Problem solving in healthcare organizations, whether big or small can be efficiently handled - Just three pretty simple questions should be asked:
- What’s the specific problem? This may seem obvious, but actually is not as much so as you might think. Too many times, ancillary issues are identified before the core problems are addressed. Finding the core problem and identifying it as such will create a positive domino effect both in identifying the problem and finding the solution.
- Who knows how to solve the problem? While administrators and managers can help facilitate the solutions, many times the real experts are the people on the ground who work day in and out in the specific areas needing attention. Listen to them, and then make sound decisions based on what they tell you. If you need to go outside the organization to find the experts needed to fix the problems, then do so. The definition of insanity is “doing the same things the same way and expecting different results”.
- Fix the most urgent issues first. Prioritize solutions. When tackling the problem of getting more money in the door, first and foremost is making sure all the appropriate charges are going out the door. When you know that all the charges are being filed accurately, then you can fix the backend problem as an example.
Technology is complex and the problems generated by using technology can be challenging. But just like Revenue Cycle, Operations, logistics, scheduling and other healthcare problems, solutions can be found and rapidly if the right people are focused on solving the most pressing problems.
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