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By Zonya Foco
If there was ever a two-word objective that people desperately want (after “winning lotto”), it’s the secret to “staying motivated.” Sure, we start off the year on fire to reach our food and fitness goals, but where is that spark come February? Or March?... or heck, this Friday? Those of us who struggle with consistency may wonder if it’s even possible to meet our long-term health goals. In my travels, I run into people who indeed meet and maintain their health goals. This means they are consistent with eating smart and exercising, have done so over several years’ time, and now can say this is WHO THEY ARE! Wow. What a dream! Here is one of their surprising tactics: Watch a health documentary. Yup! A good old movie that’s educational (and often riveting) regarding health. It’s surprising to me how many health “super stars” have indeed watched not just one, but several documentaries, and who often re-view the same one numerous times so that the knowledge is imparted into their “DNA” so to speak. They will say things like, “Watching that was a turning point for me and my family...even my husband who I deemed impossible to change.” And while one documentary usually sticks in their minds the most, upon further questioning, I find they have often watched well over six different health documentaries, including the decade old Super-Size Me. If watching these food documentaries has helped so many, and you are content to sit, watch and be entertained, then what are you waiting for? With internet streaming, to include Amazon Prime, Google Play and Netflix, these movies are very easy to find, either for free or for a nominal single view charge. (Or, check with your local library’s DVD collection!) What documentaries am I talking about? Here’s a list to get you started, with a brief review of the content of each: Forks over Knives I have personally met people who have reversed their diabetes, heart disease and obesity after seeing this movie. Many excellent studies are referenced in this film, which advocates for a 100% whole foods, plant-based diet. While not everyone will be convinced to shun all animal products after watching this movie, there is a convincing argument to at least reduce meat, chicken, fish and dairy to “condiment” like servings. Adopting veganism as a way of reversing disease is indeed a solution that you may not hear about anywhere else. Fed Up This documentary precisely uncovers the amount of sugar our nation consumes and provides arguments for what needs to be done about it. Narrated by Katie Couric, the film follows a group of families battling to lead healthier lives and reveals why the conventional wisdom of “eat right and exercise” is not ringing true for millions of people struggling with diabetes, childhood obesity and other serious conditions. Food, Inc. Have you ever wondered just what the difference is between organic and conventionally grown, to include meats and dairy? Well this movie will not only show you, but will also stir your heart to “vote with your dollar” to protect our planet, while at the same time improving your family’s health. Food Matters Why do doctors recommend medications before asking you to change what you eat? What would happen if they truly believed “food matters”? You will see amazing accounts of people who end their battles with the likes of cancer and depression by tossing their medications for a healthy diet. In Defense of Food This is one of the newest documentaries, featuring a favorite best-selling author of mine, Michael Pollan (author of Food Rules and The Botany of Desire). In answer to the question, “What should I eat to be healthy?” Pollan argues the point that we just need to eat REAL food, instead of processed food-like substances. Included in the film is a riveting segment on why breastfeeding is so miraculous and ingenious. That Vitamin Movie At issue in this movie is whether our dependence on medications is actually causing harm. Many-times, according to this documentary, a simple, low-cost vitamin supplement can cure what ails us, but doctors are simply not aware of the option because pharmaceutical sales are what drive our nation’s profits. Fresh A delightful film that really illuminates what the small farm and truly “fresh” food are all about. Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead If I tell you what this is about, you might not watch it. And I really want you to watch it! So just do it! And then realize that while the method featured was extreme, the point is to make vegetables and fruit the foundation to your diet and you will see your fat and chronic diseases melt away! Super Size Me This is a classic film that is still excellent, even if it’s twelve years old. Director Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to eating only McDonald’s food for thirty days. What happened to his health in just one week, and ultimately one month, is what is currently happening to many Americans, just at a slower rate. It really makes you rethink eating the very food that many people reach for out of convenience every day. Fresh, wholesome REAL food like fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains, which are not part of the best-selling McDonald’s fare, is the antidote. Overall, watching these documentaries will deepen your inner “conviction” for kicking overly processed food to the curb, and finding an unwavering love for wholesome REAL FOOD. Happy viewing as you watch your way to becoming a “health super-star.” And don’t forget the air popped popcorn! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success!
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By Barb Bartlein
Sitting around? Better get moving. Sitting for excessively long periods of time is a risk factor for early death, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. There is a direct correlation between time spent sitting and your risk of early mortality of any cause, according to researchers, based on a study of nearly 8,000 deaths. Researchers at Columbia, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center found that sedentary behavior, on average, accounted for about 12.3 hours of an average 16 hour waking day. For many people, we become more sedentary as we age when physical and mental function declines. As total sedentary time increased, so did early death by any cause, research demonstrated. Risk of death grew with total sitting time and sitting stretch duration, no matter the age, sex, race, body mass index or weight. People who frequently sat for more than 90 minutes at a stretch had a nearly two-fold greater risk of death than those who almost always sat for less than 90 minutes at a stretch. Researchers are not clear why sedentary behavior impacts our health in negative ways. Some scientists theorize that more sitting leads to reductions in insulin sensitivity while other believe that net calorie expenditures decline as sitting increases. What is clear, however, is that the human body needs movement and exercise. We have evolved to exercise, and we need it. The more activity you have, the more you want to do. Lethargy has the opposite effect; the more you sit, the harder it is to get going. The problem is that our culture is built on inactivity; from the workplace where we sit all day, to transportation with lack of sidewalks and bike lanes. The way we work and commute is a public health issue. The answers aren’t a mystery. As we restore America’s crumbling infrastructure, we need to invest in better public transportation, sidewalks, bike lanes, and walking paths. There needs to be opportunities in the workplace to walk and exercise. Some things you can do: Get a standing desk. There are a number of companies that sell a stand to elevate the computer and other equipment so you can stand while you work. Keeping on your feet most of the day increases blood flow, activity and steps. Walk every hour. Get up and move around at least every hour, even if it just means standing at your desk. NEVER eat lunch at your desk. Many folks brag how they work through their lunch. No impressed. They would be more productive if they took a break and moved around to return to work refreshed. Try to do 10,000 steps per day. You can use the apps on your phone or get one of the many products out to measure your steps. It give you a goal to work for each day. Get moving. You will feel better and be more productive! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Beth Boynton
Are you on the fence about going back to school or not? Maybe you have a list of pros and cons going on in your head or like some nurses, even have one on paper. Maybe you are worried about the time and money involved in going back to school or are afraid that you might not be successful. On the other hand, maybe you wonder if the best time to go for your BSN is right now, even with nagging questions in the back of your mind. And maybe, not deciding - sitting on the fence - is the most comfortable place for you. Here you can keep the option open while not making a commitment either way. How can emotional intelligence help your decision-making? Daniel Goleman is the psychologist well-known for bringing the term emotional intelligence (EI) into mainstream culture with his ground-breaking book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ. His model, which continues to evolve, involves personal and social competencies, each of which include a variety of traits that can be helpful in decision-making. For instance, we can take a deeper dive into the concept of personal competence in an effort to decide about going back to school. Personal Competence and the School Decision There are three areas of personal competence; self-awareness, self-regulation, and motivation. Self-awareness means that you know how you feel at any given moment and have a sense about both present and past causes of your feelings. Try sitting quietly for a few moments and ask yourself what feelings you have about going back to school and not going back to school. Don’t try to change or judge what you are feeling just notice. Once you have a sense on what you are feeling, you can be curious about where the feelings are coming from. Are there old messages that encourage or discourage you from taking a risk? This may be trickier than it seems because sometimes what we feel about a current decision may have more to do with past experiences than anything else. We may fear failure or even success and the fears are keeping us on the fence. The more you are aware of your feelings, the more you use them to guide your decision. Even if you have strong fears that are keeping you from taking action, now you’ll have a sense about what those fears are and use the awareness to take steps to separate the past from the present and the ‘shoulds’ from the ‘coulds’. Self-regulation refers to our ability to manage our feelings and how we respond to various situations. If we are having trouble making a decision, there is a chance that our fears are paralyzing. There may be very good reason for going or not going to school right now and either decision could be best. Yet, if old voices or fears are dictating inaction, that could be a red flag that your self-regulation is hung up on the past and you might miss an opportunity to grow your career. The truth is, if you made it through an Associate Degree or Diploma program, you are one smart dude. With support and encouragement, a BSN could open up many doors for you in your nursing career. However, honoring fears about time and money may give you a sense of relief in knowing this isn’t the best time to go back to school. A psychotherapist or nurse career coach could be very helpful in discerning your next best steps and then taking action. Motivation is the driving force behind our behavior and absolutely essential for successful return to school. This is the part of EI that speaks to your needs and desires. So often, nurses are grounded in meeting needs of patients and families. Even meeting the needs and desires of your own family may take precedence over your own. While sometimes this makes perfect sense such as with your children or at times with your life partner. But, if you are not getting your needs and desires attended to also, this can lead to burnout or even the kind of apathy that contributes to errors. If the idea of going back to school is an exciting one to you, then there is a good chance you have the motivation for you need to be successful. This will be extremely important in participating in career development of any sort. If you can make the connection between your desire and an action step, you’ll be using your emotional intelligence in a healthy way. Conclusion Going back to school is a big decision and the more you understand your feelings, responses and desires, the more you’ll be able to move forward in the best direction for you at this time. Keep in mind that lifelong learning is a given in nursing regardless of your degree and try to stay open to all ways of learning and growing. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kristin Baird
Patient experience (PX) champions are no strangers to resistance. Many people in PX leader roles struggle when implementing change because they hit resistance from a number of sources. Moving beyond resistance is something they must accept in the name of progress. But it’s not easy. To me, there is nothing more irritating than hearing someone shoot down an idea before it ever has a chance. I tend to be a big ideas person and have spent most of my career bringing new ideas to fruition. If you are a patient experience leader who is becoming discouraged by the resisters, try these suggestions: 1. Anticipate resistance and be prepared. Have conversations in advance of the change with key people and try to build buy in. Building buy-in is always the first, and most important step, especially among key stakeholders and influencers. If you can’t get their buy-in, you can at least ask them to not resist or sabotage. Sometimes when you pose it this way to chronic resisters, they are less likely to sabotage. I realize this is a bold move, but it’s important to lay the cards on the table. 2. Be prepared with some specific responses. For instance:
3. Seek support from others in a similar role who can share their experiences. Patient experience champions must be resilient in order to endure disappointments, setbacks and resistance. When you experience these enthusiasm killers, try not to let it get you down. Just keep the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead in mind: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
Trailblazing. Pivoting. Initiating change. Doing something that’s not been done before can be scary, difficult and maybe even feel impossible. But, when there are people supporting us as we trail blaze, pivot or initiate: The unlikely becomes the inevitable. I was reminded of recently when a gentleman asked a simple question and received a surprising answer. Let me explain. During the question and answer section of my presentation, he asked how classmates of mine treated me when I returned to school after being burned. I had left school on a January afternoon as a “normal” kid and returned 15 months later in a wheelchair, covered in scars, without fingers and “different” than everybody else. I thanked him for the question and shared what happened that first day back after five months in the hospital followed by 10 months of therapy and homeschool. First days are always hard. After all that had changed, I was super apprehensive about my return. The class-clown and little athlete my classmates knew, had been radically transformed. I knew it, they were about to see it, and I was scared about their reaction to it. As we neared the school, I leaned over and told my mom I wasn’t going; just wasn’t up to it. Although she reassured me that everything was going to be okay, secretly she wondered how my classmates would react, too. We both were about to find out. As we made the final turn and ventured toward the school, we noticed kids lining the road on both sides. They held handmade posters, waved eagerly with beaming smiles and welcomed back their fellow schoolmate. The welcome didn’t stop there – children from every class in the school also lined the drive, parking lot and halls all the way to my 5th-grade classroom. They wanted to let me know that although I might be a little different, I was welcome. I wasn’t being rejected but cheered back into school like a hero. My apprehension was replaced with acceptance and love. The acceptance on that first day back changed my entire life. The Way You Treat Others Impacts Everything But what does the reception of a little kid at school have to do with you, your work, your family and life? Everything. You see, life’s most persistent and urgent question remains, ‘What are you doing for others?’ We all experience first days. The first day we accept a new job, consider a new place of worship, move into a new neighborhood or walk into a party. And we experience the first days of others. Are you lining the street making sure others feel welcome in your community? Or do you have too little time and not enough interest? It turns out the manner in which you treat others won’t just impact them, it also transforms the culture of a school, a hospital, an organization and an entire community. This is your day to step away from the darkness of destructive selfishness and walk in the light of creative altruism. This is your day. Live Inspired. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Christine Cashen
As a seasoned traveler, I pride myself on getting through airport security like a pro — especially at DFW, my home airport. Imagine my chagrin to find TSA had installed a new inspection system and nobody called me! Much like European airports, you approach a “station,” put your items in a bin, then push the bin to a conveyor that moves it through x-ray. If you’re lucky, your bin continues to the exit area without a hitch. FREEDOM! YAY! If you aren’t lucky, a switch is thrown, like those on a train track, and your bag moves to the dark side, where it will be searched, and you shall be judged. NOOO! As we all bumbled around our stations, the TSA worker kept repeating in a tired, monotone voice, “Everything in the bins…everything in the bins,” over and over and over. So what did I do? What I’ve done for years… I put my luggage up on the table (not in a bin) and proceeded to push it onto the conveyor. Breaking Old Habits Suddenly the TSA agent stops being monotone and speaks pointedly to me, “I SAID EVERYTHING IN THE BIN!” Now, normally I do get a little irritated (okay, really irritated) when people don’t get it, but this time it was me. What? “EVERYTHING IN THE BIN!” Yes, she did say that. So what was my problem? Fatigue? Habit? Lack of brain cells? I meekly said, “Even the luggage?” Yikes! This was clearly her tipping point. She lost it! She started yelling about EVERYTHING meaning luggage too and why don’t I get that luggage is included in “everything?” Is Compassion Out of Fashion? All she had to do was smile and say, “Yes, luggage too.” She’s have sidestepped the drama and saved me a lot of embarrassment. With inclement weather pouring down on the airport, I had a 4-hour delay to cool my heels and replay the scene, along with all the perfect things I could have said. Have you ever found yourself much smarter much later?!? Then it hit me. Where was my compassion for her? She clearly drew the short straw and got stuck at the new checkpoint, and she probably had hours of clueless “newbies” on top of a wicked bad travel day for all. Maybe, instead of thinking about how she could have been nicer, I needed to flip it. Rather than playing the victim, I could have moved the needle in a positive direction. Perhaps saying something like, “Must be hard trying to break in new passengers to this system — especially when you just trained us on the old one.” I wonder how she would have responded if I’d taken this approach? Part of the Problem? Or the Solution? Looking ahead, chances are I’ll mess up again and get called out again. If not by her, by someone else. Will I respond differently? You bet. Bin there. Done that. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us today to make your healthcare event a success! By Steve Berkowitz
Hardly a conversation goes by between myself and a fellow Chief Medical Officer where one of us does not bring up an issue regarding a difficult physician on the medical staff and how best to deal with it. Whether the presenting issue is disruptiveness, inappropriateness, incompetency, impairment or anything else, the medical staff leader ultimately faces the dilemma on how best to resolve the situation. These cases are frequently uncomfortable on multiple levels for the medical staff leadership: in the areas of personal involvement, professional disagreements, and lack of individual experience on the part of the medical leader in dealing with the process. Over the years I have developed a few simple rules and questions that have been helpful to me to reach a reasonable remedy in the great majority of the situations that have arisen in my roles of Chief Medical Officer and Consultant. First, I like to apply four straightforward rules: Rule 1: Patient safety comes first. Rule 2: Follow your established Bylaws, policies and procedures. Rule 3: Involve legal opinion early on. Rule 4: Implement the least disruptive disposition that will satisfy Rule 1. As we go through the process, regardless of the nature of the complaint, I like to address the following hierarchical questions in order of severity: 1. Is there an egregious issue going on that constitutes an immediate threat to patient safety and therefore may require a summary suspension or other immediate action? This is the most extreme case and fortunately the most rare. If there is a clear danger to the patient, immediate measures are necessary. We must be sure to protect all patients, present and future, from harm. When I am comfortable that the case does not rise to this level of severity, I go to the next question: 2. Is there an aspect of this case that is reportable to the NPDB, state Medical Boards, or other agency? It is important for the medical leader to be familiar with what must be reported on a national level and with the particular state medical board. A legal opinion is essential if there is any doubt to whether the offense qualifies for immediate notification of any of the agencies. If there are no reportable issues, it generally gives us more flexibility down the road in the resolution process. Not the least of which, it opens up the option of voluntary resignation by the physician as a possible outcome. 3. Is our process completely in compliance with the Bylaws/ Rules and Regulations?Following the established policies and procedures are necessary throughout every step of the process and every participant in the action must be familiar with them. Many of the problems that are encountered through this process are directly due to not following established procedures, rules and policies. We must be sure that the physician is completely aware of the procedures and the resulting consequences of not adhering to the action plan. Of course, the appropriate confidentialities must be maintained throughout the process. The goal is to have a comprehensive action plan that all parties understand, with pre-established goals and timelines. 4. Is the situation remediable? What has been done with the physician to date. Has everything been appropriately documented? Are we following the appropriate graded steps in dealing with the situation? Have we seen improvement toward the desired outcome and is the physician motivated to take the necessary steps down the road so that the particular incident will not occur again. Ultimately, we come to the disposition and the application of my Rule 4: what is the least disruptive option that ensures the appropriate patient safety? As we consider potential interventions along the continuum of doing nothing at the one extreme and immediate summary suspension at the other extreme, I like to implement the least severe option on that continuum that accomplishes our overall goal of patient safety. Obviously, the appropriate intervention is very individual and based upon the specifics of the case. I strive to do everything that I can for the physician. I very much respect that a physician’s livelihood may be at stake, but even more, I respect that the patient should never be put in potential harm’s way. What is the least disruptive remedy that gets the job done? Managing medical staff interventions is a very complicated topic, and this article was simply meant to outline the graded steps that should be taken in order to achieve the best outcome for all parties involved. There is much more to say on this matter, but I have found the application of these rules and questions has kept me out of trouble administratively and has led to the best outcome for the physician and the patient. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kathleen Passanisi. Kathleen Passanisi PT, CSP, CPAE is an internationally recognized transformational speaker, therapeutic humor expert, healthcare professional and author. She has spoken to bajillions of people about life balance, wellness, the power of perception, and the link that exists between humor and health. Kathleen is a member of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame and the funniest woman in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri (and, quite possibly, the Western Hemisphere.) For more information on Kathleen's presentations, books and products please visit the New Perspectives website at www.KathleenPassanisi.com
It’s been called the “idiot box.” It’s been called “the greatest single invention of the 20th century.” Either way, to say that television is a huge part of daily American life is to state the overwhelmingly obvious. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “American children and adolescents spend 22 to 28 hours per week viewing television, more than any other activity except sleeping. By the age of 70 they will have spent 7 to 10 years of their lives watching TV.” The effects of sleep on mind and body have been well documented. But what comes of all this “tube time?” How does television affect the mind? In order to understand how television effects our health, we must first understand how it affects the mind. Several studies have shown that the longer one watches television, the easier it is for their mind to slip into “Alpha state.” Here, the brain’s waves are slow and steady. This hypnotic trace-like state is the brain’s most receptive mode. Images and suggestions have maximum impact in this mode. Why else would advertisers spend up to one billion dollars per year on television advertising? But what about what’s between the commercials? Does negative television reap negative results? Unfortunately, it can.Since the late 1990s, violence on television has been a hot topic of conversation. Countless acts of violence have been blamed on violence in the media. The shooting at Columbine High School, for example, was widely speculated to be caused in part by repeated viewing of “The Basketball Diaries,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Could this be linked to a core theory of the Law of Attraction, “what you focus on expands?” Although these theories cannot be proven, it has been shown that watching violent television activates the body and mind’s “fight or flight” response. Since the body knows that the threat is not real, it then suppresses the stress. This rotation of impulse and suppression has been linked to feelings of panicked confusion, resulting in actions similar to childhood hyperactivity. And it isn’t just Primetime drama that affects the mind. RAND, a research institute, found that of 560 Americans interviewed, 44% experienced multiple stress symptoms after watching coverage of the 9/11 tragedy on television. Ninety percent experienced at least one symptom! Furthermore, children exposed to the coverage were twice as likely to develop post traumatic stress syndrome, according to Harold S. Kipelwicz, M.D., Director of the NYU Child Study Center. Is there a flipside? Does humorous television reap positive results? Fortunately, yes! Although the effects of positive effects on television have not been widely reported, the effects of educational programming on children are astounding. According to the Child Health Institute, educational programming “is successful in broadening young children’s knowledge, affecting their racial attitudes and increasing their imaginations.” Do these effects fade with age? Thankfully, new research about the effect of humorous movies seem to disprove this. Dr. Michael Miller of the University of Maryland Medical Center studied the health effects of two movies, quirky comedy Kingpin and war epic Saving Private Ryan. Researchers used ultrasound technology to monitor study subjects’ arterial blood flow. While watching Saving Private Ryan, fourteen out of twenty subjects experienced reduced blood flow on an average of 35%. However, in nineteen out of the twenty subjects who watched the comedy Kingpin, blood flow increased an average of 22%, an amount Miller equated to aerobic exercise! Even more proof that laughter really is the best medicine! Similarly, a study by Lee Berk of Loma Linda University found that even the anticipation of a funny movie raises levels of immune boosters in the blood. According to the study, people waiting to watch a favorite funny movie had 27% more beta-endorphins (a natural pain reducer) and 87% more human growth hormone in their bloodstream than the control group. Berk also found that the actual viewing of one hour of a humorous movie (and its subsequent laughter) reduced the body’s production of stress hormones and enhanced immune response for up to one day. What is the bottom line for you? Clearly, there is a fine line to be walked. Hours upon hours of television or movie watching of any kind will create the same mind-numbing effects. Moderation is the key! Then, choose wisely. A simple change of the channel can have profound effects on your mind, mood, and health. Next time, when you’re flipping channels, take a minute to remember that “what you focus on expands.” What do you wish to bring into your life? Perhaps the greatest truth about television comes from television itself. According to the hit 1970s comedy Taxi, “The great thing about television is that if something important happens anywhere in the world, day or night, you can always change the channel.” Choose to laugh, you’ll thank yourself for it. Happy viewing! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Colette Carlson
No, this article is not about setting aside your judgement and becoming more compassionate towards those you lead to create better connections. In fact, it’s just the opposite. I’m proposing that to maximize your relationships with others, you must first boldly accept yourself…flaws and all. Let me explain... Acceptance requires reflection and ownership of your truth. All of us show up with strengths and struggles, but too many of us only acknowledge the parts of ourselves that our companies, customers, community, and our families applaud. We bury, ignore or discount our less attractive traits and behaviors, which directly affects those we lead. For example, it’s easier to own your role in increasing quarterly revenue than to admit the intimidation used to drive sales. It’s far easier to own and speak proudly of your child’s excellent grades, rather than confess your tactics included yelling, shaming and blaming. As a leader you must accept, rather than reject, your weaknesses and foibles. After all, we can’t change what we won’t acknowledge. Accepting all of yourself doesn’t give you a hall pass to continue poor behavior by kicking back and saying, “Well, that’s just the way I am.” Instead, acceptance provides an opportunity to examine your methods thus far. Ponder why you choose to shame another rather than find compassion and empathy to reach the same result. Is it, perhaps, because you have little compassion or empathy when you slip up or fall short of a goal? That was certainly my story; perhaps you can relate. Until I accepted the fact that I was enough as is, not when I lost 50 lbs.; attained the promotion; or didn’t screw up, I couldn’t sustain healthy relationships in my life. After asking myself some deep, penetrating questions, I came to understand my quest for perfection and the need to present an image that I had it all together. Turns out, at my core, I believed that I had to be perfect to feel okay, worthy or lovable. Now that I owned this truth, what next? After all, acceptance requires action. Therefore, I learned how to give myself the approval I was seeking in others. I learned how to stop beating myself up when I made a mistake or didn’t live up to my expectations. Ironically, the more I accepted myself, the less demanding I was in all my relationships. The more kindness I showed myself, the more I had to give to others. The deeper the connection with myself, the deeper my relationships became with others. Too many believe that accepting all of yourself as is means you don’t want to get better, but that’s a lie. Acceptance doesn’t mean you don’t want to grow, improve and challenge yourself. Acceptance simply means you stop using your energy to tear yourself down…which, in turn, prevents you from tearing down others. Connected leaders don’t protect or deflect their struggles. Instead, they celebrate all of themselves, course-correct any liabilities and cultivate their connections as a result. What self-image do you need to trade in for self-acceptance to grow you and your team to the next level? Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Jonathan Burroughs
Medical staff services once was a mostly clerical/administrative task focused on the job of verifying the CVs and credentials of physicians for onboarding at hospitals and other providers. But it has become increasingly complicated in recent years, requiring wider bandwidths for the relevant staffs of many provider organizations. The growth of healthcare jobs that require close vetting, providers that coalesce and interact in new ways, and increasingly sophisticated vetting technologies are among the reasons medical staff services has become a far more complicated task. And the job is challenging to begin with: It can take weeks, if not a couple of months, just to locate enough peer references to obtain privileges for a single doctor. More Non-Physicians to Vet There are about 234,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) and 95,000 physician assistants (PAs) practicing in the U.S., with more than 50,000 new positions being created every year, according to trade association data and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although those combined figures still comprise less than half the number of physicians who practice nationwide, their growing numbers pose a challenge to medical staff services departments. Both professions require licenses that need to be verified and allow prescribing of medications. And federal regulations require hospitals grant privileges in order to practice onsite. “The same rules apply as for physicians,” said Karen Beem, who oversees standards interpretation for the Chicago-based Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program. “Their education and licensing need to be confirmed, and there has to be a delineation of privileges, and they have to apply every two years.” Unlike most physicians, NPs and PAs are mostly employees of the hospital or healthcare system as well, meaning there is an overlap in responsibilities between staff services and human resources that needs to be reconciled between the two departments. Moving From Paper to Electronic Systems It wasn’t that long ago when the most striking thing when entering a hospital’s medical staff services were the rows of filing cabinets used to keep track of the hundreds of physicians practicing on-site. But the numbers of those filing cabinets have been shrinking in recent years as more sophisticated electronic credentialing systems have become available. According to Beem, such software can be integrated into a hospital or healthcare system’s electronic medical record systems. “You can scan in all the documents,” she said, and keep them for future reference. Such systems can also semi-automate some of the more complicated aspects of medical staff services. That includes primary source verification, which includes authenticating state licenses and specialty certifications, and periodical appraisals of those staffers who have already been on-boarded. But while some of those tasks have been made easier by computers, the complexity of what is being asked of medical staff services has multiplied geometrically. Among the issues have been mergers that have created multi-site healthcare systems, as well as the acquisition of medical practices by hospitals. That often means a staff services department is vetting a single provider to simultaneously obtain privileges at multiple hospitals. “The ability to have an integrated and unified medical staff has become a new demand,” Beem said. There are also some loopholes. An NP practicing at an outpatient clinic affiliated with a healthcare system may be able to write prescriptions without specific hospital privileges. It depends on system-specific policies and state and local laws and regulations – all of which medical staff services must track. There has also been a growing emphasis in recent years on what Beem calls “negative credentialing” – determining whether practitioners who have been granted privileges may have received them inappropriately. That has taken on greater urgency as recent court cases have found hospitals liable if a physician who loses a malpractice verdict was not meticulously vetted. Telemedicine The advent of treating patients remotely through a sophisticated medical hookup is also challenging medical services departments. Not only must the credentials of their organization’s medical staff be vetted, but the providers on the other end as well, requiring ongoing communications between departments at two different providers. “The distance site hospital must provide a current list of all the practitioners,” Beem said. Failure to keep such lists current could lead to a violation that could impact the future accreditation of both hospitals. Credentials Verification Organizations (CVOs) As healthcare organizations consolidate into healthcare delivery systems and larger multisystem organizations, many create a CVO headed by an experienced team of Medical Staff Services Professionals to handle the increasingly complex task of credentialing/privileging physicians and other practitioners not only for traditional inpatient facilities (e.g. hospitals) but for ambulatory facilities (e.g. patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations), health plans, insurance companies, and large employers. This activity requires executive skills, multiple accreditations (often from NCQA as well as The Joint Commission, DNV, or HFAP), and multiple payer contracts, each with their unique and often delegated credentialing requirements. More Extensive Certifications Partly as a result of the more complex work facing medical services staff, the demands for higher levels of training and education have grown. The National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) offers a certification known as the Certified Professional in Medical Services Management. Along with the required education in order to take the exam for certification, it requires continuous employment in the medical services field for the past year and employment in the profession for five of the last eight years. The exam itself “focuses on the management role in medical services to include functions such as staffing, budgets, medical staff information systems, continuing education, and practitioner/provider recruitment and relations,” according to NAMSS. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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