HealthSystems Direct LLC

HSD Training Programs

Recognizing that middle managers are the core of the successful execution of strategy, HSD designed a series of ½ day sessions on the following topics:

Analyzing Performance Problems – A guide for the manager seeking a higher level of productivity from their employees. Understanding what creates employee performance problems will help to improve productivity and sustain a workplace noted for being “a good place to work.” Through these tools you will gain supportive and thoughtful managers that will help employees contribute to organizational success. A simple systems approach is offered as the basis for simplifying the analytical process. Faculty: George Karahalis, who taught this topic dozens of times for his own hospital and more than 30 other hospitals over the last 20 years.

Financial management for middle managers – These tools and analyses will help middle managers identify where attention to cost and process re-design might yield improved financial performance and “patient delight.” They will learn the process of redesign to help in identifying specific steps to correct financial issues. Faculty: Fred Kennedy, PhD, an Emory Associate Professor, now semi-retired. He taught this topic several times per year for both masters-level students and managers at middle levels in organizations.

How to design and implement MBO at the middle manager level, without creating management by tyranny – While the concept of MBO seems “old,” it is still true that “whatever is measured will get done.” Teaching managers how to use participative approaches to goal setting will aid in “ownership” of the outcome and more realistic quantitative measures of success. Faculty: Chris Press and George Karahalis. Both are adjunct (part time) professors at Emory’s MPH program, while providing management consulting for hospital and physician clients. Both have taught this concept multiple times to other organizations. When tied to Balanced ScoreCard (BSC), this facilitated training approach makes the process of change easier for busy managers and staff.

Improving employee performance through application of conflict management (CM) tools – The sources of conflict in health systems seem to grow more numerous each day. Physician/nurse conflicts have been around a long time and continue to be an important consideration when pursuing “customer delight” among physicians. But, with HIPAA, suddenly, “business associate” contracts can create formalized venues of conflict where high-dollar stakes push risk of PHI disclosures into the hands of personal injury attorneys. Middle managers who understand CM tools can help executives by heading off problems before they get to the formal dispute resolution stage. They will learn when to refer a situation to the next level for expedited action. Faculty: Andrea Doneff, JD and George Karahalis. Andrea teaches alternative dispute resolution for Resolution Resources Corporation and for the Emory Law School. Both she and George are mediators."