Change Advisor — Specialty Hospital
Change Advisor | Specialty Hospital
Sector: Health care
Timeframe: 2008 to 2009
Affiliation: Stevenson Kellogg
Helped to implement organizational changes in the largest outpatient clinic of a prominent specialty hospital in Toronto. Facilitated strategic vision with clinic leadership. Led a physician/staff working group in developing process and role changes, and provided coaching for individual leaders and stakeholders.
BACKGROUND
In 2007 the clinic was the largest care and training centre in North America for its medical area of specialty.
A detailed internal assessment of the clinic's operational strengths and weaknesses highlighted directional changes for improvement.
Anticipating physical renovations associate with a planned move to a new ambulatory care centre, clinic leadership planned to implement the needed process and organizational changes while clarifying roles, and piloting physical workspace changes.
PAIN POINTS
- While a clinic in organizational name and posture, the agglomerated individual practices of physician specialists operated as independent subspecialties
- The teaching role of the clinic also dominated the schedule of activity
- Clinicians were seen as highly resistant to process changes
- A process redesign and improvement initiative in 2005 implemented small tactical changes that were not entirely sustained
OUTCOMES
- Established significant level of preparation for the intended changes, including increased levels of commitment of clinical staff and key physicians.
- Following executive leadership change and a long-term delay in the implementation of the planned ambulatory care centre, the hospital proceeded with limited renovations in the clinic space and implemented a subset of the planned process and organizational changes.
CONSULTING RESPONSE
Working with the Hospital's EVP of Clinical Programs and Services, and a colleague from Stevenson Kellogg, and an internal operational consultant, Michael provided a structure for mobilizing change:
- Convened and facilitated clinic leadership team (EVP of Clinical Programs, Physician in Chief, Administrative Director, and Medical Director) in preparing a strategic vision for services in the clinic that embraced the findings of the internal operational assessment
- Worked with the clinic leadership team to clarify and embrace their roles in leading change, and to build an overall roadmap for change to achieve the strategic vision
- Led and faciliated a working team (clinic manager, clinic physician, internal consultant, other resources as needed) in developing process and role changes arising from the the internal operational assessment and guided by the strategic vision
- Organized and facilitated engagement sessions with clinic administrative staff and with the clinic physician team, outlining proposed directions and rationale, and obtaining feedback
- Established framework and agendas for staff group working teams to review and refine proposed work processes
- Ongoing support to clinic leadership and management
- Provided ongoing coaching for executive and administrative leaders in leading change and effecting course correction throughout the initiative