Comments

Freeman, wishing death to anyone at this website isn't appropriate. I'd rather you didn't post comments here. Thanks.

Posted by Erik Hansen at November 9, 2004 3:25 PM

Freeman, apology accepted. thanks.

Posted by Erik Hansen at November 9, 2004 4:03 PM

Perhaps the only way to accelerate the process is by bringing a whole lot of sunshine to the problem. Allow me to draw an analogy.

There are hundreds if not thousands of local school districts here in New York. All very much the prize of the local community and resistant (as a whole) to change. Everbody knows there is a problem in education, but our school is doing better than most. The Lake Wobegon effect where "all the children are above average."

I expect the same holds true for hospitals. One of the ways education began getting the attention of the locals, was to initiate testing, and PUBLISH the results. This generates intense pressure to do well and save face.

Posted by Mackay Rippey at November 9, 2004 5:05 PM

Since the IOM report medical errors have been on the radar screen in health care, and similar to education, people in the hospital systems know where the problems are, but systems move slow, too slow in this case. As for report cards, I'm reminded of Deming's Point 11 (eliminate numerical quotas for the work force and numerical goals for management) & 5 (improve constantly and forever every process for planning, production & service) as a way of continual improvement.

Posted by Tim Wittstock at November 10, 2004 9:48 AM

"people in the system know where the problems are"

In my way of thinking, that's the problem. They have the knowledge, but not the motivation. A mob of informed and angry patients and their families would definitely get those in the system past their innertia.

Posted by Mackay Rippey at November 10, 2004 3:20 PM

"90% of management consists of making it difficult for people to get things done". Drucker "The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle." Hamel Ratings data are not changing consumer behavior, yet, 26% of consumers have seen hospital data (2002) and 3% considered a change based on these ratings and 1% actually made a change.

Posted by Tim Wittstock at November 10, 2004 3:48 PM