Healthcare leaders often find themselves juggling a myriad of responsibilities – evolving patient needs, staffing challenges, and the pressures of financial sustainability – making it hard to prioritize and focus efforts. That is why it is critical to implement routine “check-ups” for your organization, evaluating the current state of operations and identifying real-time opportunities for improvement. When leadership is guided by data-driven insights, strategies are more purposeful and the impacts more meaningful.
It is one thing to have clear direction, but operational change only comes from decisive action. Timing is everything and for success to be realized – the time needs to be “now!” Not tomorrow, not next quarter, and not when there is a greater sense of stability. Healthcare leaders need to rip off the Band-Aid and “Eat That Frog,” the future health of their organizations depend on it!
The following are a few things to consider when assessing the “wellness” of your hospital or health systems’ operations:
- Diagnose Before It Flatlines: In patient care, early intervention makes all the difference. The business of healthcare should be treated much the same! Leaders should regularly “take the pulse” of all aspects of their organization—clinical, operational, cultural, and financial. These vital signs will indicate the current performance of your hospital or health system, highlighting areas of strength and weakness.
- Is staffing aligned with demand?
- Are processes streamlined?
- Is your team engaged—thriving or just surviving?
- Are outdated systems or rework creating added expense?
If your pulse check reveals any warning signs, do not wait – triage and act!
- Do What Is Hard First: The hard things never get easier with time—they just get more expensive, more complex, and more culturally ingrained. Whether it is realigning resources, evaluating service delivery, consolidating roles/responsibilities, or addressing team toxicity, the longer you wait, the harder it is to course correct. Leaders must lean into the discomfort. That means facing difficult decisions head-on, initiating tough conversations, and moving forward with clarity and conviction. The temporary pain is worth lasting healing!
- Develop a Treatment Plan—Stat: Once you have diagnosed the issues, it is time to put improvement strategies in place. Just like any good clinician, a leader’s plan for operational enhancement should include both immediate “interventions” and continuing “therapies”:
- Short-Term Wins:
- Align staffing models with actual volumes—not historical assumptions
- Implement productivity goals and routinely track progress
- Empower mid-level managers to remove daily operational barriers
- Long-Term Remedies:
- Rebuild workforce culture through transparent communication and continuous leadership development
- Invest in automation and smarter technology to improve efficiency and reduce burnout
- Reimagine service delivery to match where healthcare is going, not where it has been
- Short-Term Wins:
- Cure the Culture: Culture is the invisible force that can either fuel transformation or sabotage it. Leaders need to actively shape a culture of accountability, urgency, and innovation. That does not mean leaning resources to the point of burnout —it means including staff in planning for positive change. Involving your team in solution design, celebrating progress, and communicating the “why” behind the hard work will lead to better care delivery, with more effective systems, in a balanced work environment!
The best leaders know that the healthiest organizations are not just reactive—they are proactive, building strong processes and setting the stage for future growth. Time is precious which means moving from diagnosis to decision quickly—not lingering in the “planning to plan” phase! Triage operations, treat comprehensively, and commit to consistent follow-up to prevent relapse.
Altius offers the data, tools, and support needed for healthcare organizations to realize improved performance, empowered leadership, sustained cost-savings, and enhanced operations. To learn more, visit our website at www.altiushcg.com or schedule an introductory call with us here!