Month: July 2024

What happens when you’re working with a Chief Financial Officer that refuses to embrace the modern ways that healthcare is changing? If you’re a mid-level leader or financial professional working in an FQHC, navigating your position can be challenging, especially if your CFO prefers old-fashioned methods. This kind of environment can feel limiting when you’re eager to push forward with modern approaches and excited about the ways technology and new programs can impact the health of your community. Balancing respect for traditional practices with the need for innovation is tricky but essential if you want your FQHC to thrive. Today we’re exploring some practical tips for moving your FQHC forward, even when your CFO sticks to their old ways. 

Understanding the Dynamics 

If your CFO is more traditional, understanding their perspective is the key to working with them successfully. These leaders often rely on conventional methods they’ve seen work in the past. They may be resistant to change and prefer established practices over new innovations. This reliance on the familiar doesn’t mean your CFO is trying to keep your organization from growing and changing. Usually, it comes from a place of security and a deep love for their team, their community, and their programs. New technology and evolving industry standards can feel like a threat to an old-fashioned CFO who only wants to protect their FQHC and continue to provide services in ways they know work.  

However, an aversion to adapting slows down the adoption of new technologies, policies and methods, which could cause your organization to fall behind. Understanding these dynamics helps you work with your CFO from a place of empathy and practicality. 

Managing Resistance to Change 

Resistance to change is common, especially in organizations with a traditional mindset. As we mentioned, it’s important to understand the reasons behind this resistance. It could be fear of the unknown, concerns about costs, or attachment to familiar routines. Addressing these concerns is key to overcoming resistance.  

Building a Strong Relationship with the CFO 

The importance of creating a solid relationship with your CFO cannot be overstated. Good communication and mutual respect are essential! Start every interaction with your CFO with respect – even the interactions that you know will result in disagreements. As you work together on new projects and make suggestions for adopting modern methods, make an effort to find common ground and focus on your shared goals. Remember that you’re both working towards the growth of your FQHC and the health of your community.  

Regular and effective communication also helps build trust. When presenting new ideas that may challenge traditional methods, use data and evidence to support your proposals. Encourage questions and dialogue and be ready and willing to address questions and concerns that may require additional research or even repetition. Patience is key here, and will help your relationship with your CFO grow! Highlight the benefits of new ideas and procedures without undermining your current practices and suggest piloting new initiatives on a small scale to get your leadership comfortable and troubleshoot any potential challenges. 

Tips for Building a Strong Relationship: 

• Show Respect: Acknowledge their experience and achievements. 

• Find Common Ground: Identify shared goals and objectives. 

• Communicate Effectively: Use regular meetings, reports, and updates. 

• Present Data-Driven Proposals: Use evidence to support your ideas and be open to questions. 

• Suggest Small-Scale Pilots: Propose testing new initiatives on a limited basis. 

Navigating Financial Management 

Dealing with an old-fashioned CFO can be tough, especially if they’re stuck on outdated financial techniques. They might prefer manual accounting processes and resist automation. This focus on cost-cutting over strategic investments can hold back the organization. To modernize financial management, introduce the benefits of modern financial software. Advocate for small, incremental changes and emphasize the importance of data-driven decision-making. For example, streamline billing processes with new software or implement more accurate financial reporting methods. 

Modernizing Financial Management: 

• Introduce Financial Software: Highlight efficiency and accuracy improvements. 

• Advocate for Incremental Changes: Suggest small, manageable updates. 

• Emphasize Data-Driven Decisions: Use analytics to guide financial strategies. 

• Streamline Billing Processes: Implement software to automate and simplify billing. 

• Improve Financial Reporting: Use modern tools for more accurate and timely reports. 

Leveraging Middle Management Influence 

As a mid-level leader, you have more influence than you might think. Your role is crucial in driving change within the organization. Start by building a coalition of support among your peers and other departments. Talk to others and try to understand challenges they’re facing and what new technology or procedures they are interested in exploring. Collaborating and listening means you’ll have a wider network of support and greater buy-in as you advocate for exploring the latest best-practices with your CFO. Lead by example by implementing small-scale improvements within your team. Share your successes and lessons learned with the CFO and other leaders – showing your wins and the ways your team overcomes challenges helps build trust and confidence in modern procedures. 

Continuous learning and professional development are also important. Staying updated on industry trends and best practices will help you bring fresh ideas and perspectives to your organization, along with the knowledge and understanding to back up your ideas. 

Leveraging Your Influence: 

• Build a Support Network: Collaborate with peers and other departments. Listen to their unique pain points to ensure your recommendations benefit the organization as a whole, not just your department. 

• Lead by Example: Implement and showcase small-scale improvements. 

• Share Successes: Communicate achievements and lessons learned. 

• Pursue Professional Development: Stay current with industry trends and best practices. 

Balancing tradition with innovation is essential for the success of your FQHC. Working with an old-fashioned CFO may feel frustrating at times, but leading with respect and data-driven suggestions can help you merge classic techniques with modern best-practices. It takes patience, persistence, and adaptability, but the rewards are worth it. As a mid-level leader, you play a vital role in advocating for positive change and ensuring the future success of your FQHC! 

Healthcare workers are called heroes for a reason! Healthcare employees face unique stressors and challenges, from long hours and emotional strain to high-stakes decision-making, the pressures can be immense. Whether you’re an FQHC, hospital, or group practice, your employees are the heartbeat of your organization. Prioritizing their wellbeing makes your organization stronger and helps you attract top talent. Implementing wellness programs is an essential way to support the dedicated professionals on your team, enhancing their job satisfaction, and helping your organization thrive. 

Understanding the Stressors and Challenges 

Healthcare professionals work in high-pressure environments. They often deal with life-and-death situations, which can lead to burnout and stress. Even outside of the hospital setting, employees at FQHCs and Group Practices face a constant demand for excellence, long shifts, and emotional exhaustion. Recognizing these stressors is the first step in addressing your employee well-being effectively. 

Impact of Employee Well-being on Organizational Success 

Employee well-being directly impacts job satisfaction and retention. Happy, healthy employees are more productive, engaged, and loyal to your organization, which helps them keep your community healthy and provide the best patient care possible. High job satisfaction also reduces turnover rates, saving you money on recruiting and training new staff. Plus, a positive work environment enhances teamwork and overall organizational culture, contributing to the long-term success of your healthcare organization. 

Developing Effective Wellness Programs 

If you want to positively impact your employee’s well-being, you need to develop a wellness program they actually want to be a part of. Creating a wellness program that resonates with your staff involves understanding their needs and preferences. What challenges is your team facing that might be unique to your healthcare organization, community, or staff makeup? What activities appeal to them in and outside of work? Ask your team for input and craft a program that will resonate with your staff.  

Here are some key components to consider: 

• Physical Health Initiatives: Encourage regular exercise by offering gym memberships or on-site fitness classes. Promote healthy eating by providing nutritious meal options in the cafeteria, and take into consideration the allergies and dietary restrictions of your staff when possible. 

• Mental Health Support: Provide access to counseling services and stress management workshops. Implement mindfulness and relaxation programs can also help employees manage their mental health. 

• Flexible Work Schedules: Allow for flexible working hours where possible. This can help employees manage their work-life balance better, reducing stress and burnout. 

• Recognition and Rewards: Regularly recognize and reward employees for their hard work and dedication. This can boost morale and job satisfaction. 

Looking for more ideas on creating wellness programs? Follow us on socials for Wellness Wednesdays every month! Check out our LinkedIn, X, and Facebook. 

Managing Workload for Your Employees 

One of the most significant contributors to employee stress in healthcare is an overwhelming workload. Managing this effectively is crucial for employee well-being. Take a strategic look at your organizational chart and job descriptions. Have any of your long-term employees experienced job bloat? Are there areas in your workflows that are bogging down your employees or clogging up processes? These could create unmanageable workloads and add to burnout. Here are some strategies to improve employee workloads: 

• Efficient Staffing: Ensure that staffing levels are adequate to meet patient needs without overburdening employees. Research best practices for providers and administrators in your field and adjust your staffing levels accordingly. 

• Task Delegation: Delegate tasks appropriately to ensure that workloads are evenly distributed and manageable. Struggling to delegate? Check out this blog for tips! 

• Regular Breaks: Encourage employees to take regular breaks to rest and recharge throughout the day. Pausing and resetting regularly can prevent burnout and maintain high performance levels. 

RCM and Employee Wellness 

What does your revenue cycle have to do with employee wellness? If your organization wants to grow, bring on new talented staff, improve your technology and expand your programs, you need revenue. But, relying solely on an internal team for billing can stretch them thin, leading to errors, delays, and missed revenue opportunities. Outsourcing your revenue cycle management or even just your AR Cleanup means your billing will be handled by dedicated experts, allowing your internal team to focus on patient care. This strategic move can boost your bottom line, but also enhance your overall efficiency and staff well-being. Here’s how: 

• Reduced Administrative Burden: Outsourcing your RCM allows healthcare professionals to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks. This reduces stress and improves their overall job satisfaction, which means better employee retention and a stronger team. 

• Increased Efficiency: Professional RCM services often have more efficient processes in place, leading to faster and more accurate billing and collections. After all, these are dedicated professionals that only handle billing, all day, every day. Having these experts working for your organization will improve the financial health of your organization and reduce the stress on your employees. 

• Improved Work-Life Balance: With the administrative burden reduced, your employees can enjoy a better work-life balance. This leads to lower burnout rates and higher overall well-being. 

Taking care of your team’s well-being is a must for any successful healthcare organization. When you focus on wellness programs and manageable workloads, you are not just making your employees happier — you are also boosting job satisfaction, retention, and overall performance, which helps your healthcare organization provide top notch care to your community. Plus, outsourcing your revenue cycle management can take a huge load off your staff, letting them focus on what really matters: patient care. Creating a happy, healthy workforce will also create a happy, healthy community.