We must admit, we’re bummed today is the last day of the ASHHRA 51st Annual Conference & Expo, although the past couple days have been jam-packed with great new memories, opportunities and fresh new ideas in health care human resources (HR). 

Join us at 6 a.m. for your last chance to participate in Sunrise Yoga, then we’ll begin with the final Learning Session block at 8 a.m. Don’t forget to browse items available in the ASHHRA Resource Center any time from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., then we’ll see you at 9:45 a.m. for the Closing Ceremony where we’ll recognize and celebrate HR leaders for their professional accomplishments in the following categories: National Mentorship Award, HR Leader Award, and the Outstanding Leadership and Service Award. Afterwards, we’ll cap off this year’s conference with a lively and thoughtful keynote from Talent Anarchy. 

We can’t thank you enough for being here this year... for being a part of our Annual Conference & Expo and helping us celebrate the next 50 years of ASHHRA.

6:00 – 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Yoga

8:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m. Cyber Café / Resource Center / Charging Station

9:45 a.m. –12:00 p.m. Closing Ceremony Brunch: Talent Anarchy

 

To conclude the Closing Ceremony, Talent Anarchy will reveal the awesome power of social gravity. Plan to discover the science behind how and why relationships form between people and gain an understanding of the value that exists within these relationships called social capital. The Six Laws of Social Gravity will then empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to grow a powerful network of relationships to fuel personal and professional success.

 

Yesterday morning, Ian Morrison, PhD, presented his comprehensive view on the future of health care delivery in America and how this affects   HR leaders. Covering topics from health care costs and delivery, to our aging population, health insurers and consolidation, his entertaining and informational presentation proved to be a well-rounded outlook of what to expect in the future of health care delivery. 

Here were his top implications for health care HR leaders. 

HR leaders must address talent recruitment, retention and development, and the concept of ‘Improvement Fatigue.’ We’ve been talking about health care quality improvement for so long that our messages may be falling on deaf ears, and the relentless layering of quality initiatives can be overwhelming to frontline clinicians. "People need to understand why things are changing in a way that’s relevant to them," Morrison said. "In my view, clinicians are getting mixed signals."

Morrison shared four ways to overcome Improvement Fatigue:

1. Tell a consistent, coherent story regarding improvement and initiatives. 
2. Rethink physician leadership.
3. Provide institutional support (reference the Keystone Project), and get the tools for transformation in their hands.
4. Emphasize the noble purpose of the work, and get down to why your people chose to be in the health care field. 

 

Population level analytics reveal what Morrison calls the 5/50 Problem. "What we’re seeing is more and more institutions adopting a population health perspective," he said. When you start thinking like an insurer, you realize that about 5 percent of patients make up 50 percent of health care costs, 1 percent account for 20 percent of costs, and the bottom 50 percent of patients account for only 2 percent. "For a lot of these heavy health care system users, solutions look more like social work vs. health care," he concluded. 

Morrison emphasized that we have to drive change on a massive scale and that it’s not an easy task. In order to get organizationally and individually fit for change, we have to understand why we’re changing and translate that into bite-sized chunks for our frontline employees. To do this, we have to understand how our initiatives affect what they do and why they do it. "Focus on systems, teams and flexibility," Morrison said. "Not silos, boundaries and rules." 

Morrison closed by noting his optimism for the future of health care because of people’s adaptability and eagerness to roll up their sleeves to make it work. "I think we’ll end up having the best health system in the world because of the work that you’re doing," he said. 

To learn more, read Health Care in the New Millennium: Vision, Values and Leadership, by Ian Morrison available here. 

 

As we touched upon in Sunday’s edition of the ASHHRA Conference Pulse, "Sunday Morning’s Leadership Lesson from Walt," Walt Disney was a brilliant businessman and a historic leader, and his influence on leadership and organizational culture is something that will stand the test of time. As health care HR leaders, there’s much to be learned from Walt, and below we share our top five HR leadership lessons inspired by Walt himself.

There’s more than one way to solve a problem, and as health care HR leaders, we have to innovate and get creative with the issues we face on a daily basis. The future belongs to those who are curious, and the "old way" of doing things won’t get your organization to where it needs to be. Walt said, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we're curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Every decision and action you make today should be focused on where you want to be tomorrow. Those who aren’t focused on the future and meeting the needs of tomorrow’s workforce will get left behind. As Walt said, "Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future."

It’s easy to get weighed down with the long-standing list of initiatives, challenges and changes, but find satisfaction and purpose in pushing yourself and your organizations in these times of uncertainty. Walt said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

In times of constant change, it’s our people who will get us to the next level and bring our visions to life. Having a solid strategy and plan is important, and yes, without them you won’t get far. But after all the strategizing and planning comes the execution of a vision, and it’s our people who put words into action. Lift them up, celebrate wins and encourage them to be the best they can be, because they’re the lifeblood of your organization. As Walt said, "You can design, create and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality."

 

In this Learning Session, Brandon Melton and Mary Anne Kelly shared the importance of developing our future workforce through sharing case studies and programs they both were instrumental in developing. 

There’s an immediate need to invest in our future workforce as 40 percent of health care is spent on those over the age of 65, and America is undergoing a fundamental shift with emerging majorities. By 2042, we’ll have a majority-minority in both our future workforce and customers. 

Before sharing specifics on programs, Melton stated that a business case must be made before embarking on any imitative such as this, and that any and all investments in programs must be backed with facts and figures to support your case. 

A labor forecast revealed the implications for not investing in workforce needs. "We figured out how much we would spend if we happened to not do anything," Melton said. "Then we looked into increasing our RNs and investment efforts, and we found we could save $5.5 million a year with an intentional workforce development plan."

Consider the following when creating a business case for workforce development needs: 

• Aim to increase patient safety, patient quality, patient satisfaction, physician satisfaction and cultural competency.
• And decrease contract labor, overtime usage, leaves of absence, health claims, and stress and burnout. 

The following case studies and progressive programs were shared during their presentation. 

A training program developed for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) with considerations for overcoming common obstacles (transportation, childcare, etc.) in their demographic. 

A Chicago program deeply rooted in the Latino community created to develop immigrants and their families with education and training that fosters full participation in the U.S. society. 

A summer employment opportunity for young individuals (in high school) who have their CNA license. 

 

Northwest Community Healthcare

Lotus: I love ASHHRA and the ASHHRA Conference, which is why I keep returning year after year. I’ve been coming ever since I won the MetLife scholarship about three years ago, which is how I got involved, and I’ve never looked back. One thing that I really liked about this year is the new format of the Regional Breakfast. I thought it was nice to have everyone together and network with all regions. 

Lotus: I think my favorite was one I attended yesterday with Chip Madera and Greg Maras. They were hilarious, and I think that’s important – to keep attendees engaged and on their feet, and they did a really great job with that. 

Lotus: It has to be the session I just attended today with the Advisory Board, which talked about the importance of physician leadership development. One of the stats they provided was, as of today, only 15 percent of chief medical officers are saying that physician leadership development is a priority for them. So I think in the next couple of years it’s going to become a huge deal, especially with more and more physicians becoming our employees. Rather than just having medical staff, I think it’s really important to engage them in leadership development.