her through the process of making difficult decisions.  Make an effort to build teaming activity into your day today.   If not for you, one of your colleagues needs it!

Physician Leadership Coaching Has Proven Results

Professional coaching is underutilized in medicine.  We experience very busy schedules, make life altering decisions, and fight fatigue every day. Having someone who can look at the big picture and help us navigate can result in many positive outcomes.

Just SIX healthcare coaching sessions for 88 practicing Mayo Clinic physicians improved quality of life, resilience, job satisfaction, engagement and meaning at work.  If you want to deliver top-notch physician leadership for your time,  I invite you to consider physician leadership coaching.

Read the whitepaper that identifies results of the randomized clinical trial measuring outcomes from coaching.

physician leadership, leadership coaching, healthcare education, healthcare consulting company, continuing medical education
You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC

Healthcare Management Breakdowns

hospital management meets doctors

Us vs. Them Mentality in Healthcare Management

The largest private sector nursing strike just began in Minnesota.  On September 12th approximately 15,000 nurses staged a three-day strike to protest staffing levels and the work environment.  The prelude to this decision involved many hours of labor talks with the administration, unfair labor practice charges, and accusations of refusing to address potential solutions to understaffing or involvement by nurses in the scheduling process.  According to a Washington Post interview, a nurse in Minnesota said she was sad it had to come to a strike, but that it was the only way to show the administration (who had been claiming it was the nurse’s fault) how strongly they felt and how important the issues were.  While the strike is now over, no agreements have been reached.  Quotes from both sides reveal how far apart they still are on an agreement. 

It is not for me to arbitrate the merits of pay raises or varied staffing levels, but I can’t help but assume that somewhere along the way rather than the hospital and the providers teaming to provide community healthcare, an “us vs. them” mentality developed.  I’m sure both sides of the healthcare management issues would agree that excellent health care is the goal, but our systems have morphed from “mission driven” to “profit driven” models over the last century.  Tasks that used to be managed by the front-line providers are now assigned to business administrators.  While the number of administrators has skyrocketed, the front line is struggling to fill positions.

In my opinion, it may be time to take a big step back and reassess the overall goals of healthcare delivery systems.  If providers and administrators can agree on the health outcomes desired, it will be easier to design a healthcare management plan to accomplish it.  It could mean more nurses and fewer administrators; it could look entirely different.  But the message is clear:  the system is currently broken and something has to give.  We must abandon the us vs them mentality and look for joint solutions!

Are you interested in learning more about practical ways to improve healthcare management? “Healing the System, a Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare” tackles healthcare dysfunction head-on, identifies root causes, who owns the breakdowns, and more importantly provides a prescriptive cure.  The book offers straightforward, actionable processes that don’t require an act of Congress to bring about improvement.  Learn more about it here.

Please join our vibrant community of healthcare providers on the Hodgson Leadership Solutions LinkedIn page.

You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC

Averting a U.S. Healthcare Crisis

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
CONTACT: VICKIE ISAAC, M.ED., PRESIDENT/CEO
ELEVATE MARKETING LLC
602-403-7575
elevate@elevatemarketing.biz

Averting a U.S. Healthcare Crisis

heathcare education, Healing the System: A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Hearts of Healthcare Providers, healthcare consultants, Dr. John McB. HodgsonWhile 15,000 Minnesota nurses walk off their jobs and others consider following suit, delivering quality U.S. healthcare is increasingly challenging. Administrators and front-line workers are at odds. According to Dr. Hodgson, “Provider dissatisfaction is at an all time high. Chronic workplace stress has caused over half of U.S. healthcare workers to experience burnout. This crisis was predicable but also solvable. There are readily implementable solutions to the increasingly hostile, isolated, and uncomfortable healthcare environment.”

In Dr. Hodgson’s newly released book, Healing the System: A Prescription for Rejuvenating the Heart in Healthcare, healthcare dysfunction is tackled head-on, root causes identified, breakdown ownership identified, and the prescriptive cure for U.S. healthcare dysfunction is presented through straightforward, actionable processes.

In Healing the System, Dr. Hodgson asserts that reenergizing the entire system without a major overhaul or financial ruin is possible. He is confident his recommendations can return healthcare culture to its original missional purpose of compassionate care for the sick and injured. Dr. Hodgson contends that creating an environment and culture where everyone, including administrators, thrives, and health, balance, and fulfillment are returned to the practice and practitioners of medicine is not optional – it is urgently necessary. A complimentary chapter of Dr. Hodgson’s book is available HERE.

About John McB. Hodgson, MD
Dr. Hodgson is no stranger to the dysfunction of the American healthcare system. As an internationally recognized cardiologist who has served in academic and community hospitals, multi-city systems, rural and foreign hospitals, private practice, and academic employed practice, he has a unique perspective on what is working and what is not in today’s systems. As CEO of Hodgson Leadership Solutions medical consulting firm, he works to improve healthcare systems and strengthen healthcare providers to rejuvenate both. Dr. Hodgson is a practicing cardiologist, CEO of Hodgson Leadership Solutions medical consulting firm, a tenured professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University, entrepreneur, inventor, certified life coach, and change agent. More information about Dr. John McB. Hodgson is available at www.hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com.

Please contact Vickie Isaac, M.Ed. President/CEO, Elevate Marketing at elevate@elevatemarketing.biz for interviews and speaking engagements.

You don't Have to Burn Out, Stay Stuck in Conflict, or compromise your values. Revitalize Yourself and Your Team. We Have the Prescription.
Request a free consultation
Phone: (440) 903-6666
Email: info@hodgsonleadershipsolutions.com

Address: P.O. Box 23547
Chagrin Falls, OH  44022

(c) 2022, Dr. John Mc.B. Hodgson

Website Design by Elevate Marketing LLC