Success is all about engaging them with their vital interests in mind

We just had an experience the other day where a prominent cardiovascular surgeon almost blew a gasket when we showed him that our value analytics indicated that his hospital’s cardiovascular stent product mix (metal vs. drug eluting) was much higher than the regional or national average. So we understand this challenge too, but it hasn’t stopped us from engaging clinicians in changing their behavior with their vital interest in mind.

This story points out that no one has a batting average of 500 in the supply chain game, but with the five building blocks for successfully changing your clinician’s behavior we have learned over the last 22 years, I will show you how you can hit more singles, doubles, triples and even home runs than ever before. This transformation begins with the following five building blocks:

No clinician will change for change sake; you will need to give them unbiased evidence that a change is needed. The best way I know of to do so is to show them with graphics, data and measurements, their unfavorable utilization trends, patterns and metrics to get their attention. When you use your own data to make your case very few clinicians will dispute, refute or ignore your claim if they are fair minded people. Nevertheless, there is always that 5 percent (like the cardiovascular doctor) that will never accept any change no matter what you do to convince them otherwise. Just move on and try again when these individuals have moved on, up or out of your healthcare organization.

We all need to be an integral part of any change that is being contemplated, so we can give advice, correct distortions and offer our expert opinion on what works and doesn’t work. That’s why you need the clinician(s) that will be affected by the change to be at every meeting at which the topic that affects them is being discussed. To this end, change your meeting day or time, change your venue or have them call into your meetings, or whatever it takes to ensure that their input, vital interests and opinions are heard and addressed and then acted on to gain their support.

Better yet, give your clinicians a lead position on your team so they can have control of their destiny. At one of our clients we have two physicians leading two PPI change initiatives. These physicians have taken the leadership position for changing their colleague’s behavior. It makes it so much easier when you have peers talking to peers to make change happen!

No one likes change, even if it is good for them. Therefore, expect resistance to any change you are proposing from some quarters. But don’t give up at the first sign of resistance since this is just a sign that you have your clinicians’ full attention. It’s time for you to show them your vision on how this change can happen easily, painlessly and with their interest in mind.

There is a tendency to unplug your clinicians from the change process once they have agreed to make a change. This practice is dangerous since your clinicians must live with the decisions you are making for them. Always make sure that your clinicians are plugged in from start to finish on any change that they have agreed upon so that they can’t complain, if and when something goes wrong with the implementation of your change.

These five building blocks, when implemented in tandem, will give you a starting and an ending point for all change initiatives that you are contemplating with your clinicians now or in the future. They are time tested and proven to give you a higher batting average than you thought possible.

Changing the behavior of your clinicians is never easy, quick or even guaranteed to be successful. However, progress in any thing we do is never made by accepting the way things are now. They can only get better when we are willing to engage our clinicians on their turf, on their terms and with their vital interest in mind. Then, and only then, will we be able to successfully, artfully and creditably change their behavior.