Things can go wrong without the right team in place.
I recently read an article that tried to explain the cost overrun experienced by a hospital during the launch of their new EMR. The article was clear about what caused the excess, but did not communicate why the decision that created the cause was made.
In many hospitals, emotions can run high fueled by attitudes of resistance to change. The pressures and stress associated with starting up can be challenging to manage; however, allowing those forces to affect decision making can have lasting adverse financial effects. When all the planning, budgeting, constraints, and common sense that must be applied are put aside, you can almost always expect the worst. It may seem like the appeal is the right thing to do to relieve stress, but it may not be the best thing. Sticking to the plan and staying within budget should always be the guiding factor driving decisions, even when the pressure is great.
It’s unfortunate, but some decisions are based on issues that may not exist at all, but are only perceived based on excessive negativity. It is vital to have an experienced team that can help make fact-based decisions.
Negotiation skills pay off!
When doing logistics, treat it like your money
Getting one of the best hotels in the city to give you the lowest rate with big concessions is great. In this arrangement, the hotel managed flight itineraries and provided transportation to and from the airport. They provided a large conference room for orientation and then wowed us on contract with a complimentary welcome reception for 120 guests with lavish appetizers. It provided two fifty-six-seat luxury buses and several shuttles to transport consultants to and from the training center. They also agreed to use their shuttles to take consultants who worked within two miles of the hotel to work and back each day. Everything mentioned above was in the price of the rooms $105.09 with taxes. Note that this removed a large burden from the consulting firm and the savings were passed on to the hospital.
When a hospital contracts with a consulting firm, that consulting firm should do its best to save money, not spend it. Creating a positive cost variance (CV) indicates that the consulting firm is indeed on your team. Bargaining for the best price is good, but getting the most value for the lowest price is better.
Consultants saved the day!
Good consultants can mean the difference between success and failure
I sat in an auditorium with over three hundred consultants when the speaker invited the lead manager of the implementation project to the podium. “Dr. So-and-so has overseen the implementation of EMR in over nineteen hospitals, please give him a round of applause.” Wow, nineteen projects, that’s impressive. However, it turned out to be a challenging project in many areas, but mainly with significant workflow issues.
Although it is unclear why this is happening, it is clear that the leadership was out of touch. Looking for someone with excellent qualifications can be attractive to any hospital, but having someone with the insight who can eliminate problems before they exist is invaluable. I’m not sure why this project manager didn’t know this.
Fortunately for everyone, the consultants came in with the necessary experience and knowledge to handle these types of problems. Leaping into action and drawing on past experiences, they began the process of educating staff and leadership on what works. This startup would never have survived without the tremendous efforts of the consultant.
