W

hile it’s no secret that empowering staff (ie, involving them in important decisions and lifting their collective morale) is a key ingredient to success, many healthcare organizations continue to use a rigidly top-down management style—often at their own peril. Indeed, that management style can be as ineffective as it is inefficient, writes Clint Maun, PSP, a nationally recognized leader in healthcare consulting, speaking, and research. In this month’s cover article, he argues that healthcare organizations aiming to maximize clinical and financial outcomes should foster a “real-time teaming” approach of employees acting as a team to make changes on a daily basis.
       For example: If the housekeeping department is using too many supplies, involve the employees of department itself to correct the situation, as opposed to the common “solutions” of kicking the problem up to a management team or writing a new policy or bringing in a consultant. Simply put, “organizations must deal with everyday solutions in a manner that allows real teams to make real decisions and realize real results real fast,” says Maun.
       Such a concerted effort to foster teamwork and empower staff can maximize a long-term care facility’s success, from its care delivery to return on investment, he writes. The strategies he recommends to foster an atmosphere of real-time teaming include:
• Involving staff in handling employee conflict
• Implementing team-based admission assessments
• Involving staff when interviewing potential hires
• Holding brief “stand-up” meetings to keep staff engaged.
       Also included in this issue is the latest progress report on Medicare Part D from the Department of Heath & Human Services (HHS), which shows that beneficiaries are saving money and opting for alternatives to the traditional government-designed plans, as well as articles on the following topics: offloading the diabetic foot, medication and urinary incontinence, nutritional care and end-of-life issues, the psychological cost of incontinence, and post-fall assessment. On behalf of the staff of ECPN, I hope you enjoy this issue. As always, thank you for reading.