Everybody reports to somebody. But healthcare providers tend to have a skewed view on how top-down decision-making should be.
We here at Z5 are perhaps overly sensitive to the anxiety that arises around reporting supply chain data, because that's what dominates our conversations with our partners. It's why we tailored our latest white paper around that exact challenge. You want rock-solid data with extreme transparency so that someone at the tippy-top of the organization can see how their supply chain is functioning? Follow our guide to conduct the perfect inventory valuation in a day.
But that flow of supply chain and financial information goes both ways, as we saw in this week's news.
All aboard (get it) for this week's Five To Save:
1. Because boardrooms have to contain the holistic view of the organization's health, the board members are unlikely to have specialized knowledge of what makes your slice of the organization - supply chain, finance, staffing, clinical area oversight, etc. - function. The board will ask you questions about how you're meeting supply chain goals, and you should be prepared to answer those. But you should also be prepared to tell them what the goals ought to be. Back up your opinion with your specialized knowledge. Because...
2. Although the typical view would be that healthcare employees are answerable to the boards of their organization, the truth is that both the employees and board members are answerable to their communities. Ultimately everyone ought to be acting to serve the public more effectively. A good board member is not driven by ego or susceptible to apathy. A good healthcare board member is engaged with the mission.
3. All of this is especially relevant in a healthcare workforce that is adding jobs but still falling short. The usual suspects are to blame: increased demand and responsibilities without the requisite increase in compensation and care for the employees providing that care. The Attorney General has issued guidelines for combating hospital employee burnout. Whether that is too little, too late or not remains to be seen.
4. What other benefits should hospitals to their employees? Training! If your eyes rolled, that's probably fair. To bring back an earlier point: you have to be an expert in so much to be able to keep your slice of healthcare functioning healthily. Part of that is being aware of the unique challenges of your patients - particularly queer patients and what makes their bodies and lives different - and part is being aware of the unique challenges of your colleagues - particularly in a time where violence in clinical settings is on the rise. If you're freaked out about the most recent shooting in a hospital, you can grab some comprehensive resources collected by the AHA on what to do to prepare for and react to an active shooter. To be honest, most of the documents and presentations included there are (too) long, so you're probably better off grabbing the basics from an expert: a student.
(Yes, this video is a few years old now. Yes, it still contains a brief recap with good information. Upsetting information, but helpful.)
5. And finally for some good news: contrast media does seem like it will be back in stock soon, and COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5 are on their way, as well.
No matter what uplifting or upsetting news is headed your way, you still have to turn in your work on time. That can feel like an insane prospect at times, but we're here to help in whatever ways we can. If you want to reduce the amount of time you spend on an annual physical inventory valuation, use the checklists in our white paper The Perfect Inventory Count: 5 Steps To Improve Your Valuation Experience & Results.