ASHHRA eNews Pulse

Dear ASHHRA,

Over the last several weeks, I have heard at least three people use the term "servant leader." When Robert Greenleaf first coined this term he was placing people, someone other than himself, as his greater responsibility. Wikipedia states "A servant leader is someone who is servant first, who has responsibility to be in the world, and so he contributes to the well-being of people and community."1 This has been on my mind because Valentine’s Day is this month. This is the month where we celebrate our love for others. Typically this is our love for our spouse, children, parents, and even our brothers and sisters (believe it or not... I send them both a Valentine each year). What if this year, in addition to sending flowers and Valentine’s cards, we also celebrate love for others by volunteering in an organization where we can make a contribution?

What if this year, you also choose to celebrate your love for others by volunteering? Would you consider ASHHRA? You could join a team of amazing volunteers that are dedicated to sharing their love for others by being servant leaders in our human resource community. Debbie Ruebens, SPHR-CA, director, Human Resources, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Northern California, Sacramento, Calif., leads the Learning and Education Committee. Her team works all year to anticipate our needs and provide webinars that help us stay informed and ahead of potential problems. Nancy Dinon, vice president of HR, Orlando Health, Orlando, Fla., and her committee are responsible for the annual conference. This conference provides more than education; it provides an opportunity to network, which is essential to our success. Mike Paruta, associate vice president, Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, R.I., the chair of our Advocacy Committee, leads a committee that charters a course for us in Congress. They advocate throughout the year for change that will benefit all of our employees and organizations. As you read these articles throughout the year, you will learn about other ASHHRA committees and task forces that are also contributing to the well-being of people and community. Along with the board, all of these individuals are exemplifying servant leadership.

Although we are beyond the new year, will you consider making a new year’s resolution? Call it your Valentine’s Day Volunteering Resolution. The possibilities are endless. You can volunteer by participating in a walk/run. You can take a senior out to lunch or teach a young person to read. You can introduce someone to the joys of the outdoors and bird watching (I admit, this is one of my volunteer goals for this year.) There is no limit to the contribution that you can make to people and your community. As you are thinking about this, think about ASHHRA. Think about sharing your love of health care with others in our profession by serving on a committee. Complete the online Volunteer Interest Form to put your name on the list as a future volunteer for our organization. In my personal experience, serving others is one of the most rewarding activities you can engage in. I hope you will choose to volunteer and HAVE FUN doing it!

Leading People Through Change,

Irma L. Pye, SPHR
ASHHRA 2012 President
Senior Vice President & CHRO
Valley Baptist Health System
Harlingen, Texas

¹Servant leadership. (2012, February 2). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:34, February 7, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_leadership

 

Help celebrate our 10th Anniversary! The American Hospital Association (AHA) and Diversified have again teamed up to launch the annual Retirement Plan Trends in Today’s Healthcare Market—2012. Participate in this milestone edition of the only retirement plan benchmarking survey report dedicated solely to health care organizations.

Visit http://www.snapsurveys.com/swh/surveylogin.asp?k=132767389517 to view the full article online.

 

ASHHRA and Integrated Healthcare Strategies are pleased to announce that the 2012 National Healthcare Staff Compensation Survey is now available for your participation.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/publications/compensation_survey.shtml#staff_survey to view the full article online.

 

Beginning in April, many people applying for Social Security disability benefits will be able to sign and submit the Authorization to Disclose Information to Social Security (Form SSA-827) form electronically, as the last part of the online process.
Download the flier.

Visit http://www.ashhra.org/resources/Files/2012/SSApplicants_Sign_Authorization_Electronically_Article.pdf to view the full article online.

 

By Jason Green

The union that represents 1,200 El Camino Hospital workers formally kicked off an effort to qualify a measure for the November ballot that would slash the pay of the health care provider's top brass.
SOURCE: MERCURYNEWS.COM

Visit http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_19925315 to view the full article online.

 

By Ilan Kolet and Shobhana Chandra

While the economy lost 7.5 million positions during the 18-month recession, the health-care industry added doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel. Together with the social assistance category, which includes day-care workers, career counselors, and similar positions, the sector will add more than 5.6 million employees and be the biggest job gainer by 2020, according to new projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Manufacturing is forecast to lose 73,000 jobs by then.
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/health-cares-jobs-boom-02022012.html to view the full article online.

 

By Rachel Fields

Hospital employee satisfaction is coming under the spotlight, as health care leaders start to realize that organizational culture is directly tied to patient satisfaction, financial results, and clinical quality. Here three hospital CEOs discuss the issues that hurt employee satisfaction in a hospital, as well as the approaches they take to fulfill and retain their associates.
SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/6-issues-that-damage-employee-satisfaction-in-hospitals.html to view the full article online.

 

By Bob Herman

Of the three main corporate health care sectors—hospital, long-term care, and home health—the top human resource executive has the highest average salary at hospitals, according to a survey from Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service.
SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/hospitals-have-highest-paid-human-resource-execs-in-healthcare.html to view the full article online.

 

By Bob Herman

Signing bonuses are on the rise, as 88 percent of placed physicians received a signing bonus in 2011, according to a report from The Medicus Firm.
SOURCE: BECKER’S HOSPITAL REVIEW

Visit http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/signing-bonuses-for-placed-physicians-leaped-15-in-2011.html to view the full article online.

 

By Sarah Frier and Drew Armstrong

UnitedHealth Group Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer by sales, will pay doctors based on the quality of their care in a cost-cutting effort that also benefits the company’s consulting business.
SOURCE: BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-09/unitedhealth-will-tie-doctors-payments-to-quality-of-care.html to view the full article online.

 

By Brad Power

To deliver more value, the human resources function needs to spend more time accelerating operational improvement and less time on its traditional administrative and compliance activities. As Randy MacDonald, senior vice president of HR at IBM, told me, "It's important for HR to decide what is core and non-core. Administrative responsibilities such as getting paychecks out on time are not core. In HR, we need to focus on what is important."
SOURCE: HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/02/focus_hr_on_process_improvemen.html to view the full article online.

 

By Teresa L. Deshields

There is growing recognition of compassion fatigue as a challenge to health care professionals engaged in difficult clinical work. Certainly, exposure to patients who are suffering increases vulnerability to compassion fatigue. Some have even suggested that clinical researchers can be vulnerable to it.
SOURCE: HOSPITAL IMPACT

Visit http://www.hospitalimpact.org/index.php/2012/02/08/a_hospital_wide_approach_to_combating_co to view the full article online.

 

By Rich Flaherty

Over the past few years, employers of all sizes and across all industries are facing mounting financial challenges: from the economic downturn to ever-increasing costs for providing group health care coverage for employees. In addition to these financial concerns, rules set forth by ERISA and the Sarbanes Oxley Act require companies to implement and maintain higher levels of controls over corporate spending and risk management. Extra vigilance is demanded in the area of health care spending.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/ahh-nwl/articles/index-v2.asp?aid=167237&issueID=22513 to view the full article online.

 

By Joseph C. Kvedar & Sam Bierstock

Email has been so commonplace for so long that some people consider it nearly obsolete. But in the health-care profession, its use for communications between doctors and their patients is still controversial.
SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204124204577152860059245028.html to view the full article online.

 

By Alicia Caramenico

Organizing pediatric physicians and nurses into small teams improves the frequency and quality of communication—and likely patient outcomes—concludes a study published in the May issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Efficient interaction between physicians and nurses is imperative for pediatric hospitals, as disorganized communication is associated with serious medical errors. According to the study, small care teams could be a possible solution.
SOURCE: FIERCE HEALTHCARE

Visit http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/physician-nurse-communication-better-small-teams/2011-05-03 to view the full article online.

 

By Philip Betbeze

The Department of Health and Human Services believes that best practices, techniques and solutions for obtaining higher levels of quality and safety among hospitals should spread, um, well...like a disease. Those are my words, not theirs, but allow me to continue with my bad ironic similes and consider that the $218 million agency is investing in so-called "Hospital Engagement Networks" as Typhoid Mary.

SOURCE: HEALTH LEADERS MEDIA

Visit http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/LED-276136/Will-Paying-Hospitals-to-Teach-Each-Other-Get-Results to view the full article online.

 

By Matthew Weinstock

It's possible, Michael Frisina postulated, that when your hospital developed its strategic plan for the coming year, it actually validated a policy that said a certain percentage of your patients will be harmed. If zero errors aren't the goal, Frisina said during a keynote at the 25th Annual Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, then you're acknowledging that patients will be harmed.
SOURCE: HOSPITALS AND HEALTH NETWORKS (H&HN)

Visit http://www.hhnmag.com/hhnmag/HHNDaily/HHNDailyDisplay.dhtml?id=6490006836 to view the full article online.

 

By Karen M. Cheung

So how do you choose who will make a good leader? Consider an executive who can keep pace with health care trends. Here's a list of top things that a good executive leader should have (which you could even include in the job description).
SOURCE: FIERCE HEALTHCARE

Visit http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/top-5-traits-forward-thinking-executive-leader/2011-09-09 to view the full article online.