Hardwiring Flow: Systems and Processes for Seamless Patient Care

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You know you have great healthcare providers. But are your systems and processes letting them maximize the time they spend with patients? It's a deeply important question. Even the best, most talented, most compassionate healthcare providers are only as good as the context in which they practice. Organizations must set them up to do their best possible work. Only when patients flow smoothly through the care process can physicians, nurses, and other care providers execute their tasks efficiently and effectively. Hardwiring Flow: Systems and Processes for Seamless Patient Care, by Drs. Thom Mayer and Kirk Jensen, delves into one of the most critical issues facing healthcare leaders today. Patient flow. Essentially, it means patients spend exactly the right amount of time at every juncture in their journey through an organization-just enough time to maximize their clinical outcomes in the most cost-effective manner. The authors' previous book, Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow, won the 2008 James A. Hamilton Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives. Hardwiring Flow extends and updates the principles of this work and integrates its concepts with Studer Group principles. Drs. Mayer and Jensen bring the industry's richest experience to this subject- a subject that, historically, has not been as clearly defined as healthcare leaders might wish. Readers will learn: Why patient flow helps organizations maximize the Three E's: Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Execution How to implement a proven methodology for improving patient flow Insights for improving flow's teammates;-patient safety, customer service, risk management, and more Why it's important to engage physicians in the flow process (and how to do so) How to apply the principles of better patient flow to emergency departments, inpatient experiences, and surgical processes Of course, better clinical outcomes must be at front and center of all change. But leaders cannot ignore financial impact, either (especially these days). And as the authors of this book assert, organizations that master flow not only provide better care and reduce the likelihood of litigation, they also attract and retain the best possible talent. In short, they enjoy a decided competitive advantage in the healthcare market.

Dr. Thom Mayer has been widely recognized as one the nation's foremost experts in leadership, management, and customer service in healthcare. His skills as a speaker are legendary, and are attested to by the fact that he was named Outstanding Speaker of the Year for the American College of Emergency Physicians in the second year of the award, and has twice been given the Over the Top; Award, which is given to the highest rated speaker of the year for the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Mayer has given Keynote speeches at numerous national conferences, including those for The Studer Group. Dr. Mayer has published over 60 articles, 60 book chapters, and has edited ten textbooks on healthcare leadership, customer service, and emergency medicine. Dr. Mayer wrote Leadership for Great Customer Service, about which leadership guru Tom Peters said, 'I honestly can t remember when I ve seen so much of so much importance crammed into a short book. This book is laser-like in its aim'; Most recently, Dr. Mayer wrote Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow. The Emergency Department and Hospitalists services for which he is responsible have won awards from virtually every survey company in healthcare, including one client whose scores rose from the first percentile to the 85th percentile in one year. On September 11, 2001, Dr. Mayer served as one of the Command Physicians at the Pentagon Rescue Operation, coordinating all medical assets at the site. In addition, physicians under his direction were the first to successfully diagnose and treat inhalation anthrax victims during the fall 2001 anthrax crises in the nation s capital. Dr. Mayer also serves as the Medical Director of the NFL Player s Association. Insightful lessons and anecdotes from all of these experiences are woven into his presentations. Without exception, client audiences have raved about Dr. Mayer s presentations, citing their warmth, wisdom, and extremely humorous presentation. Dr. Mayer s passion and energy in speaking about customer service and leadership in healthcare have resulted in valuable lessons and practical applications. Kirk B. Jensen, MD, MBA, FACEP, has spent over 20 years in Emergency Medicine management and clinical care. Board-certified in Emergency Medicine, he has been medical director for several emergency departments and is Chief Medical Officer for BestPractices, Inc. Dr. Jensen is a faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) focusing on quality improvement, patient satisfaction, and patient flow both within the ED and throughout the hospital. He chaired two IHI communities; Improving Flow Through the Acute Care Setting and Operational and Clinical Improvement in the Emergency Department. Currently he is a leader of the innovative IHI seminars Cracking the Code to Hospital-wide Patient Flow and Perfecting Emergency Department Operations. Dr. Jensen is a popular speaker and coach for EDs across the country. He is co-author of two books, Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow (2007 ACHE Hamilton Award winner) and Hardwiring Flow. He is the recipient of the 2007-08 American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Honorable Mention Speaker of the Year Award. Dr Jensen presents on patient safety, patient flow, operations management, and change management at the ACEP Emergency Department Directors Academy. In addition, Dr. Jensen served on the expert panel and site examination team of Urgent Matters, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative focusing on helping hospitals eliminate ED crowding and congestion as well as preserving the health care safety net. Dr. Jensen holds a Bachelor s Degree in biology from the University of Illinois (Champaign) and a Medical Degree from the University of Illinois (Chicago). He completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago