When clinical, operational twain meets

Specialized function can integrate with function of specialists

When two persons perform the same or similar functions in two different areas or departments, process efficiency experts recruited by hospital administration logically call for standardization and perhaps a merger.

For many healthcare organizations, pharmacy and supply chain operations largely claim exception and immunity to the suggestion.

Arguably, either department can learn a great deal from the other. Pharmacy taps into the clinical realm more deeply and typically gains more acceptance by doctors and surgeons. In addition, pharmacy has a reputation for inventory management expertise, aided in part by formularies, P & T committees, drug data standardization and facilitated by direct supplier involvement in data management.

Meanwhile, supply chain oversees a breadth of product that far surpasses pharmacy’s, even though pharmacy may represent the larger dollar volume of annual purchases. Supply chain has developing ties with clinicians and the C-suite with direct links to an organization’s operating budget. In short, pharmacy may be responsible for one area, but supply chain reaches everywhere else, earning a prominent spot on CEO and CFO radar screens.

More than a few healthcare organizations recognize the value that a symbiotic relationship between pharmacy and supply chain can generate. In fact, a number of hospitals and healthcare systems have merged the two areas so that both operate under a single leader – either from pharmacy or supply chain.

Three Ways to Reduce Stress

Headaches, back pain, upset stomach, loss of sleep. The implications of increased stress can affect all aspects of a person’s life, having an especially harsh impact on that individual’s work life. Performing your job at the highest level and tending to responsibilities is particularly important for those of us in the medical profession – when patients’ health and livelihood are at stake.

Stress in the workplace is going to happen, but the best way to lessen the blow is by discovering better ways to cope with it and ultimately reduce it.

Three ways to help reduce your stress and anxiety as a caregiver.

Breathing Exercises

A quick and easy way to lower your stress level. Just a minute or two of heavy, deep breathing can do wonders for your stress level – helping oxygenate the blood, wake up the brain and relax your muscles. What makes breathing exercises so advantageous in helping eliminate stress is that they can be done almost anywhere.

Exercise

From biking to dancing to even gardening, exercise and physical activity are fantastic stress relievers. As your physical activity increases, your brain creates additional feel-good neurotransmitters, called endorphins. Endorphins interact with the opiate receptors in the brain to help reduce the body’s perception of pain – resulting in a decrease in the negative effects caused by stress. In addition to the physical advantages from the increased endorphins, exercise gives you an outlet for your frustrations and helps distract you from the areas of your life that may be causing stress.

Music Therapy

Did you know that music therapy is being used in hospitals all across the country for everything from alleviating pain to promoting movement for physical rehabilitation to helping elevate patients’ moods? Aside from its applications around medical offices, music therapy has been proven to lessen muscle tension and promote relaxation for just about anybody. Yes, that means you, caregivers. Overcome with anxiety while on the job? Pop in your headphones and listen to a few songs on a soothing playlist and feel the effects – slower breathing, reduced heart rate and an activation of the relaxation response (the counterpart to the fight-or-flight).

In conclusion, anxiety and stress on the job are commonplace, especially given the hefty responsibilities of a medical professional. Hopefully with the tips from this post you’ll become a little better equipped to handle any mental strain coming from your duties as a caregiver.

10 Tips for Nurse Practitioners to Avoid Burnout

How can taking care of one's self have anything to do with business? As a business owner, you work hard; most likely you work harder than you ever did as an employed person. This is especially true during your first years in business. As such, it's important to take the time to recharge your batteries. Here are some suggestions for you:

1. Vacation. There is no question, getting away is the best way to recharge. While many of us may not be able to get away for 2-3 weeks, consider several mini-vacations or even a staycation.

2. Read a book that has nothing to do with medicine, nursing, health or business. Totally get away from your everyday work and immerse yourself in something completely unrelated.

3. Consider taking an afternoon to go to the movies, visit a gallery, or meet your friends for coffee and conversation.

4. Take up a new hobby this summer. Perhaps you've wanted to learn to paint, play an instrument, or kayak.

5. Visit the many Summer Art Fairs and Festivals.

6. Have a picnic under the stars. August is great month for Meteor showers.

7. Like to camp, but short on time? Consider camping in your backyard.

8. Take a morning off and go for an early morning hike. It's a great time to watch the wildlife and can feel decadent while you sip your morning coffee/tea and others are scurrying off to work.

9. Is there something you do just for special occasions? Great! Make yourself the special occasion and treat yourself.

10. Attend some summer CE opportunities in a new location. While work related, it still gets you out of the office and a chance to network with others while allowing time for sightseeing.

What Does it Take to Be a Hospital CFO Today?

For many hospital CFOs today, the healthcare financial environment might feel like Wheel of Fortune. Stiff competition requires their organizations to be at the top of their game; there are numerous different components needed to solve their daily puzzles; and if things go awry, "bankruptcy" could be only a spin away.

1. Take board meetings seriously

2. Stay connected to the community

3.  Make capital planning a big priority

4. Be diligent in payor negotiations

5. Work closely with physicians and clinicians by breaking out of silos

6. Be flexible, and support the hospital's overall mission

5 things CFOs need to communicate to CIOs to prevent overspending

The current healthcare landscape is calling for more collaboration, and possibly the most important partnership is that of the CIO and CFO. With new IT becoming a pressing necessity, it's crucial both professionals understand the ins and outs of IT spending.

1. Gain internal alignment. The number one thing CFOs should communicate to CIOs is the importance of gaining internal alignment of the blocking and tackling - having good budgeting processes in place and good relationships with their internal clients or users, like doctors and nurses who need services from IT." Healthcare organizations have become better at getting everyone on the same page but understanding departmental needs will help to create a true budget forecast cycle so you have some visibility into what those needs are and what they may cost.

2. Benchmark your spending. It's becoming much more common place to benchmark spending.

3. Don't get stuck in 'vendor lock.

4. Question your maintenance charges.

5. Stay on top of going rates for outside services.

7 Tips to Ensure Nurses a Good Night’s Sleep (Part 2)

One of the greatest challenges that every nurse faces at one point in their career is lack of sleep. Working as a nurse, we are sometimes put on various shifts. We are asked to swing back and forth between days and nights. We get brought in for on-calls, which could be a random night shift mixed into a run of 12 hour days.

Not only does the professional staffing model of nursing create sleep disturbances, but own experiences as a nurse often adds fuel to the fire.

Nurses take care of difficult patients, observe death and pathology. Nurses work with challenging personalities. No wonder they have a lot on their minds!  But sleeping, or not sleeping, in this way can lead to terrible problems.  Mistakes can be made at work if concentration is poor or  minds are foggy. Moods can swing as we feel irritable, exhausted, and overwhelmed.  Illness can exacerbate as inadequate rest can lead to depression, weight gain, and decreased immune function.

So what do Nurses do with all of this? How can they ensure to receive proper rest? Well, there are a few things.

4. Do not eat or drink too close to bedtime.

5. Get activity and movement in each day. If you don’t do anything physical during the day that gets your heart rate pumping, your body isn’t really going to be tired or need any rest. It didn’t do anything! So get outside and get moving.  Fresh air is a great way to charge up during the day so that you can rest well during the night!

6. Try aromatherapy or oils.

7. Create an environment conducive for sleep.  Keep a dark, cool room.  The worst thing is to wake up seating and hot.  Turn down the lights to prepare for peaceful relaxation and quiet time.

7 Tips to Ensure Nurses a Good Night’s Sleep (Part 1)

One of the greatest challenges that every nurse faces at one point in their career is lack of sleep. Working as a nurse, we are sometimes put on various shifts. We are asked to swing back and forth between days and nights. We get brought in for on-calls, which could be a random night shift mixed into a run of 12 hour days.

Not only does the professional staffing model of nursing create sleep disturbances, but own experiences as a nurse often adds fuel to the fire.

Nurses take care of difficult patients, observe death and pathology. Nurses work with challenging personalities. No wonder they have a lot on their minds!  But sleeping, or not sleeping, in this way can lead to terrible problems.  Mistakes can be made at work if concentration is poor or  minds are foggy. Moods can swing as we feel irritable, exhausted, and overwhelmed.  Illness can exacerbate as inadequate rest can lead to depression, weight gain, and decreased immune function.

So what do Nurses do with all of this? How can they ensure to receive proper rest? Well, there are a few things.

1. If you can, try to get on a schedule. I know with shift work sometimes this is impossible. But the more you can get onto a schedule of bedtime at 10 pm and waking up at 6 am each day, the easier it will be for you to quickly drift off.

2. Keep your bed and your room just for sleeping. Do not lie in bed while on the computer.  Do not watch TV and try to “fall asleep.”  Read in a comfortable chair before bed, but not in the bed itself.  You have to train your body to know that when you get into the bed, it is time for rest. 

3. Journal in the evening. It’s helpful to write out a Journal in the evening. Getting it out onto paper gets it out of your minds.