Communicating with C-Suite – Getting them to support your ideas Patrick Lynch CBET, CCE, CPHIMS, HIT Pro/PW Global Medical Imaging (GMI) Charlotte, NC

Administration

Who am I? CBET, CCE, CPHIMS, CHTS-PW, fACCE 35 years in Biomed Managed large In-house, ISO and corporate Biomeds Active in certification of BMETs and CEs 1st Pres of NCBA (North Carolina branch) - 1980 President, HTMA-SC Member of all Biomed Associations (honorary NC and KY) Board Member – META and FMESA Advisor – OH, KY, TN, UT, VA, NC Trainer – Engineering World Health (Rwanda, Honduras) Trainer – ACCE (Cuba) Chief Clinical Engineer - Heineman Medical Foundation (Guatemala) Currently, works for GMI is sales development, who sponsors my activities.

Outline of this talk Who is administration? What is their view of the world? How they make decisions. Why communicate? Why biomeds don’t communicate well upstream. Why don’t they listen? Planning your presentation. Case studies. Other sources. How to get this presentation. How many times have you had a good idea? Adding staff? Expanding your role into a new modality? Restructuring your department? Buying a new CMMS system? Attending a service school? Buying test equipment? How often have you proposed something to administration, only to have them reject it? Have you ever wondered if the idea was flawed in some way, or did you not explain it well enough to the powers-that-be?

Who is C-Suite / Administration? The hospital administration provides leadership and strategic directions within the organization to insure continuity and targeted growth over time. Job titles for individuals Administrator, Director, Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Vice-President.

Functions of Administration Daily Operations Growth Attracting Physicians Attracting Patients Financial Management Attracting Nurses Provision of physical space to provide services Watching competition and planning accordingly Maintaining knowledge of federal and state regulations Selecting programs which the hospital can deliver and earn a profit on.

Patient Safety and Quality of Care Care for the uninsured Top Issues for C-Suite Financial Patient Safety and Quality of Care Care for the uninsured Physician-Hospital relations Personnel Shortages From Thomas Dolan, President/CEO of ACHE

12 things every CEO/COO/CIO/VP needs to know about Biomed We are the least costly maintainers of medical equipment on the planet. Job Satisfaction for our highly technical people is primarily met by technical training and a sense of accomplishment. Training and Travel for Biomed is different than for everyone else in the hospital. Training is the second largest expense behind payroll. Biomed training is different from any other training and travel in the hospital. It CANNOT be delayed or reduced.

12 things every CEO/COO/CIO/VP needs to know about Biomed Our CMMS system is the key to our departmental operations. It captures and generates reports that are useful for the entire hospital. The manufacturers are NOT the friends of the hospital. We care... about the hospital, about the costs, about the patients, about the staff, about the equipment. Biomed is 110% on the side of the hospital. We need to control outside service providers. In order to do that, we must control the dollars that are paid to them.

12 things every CEO/COO/CIO/VP needs to know about Biomed Biomed must have a say in EVERY capital purchase for medical equipment, or related items. Unlike most other departments, Biomed is ready, willing and able to go above and beyond it's core mission to help the hospital.

Strategies Invite VP to Department Meetings Meet Often (Monthly) Regular Reports Short include successes include financials include CMMS Reports Invite VP to Department Meetings Get him/her to truly understand Clinical Engineering and how it benefits him and the hospital. Send Clinical Engineering articles of interest to him, showing how others do things that you want to do. Support Biomed's presence on Capital Committees, and on final signoff of new capital equipment and installations.

What do you need to convince Administration of? Add an FTE Approve Training Expand your Program Buy some Capital Equipment

Why don’t they approve your requests? No money Not politically correct No perceived advantage Nothing at stake to not act Not confident it would work Don’t understand the plan

Why Biomeds Don’t Communicate well We’re techno-geeks We are convinced of our plan, we don’t see why they aren’t. Written and oral communications are lacking in society in general. We don’t see the world as they do. We haven’t studied how to sell concepts to others.

Planning your Approach Brainstorm Create a story Create some slides Plan your delivery Create something they’ll always remember

Brainstorming Engage others to help Coworkers - your entire shop Others who are successful with administration Outside acquaintances (salesmen, other biomeds)

Brainstorming Determine your “Big Idea” Make it important. Define what is at stake. If nothing is at stake, they are not going to act.

Brainstorming Create Content Paper Whiteboard Mindmapping techniques Creative thinking techniques Quiet the noisy left-brain (too analytic) Use the creative right brain.

Create a Story Use Convergent Thinking (trimming) Filter the best ideas Think about your audience Cut, Cut, Cut. Provide Clarity.

Create a Story Start – Describe life as your audience knows it. Middle – Develop the middle – build a vision of what could be. Create dramatic tension. Make the ending POWERFUL. They’ll remember the ending.

Slide Creation 1 idea per slide. Audiences cannot read and listen at the same time. Know when to animate. Do not overuse. Use only if it add something. Don’t make your audience try to figure out your cluttered slides.

Delivery Set the right tone. Develop a concise agenda. Tell what the audience can expect. Create a shared base of understanding.

Delivery Create something they’ll remember Emotional anecdote Shocking statistic Evocative visual Memorable dramatization

During the Presentation Gage whether they are committed. Leaning forward Sitting back. Asking questions. Looking bored.

Specific Strategies Add an FTE Educate admin about cost savings Outsource Service Sign service contracts

Specific Strategies To add some Biomed Training Make sure you REALLY need it Provide costly alternatives to no school Sign a contract Include 30 day cancellation Do NOT fix the items anyway Explain why the person trained will not quit. Pitch as an investment instead of a cost.

Specific Strategies Expand your Program Analyze the current and proposed situation carefully, from the perspectives of all stakeholders Include improvements to: Financial situation Customer Satisfaction Uptime Future savings Pitch it as an expansion instead of a new program

Specific Strategies To buy some test equipment Fully explain WHY you need it. Explain the consequences for NOT buying it. Tie the purchase to an already-started program Identify loss if past investment if no action is taken.

Other Resources

Other Resources

Other Resources

Other Resources

Other Resources

How to keep up to date Join AHRA (www.ahra.org) Free newsletter Join HFMA (www.hfma.org) Professional society for c-suite Join AAMI (www.aami.org) Best resources for the Biomed 3 full memberships for $100 for NCBA Become a professional presenter Visit my blog at www.gmi3.com/blog

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