Ryan Neville, FACHE,President and CEO, Memorial Medical Center in Neillsville was re-elected to the board and will also serve as President-Elect in 2018. Toni Simonson, PhD, FACHE, Executive Director of Behavioral Health, HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital/HSHS St Joseph’s Hospital/Prevea Health in Eau Claire was also re-elected to the board. The newest board member is Jennifer Fink, MS, PhD, Director of Graduate Programs in Health Administration and Health Services; Assistant Professor, University Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Ryan Neville is passionate in the mission of ACHE, to advance healthcare management excellence throughout Wisconsin. ACHE WI is the gold standard for professionalism, competence in healthcare leadership and networking for optimal excellence. He plans to continue to assist in the development of networking events to strengthen all members, support leadership development program and provide mentorship.

Toni Simonson serves on the board to ensure that a voice from Behavioral Health is at the table to guide decisions and initiatives that effect health care. She offers the board her experience in behavioral health and ensuring this area of health care is understood and integrated into all other areas of healthcare.

Jennifer Fink is looking forward to being a part of the board for many reasons; including being able to provide a network to her Masters of HealthCare Administration students as well as help provide a talent pool to Wisconsin’s healthcare systems.  As her current role is directing an academic program for healthcare administrators she will be a significant asset in promoting student involvement in healthcare leadership.

As a developing leader in an industry experiencing fast-paced and disruptive changes, the ability to lead effectively has never been more critical nor more marketable. Today’s leading healthcare organizations require the talent and skills of strong leaders to influence others in realizing the vision of the organization. The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) – Wisconsin Chapter Leadership Development Program combines site visits, lectures, group exercises, participatory events, skill assessments, and individual coaching sessions to prepare emerging leaders with the skills to influence others and immediately impact their organizations. The program will enlighten the leader about their leadership abilities, enhance their knowledge of the healthcare industry, and provide them with the opportunity to immediately apply what they’ve learned for personal and professional growth. In addition to the core curriculum, the program also offers the leader the opportunity to interact with peers from across the state, receive coaching from successful early careerists and executives, increase exposure in the Wisconsin Chapter of ACHE, and the ability to network with Wisconsin’s leading healthcare executives. Applications are due February 1, 2018.

ACHE-WI Leadership Development Program Application 2018-2019

by Sydney Edmond

Close your eyes and imagine your organization from a customer’s perspective. Now consider sharing this image with someone else. What if their reaction to the image is not what you expected? As anthropologist Ralph Linton once said, “The last thing a fish would ever notice would be water.” Each day working in your environment, you become more comfortable and less aware of your surroundings. If you want a better image to share, consider hosting a Summer Enrichment Program intern to receive a new evaluation and to help you see your organization and leadership styles through someone else’s eyes.

With Lean, a “fresh-eyes” approach is used to identify improvement opportunities by introducing someone to unfamiliar processes. Consultants are also used for observation and solutions since they do not have any pre-conceived ideas about the organization. There are several other ways that leaders incorporate fresh eyes, such as asking customers for feedback on what can be done better, adding a new board member or involving the team in decisions. Today, a new way of using the fresh-eyes approach in your organization is hosting an SEP intern. Similar to Lean and consultant methods, hosting an intern is a significant way to display your organization how you imagine it and then examine how someone perceives it for the first time. Thus, the fees associated with hosting an SEP intern can simply be viewed as an investment, just as it is for process improvement.

SEP interns are current or recent students in collegiate programs. With their education, interns’ knowledge is a powerful asset that can be used to bring in new and innovative ways of thinking. In addition, the program is a way to expand healthcare leadership opportunities for ethnically, culturally and racially diverse individuals; host sites are catalysts for this process. Not only would a host site benefit from having a fresh set of eyes, but also it would gain rising stars that have diverse backgrounds and already see the world through different lens.

Often, we become comfortable with operations, and it takes someone new to ask why certain things are being done. An organization becomes static in composition and thus responds to issues and operates in the same way, every day. Different possibilities can be shown through a fresh set of eyes, and interns will ask new and different questions that may provoke leaders to think about their decisions and leadership styles. During or after the internship, prepare a gap analysis. What is different between what you expected and what your intern observed? A popular equation states expectation minus observation equals frustration. By having an open mind and hosting an SEP intern, you can change the equation and replace frustration with opportunity.

Invest in process improvement at your organization by hosting an SEP intern! For more information, click here.

The American College of Healthcare Executives’ Congress on Healthcare Leadership brings you the best in professional development, opportunities to network with and learn from peers, and the latest information to enhance your career and address your organization’s challenges in innovative ways. The 2018 Congress on Healthcare Leadership, “Be Part of Something Bigger,” will be held March 26–29 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Join us in 2018 and be part of this dynamic, energizing event that draws the top healthcare leaders from across the nation and around the world. The opening date for Congress 2018 registration and to reserve hotel accommodations was Nov. 14. Save your spot today!

One of the biggest responsibilities managers have is to inspire others to be the best versions of themselves. “If done well, everyone on your team will not only be more productive and efficient, but also happier with their jobs,” according to entrepreneur and speaker John Rampton. Here are 10 ways managers can effectively lead others to produce high-quality work:

1. Be authentic. Behaving in a way that aligns with your beliefs and values helps build trust with your employees and encourages them to be genuine as well.
2. Encourage transparency and feedback. Admitting when you are wrong is crucial to creating an honest and transparent culture where everyone can feel free enough to be their best at work.
3. Create connections with individuals. Get to know each person on your team. This will allow you to understand what motivates your employees, what they enjoy doing and what they are working toward.
4. Give recognition. Be the one to applaud and appreciate good work and can keep motivation levels high.
5. Leverage technology. Spend time finding solutions that can automate or speed up monotonous tasks to help make your team more productive and happier.
6. Support risk taking. Encouraging risk taking not only builds employees’ confidence and autonomy, but it yields more output within a culture of innovation.
7. Keep mission at the forefront. When people are excited about the work they are doing, their output is going to be exponentially higher.
8. Promote autonomy. Don’t make people feel like they have to be doing their work in a particular way, let them take a goal or idea and run with it. Giving people freedom can create momentum in the office.
9. Challenge your employees. Inspire your team to ask questions like “why am I working on this particular thing? Is what I’m doing the best use of my time right now, and is there a way to do this more efficiently?”
10. Hire the best. Great managers bring superstar qualities out of normal people. That said, it’s crucial to know when a person isn’t a good fit and when to cut ties with someone who doesn’t fit.

—Adapted from “10 Ways to Make Your Employees 10x More Productive,” by John Rampton, Entrepreneur, Nov. 10, 2017.

ECRI Institute named ransomware and other cybersecurity threats as the No. 1 hazard that warrants the greatest attention for the coming year. In the healthcare environment, ransomware and other types of malware attacks are more than just an IT nightmare. They are a potential patient-safety crises that can disrupt healthcare delivery operations, placing patients at risk.

Endoscope reprocessing landed in the No. 2 spot for 2018, as many healthcare facilities still struggle with consistently and effectively cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing these instruments between uses. Reprocessing failures can lead—and have led—to the spread of deadly infections. Other topics on the list include bed and stretcher support surfaces that remain contaminated between patients, missed alarms, equipment malfunctions resulting from the use of incompatible cleaning agents, patient burns from electrosurgical electrodes that are not safely holstered between uses, and unnecessary radiation exposures during digital imaging procedures.

The ECRI Institute Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2018 list identifies potential sources of danger involving medical devices and other health technologies, as well as practical strategies for reducing risks, establishing priorities and enacting safety solutions.

—Adapted from “Ransomware and Other Cybersecurity Threats Top ECRI Institute’s Annual Health Technology Hazards List,” by Laurie Menyo, ECRI Institute, Nov. 6, 2017.

ACHE is inviting authors to submit narratives of their posters for consideration for the 34th Annual Management Innovations Poster Session to be held at ACHE’s 2018 Congress on Healthcare Leadership. We are interested in innovations addressing issues affecting your organization that might be helpful to others, including improving quality or efficiency, enhancing patient or physician satisfaction, implementing EHRs, using new technology and similar topics. All accepted applicants will be expected to be available to discuss their posters on March 26, between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., and posters will remain on display from March 26–28 at Congress.

Please go to ache.org/CongressPosterSession for the full selection criteria and submission instructions. Submissions will be accepted through Jan. 16.

ACHE is inviting authors to submit proposals to present their research at the 11th Annual Forum on Advances in Healthcare Management Research. This session will take place during ACHE’s 2019 Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which will be held from March 4–7, 2019. The lead presenter of each selected proposal will receive a complimentary registration to the Congress.

Please visit ache.org/Congress/ForumRFP.cfm for the selection criteria and submission instructions. Submit your up-to-400-word abstract by July 2.

The importance of earning the distinction of board certification as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives cannot be overstated. Take the next step in advancing your career by achieving Fellow status. Earning this credential benefits your professional goals and the healthcare management profession, as it demonstrates a healthcare leader’s competence, leadership skills and commitment to excellence in the field.

Fellow applicants who successfully meet all requirements by Dec. 31, including passing the Board of Governors Examination, will be eligible to participate in the Convocation Ceremony at the 2018 Congress on Healthcare Leadership.

For Members starting on the journey to attain board certification and the FACHE^® credential, ACHE offers complimentary resources to help members succeed so they can be formally recognized for their competency, professionalism, ethical decision making and commitment to lifelong learning. These resources, which include the Board of Governors Examination in Healthcare Management Reference Manual and quarterly Advancement Information webinars, are designed to be supplements to other available Board of Governors Exam study resources, such as the Board of Governors Review Course and Online Tutorial.

• The Reference Manual, found at ache.org/FACHE, includes a practice 230-question exam and answer key, a list of recommended readings, test-taker comments and study tips.
• Fellow Advancement Information webinars provide a general overview of the Fellow advancement process, including information about the Board of Governors Exam, and allow participants to ask questions about the advancement process. An upcoming session is scheduled for Dec. 14. Register online at ache.org/FACHE.