Get staff buy-in for a top-notch PI program
Making the new hire work
(Editor's note: Last month, Home Infusion Therapy Management looked at how Total Health Services came to the conclusion it was time to hire a PI manager. In the second part of the two-part series, Total Health provides its tips on making a seamless transition to a full-time PI manager.)
It was just three months ago when Total Health Services in Bridgeport, WV, hired its first performance improvement manager. But Ken Gianettino, RPh, vice president of clinical operations for Total Health, knew that hiring a PI manager was but the first step. Making it work was another matter.
In the time since bringing aboard Tim Wiles, MPA, as Total Health's first PI manager, Gianettino took several steps to ensure the smooth transition to a more strictly adhered to PI program:
· Set your goals. First, Gianettino and Wiles mapped out their strategy to ensure both were starting out on the same page.
"Ken and I sat down and had some frank discussion on where we are going now and where we want to go," says Wiles.
· Educate, educate, educate. Every provider's policies and forms will differ - sometimes drastically. So it was important for Wiles to see operations first-hand.
"It was important to get comfortable with the company, so Ken got me directly involved with the nurses and the pharmacists," says Wiles.
"The key thing we did was plant Tim physically in the middle of the clinical operations staff to let them know what his responsibilities would be and more or less roll up his sleeves and observe our procedures and see everybody in their processes," notes Giannetino.
By getting an early, first-hand look at Total Health's business, how it operated, and the people it interacted with, Wiles was able to better evaluate where his time would be best spent.
"He was able to pretty quickly develop a plan for us to become more organized at our current level of operations as well as develop a future plan for Total Health Services and our [recently] affiliated companies and operations," notes Gianettino.
This led directly to the next step in making sure the transition to a stringent PI program worked.
· Get to know the staff. Placing Wiles in the midst of the day-to-day operations enabled him to get to know the staff quickly.
"It allowed him to bond pretty quickly with everyone, and they saw him as an integral part of what they do every day," says Gianettino.
The early introductions also gave Wiles the opportunity to evaluate the staff's willingness to take part in the PI process, which he says is a key component in the PI process.
"You really have to have a tie-in back to leadership and the staff," he says. "And that's easy in a health care company. You live and die by accreditation. So if you want the company to grow, and the staff wants to be a part of that, you tie everyone's position into it, and that makes the staff a part of it."
Keep in mind that Total Health had a PI plan in place prior to Wiles' arrival. The problem was that Giannetino simply no longer had the time to pay as close attention as was needed to the program.
"It fell by the wayside because our business was growing, and we weren't able to keep up on a day-to-day basis with performance improvement," says Giannetino.
Wiles notes that three months was plenty of time for him to get a feel for the company and begin working on performance improve-ment measures. But he cautions that if your company has not instituted an all-encompassing PI program, allow a new hire at least six months to get the ball rolling. At the very least, every home infusion provider should be conducting patient satisfaction surveys, as well as chart reviews.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content