Six Keys To High Performing Hospitals: Key #6

Today I finish out the list of keys to high performing hospitals as put together by Lawrence Prybil, Ph.D. and Samuel Levey, Ph.D. To say last but not least is an understatement. Today's key is perhaps the most important of all of them.

6) Healthy organizational culture

This concept has not been traditionally discussed, perhaps because it is a bit more difficult to see and measure. In fact in the study, it was cited in only 6 out of the 10 high performing systems interviewed. The culture in these systems was described as having a broad-based commitment to excellence in patient care and operating performance. It was also stated that this culture was not always with the organization but rather had to be developed over time. The culture must embrace the organization's core values and commitment to high performance.

Changing culture in an organization is a marathon, not a sprint. This is something that we work with everyday at Compirion Healthcare Solutions. To assist an organization in changing its culture requires an intense effort over an extended period of time; at least six months. Anything less than this will not have a sustained impact. Managers frequently put a spotlight on a problem area for a short period of time and are gratified to see almost immediate improvement. What they fail to do is follow up a few weeks later to see if the improvement has continued.

This list of six keys is not meant to be inclusive. There were a number of other keys mentioned such as prudent investment in facilities, services and new technology. But these six were considered the most influential on the high performance. If you achieve these six you will have attained a high level of performance.

More on this later.

Mark Brodeur