Page 345 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

344 Part 4 • Leading
Case appLICaTIon 1
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Rx: Teamwork

he health-care industry is the fastest growing sector care” was designed to enable health-care staffers to work
of the U.S. economy, with annual revenues projected together to make sure that no patient concern, need, preventive
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Tat over $1.6 trillion (that’s 12 zeroes!) and employing action, or matter was missed or overlooked. As one indi-
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over 18 million workers. Many challenges face the health- vidual described, staffers often literally chased patients down
care industry, including changing laws/regulations, changing hallways to get them to schedule needed screenings. But the
technologies, an aging population and increase in chronic team approach is working. After a number of years using this
disease, and labor shortages (physicians and nurses). But the model, research on Kaiser’s team model showed significant
goal is still the same—efficiently and effectively provide qual- gains in patient medical care across a wide range of stan-
ity (appropriate and timely) dardized measures. Getting
health-care to patients. Given to that outcome wasn’t easy,
the challenges, health-care TEAMING UP for however. Departments that
organizations are looking for better outcomes were accustomed to working
better ways to do this. And on their own now had to work
one way is through using a together. Instead of focusing
“team-based care” approach, which research studies have on their own specialties, a team of specialists now worked
shown can improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. together to provide patients with a well-rounded health-care
Many hospitals, clinics, and medical practices have experience. Physicians had to be retrained to view themselves
adopted this team-care approach. What does that entail? A as part of a team, supported by other professionals such as
patient receives care from a team of medical professionals nurses, assistants, and other staff. As the health-care environ-
who divide up responsibilities for performing tasks that tradi- ment continues to be challenging, is teamwork the Rx?
tionally would have been done by a person’s primary physi-
cian. Although supervising physicians still manage (oversee) Discussion Questions
patient care, tasks such as completing prescription refill re- 10-14 What challenges are managers of health-care organizations
quests, adjusting medication dosages, helping manage chronic facing?
diseases (for example, teaching someone diagnosed with 10-15 How would the way health-care organization managers
diabetes how to take blood sugar counts and to administer manage be different in a team-based model?
insulin), and other routine tasks are now done by a team of 10-16 Explain how roles, norms, status systems, and group cohesive-
health-care providers. For instance, at Kaiser Permanente, one ness might influence the success of a team-based model?
of the largest not-for-profit managed health-care companies 10-17 What are some reasons you think a team-based model has led
in the United States, a new program model called “complete to improved patient outcomes and reduced costs?