Playing our Roles

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a collaborative strategic development conference for service line development of new technology within our institution. I was skeptical to say the least, to see the span of attendees that would be joining from my institution. OR leadership, surgeons, pharma reps and leadership, and surgeons. Yikes, is this a recipe for conflict?

Through our daylong event, I was consistently wowed by not only our team, but other institutions in attendance, who worked through a myriad of development sessions and would re-group and debrief. The perspectives of each side voiced, heard, questions asked, plans developed! What an efficient day that I left from, buzzing with new ideas that would not have ever been possible without the joint work of all involved.

Strategic plan development for service lines consists of the “big picture”, goals, obstacles, details and of course a timeline. The discussions and collaboration that took place led to the outcome of setting 30, 60 and 90-day goals, a task we continued to struggle with for several months. Getting these players in the room together, and mapping out the individual wants and needs fed the discussion and ultimately, the plan development.

We never know what we don’t know, but through inclusion and breaking down silos, we will continue to be successful in the ever-changing healthcare landscape we are a part of. Don’t be afraid to welcome new faces to the table, don’t hesitate to ask the questions you don’t know the answer to and never let your assumptions drive the greater plan.

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work ~Peter F. Drucker

Jennifer Pendleton, MS
WHCM Chairwoman