Leadership Rounding Adds Depth and Breadth to Your Program

While it’s important to have external sales representatives and an issue resolution process, there’s no stronger message to send to physicians than having a senior leader take the time to meet with them. These meetings are a key step to creating the partnership that physicians and hospitals desire in the delivery of care to their patients. Yet this step is often one of the most difficult to implement. 

Implementation can be tough for two reasons:

• Leadership often sees this component as one more meeting in a schedule that’s already overtaxed.
• Physicians may see these sessions as just one more meeting in the blur of office visits.

However, there’s tremendous value to be gained in having a rounding process and strategy that will ultimately transcend the concerns of both parties.

Rounding consists a mindset and approach, as well as a structure. Because the physician sees the executive as being in the seat to make change (rather than someone who can just listen to needs), they are often more open to the leadership visitor than the sales representation.

For that reason, Leadership should be charged with taking an assignment of key physicians with whom to visit and maintain accountability. They may visit these physicians along with the sales representative, but must consider these visits their primary responsibility and should seek out these physicians in more than just the office setting.

Once a leader determines their list of physician assignees, an effective strategy is to learn their internal patterns in the organization. When do they round? What times are they on the units or in particular departments, if at all? It’s then imperative to make certain that some internal rounds occur during these times. While this isn’t the time for in-depth conversation, the leader should ask physicians the following questions while in the walls of your institution:

• Did you have everything you needed to provide care to your patients today?
• What barriers did you encounter, if any?
• What can I do to help you to provide even better care?

Depending upon the response, the leader either resolves the issue or places it into the defined process. In essence, the leader is putting him or herself in a position to become more useful to the physician on a day-to-day basis, and is creating a more positive physician experience by removing barriers to care as described in the earlier article. (The leader is also using the 6 A’s during this process.)

Additionally, the leader should begin a defined process of office visits designed to learn more about the physician practice and needs, and to build a more personal and effective relationship with the physician.

Conversation starters are a great way to focus on understanding the physician’s strategic and operational needs, as well as to hear how they’d like to be involved with your organization. 

It’s important that the leader clearly plans for these visits in a very deliberate fashion so that they are clear on what they want to accomplish, and can leave with the physician feeling that the time spent was worthwhile. As physicians begin to see their needs being met with issues being resolved and staying resolved, and through a listening, responsive Leadership, the partnership begins to evolve. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Share your feedback with us. What do you want to know more about? What are some of the issues you’re facing? Your comments will help us zone in on the physician topics of interest to you as we prepare our next issue.

To print this page select the print button from your browser window or click here.