1. High “Clinical IQ”. ASCs are under increased scrutiny to show their facilities are up to par with infection control and other clinical benchmarks. Due to high expectations from CMS, state agencies, accreditation organizations and patients, DONs should possess extensive clinical knowledge and skills to demonstrate he or she is capable of leading the ASC to excellent clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
“A high clinical IQ drives better outcomes, and a DON with a high clinical IQ is more respected by their staff,” Mr. Zoch says. “Demonstrating high clinical IQ also says something to surgeons about the DON’s knowledge and ability to ensure patient safety and wellness. High clinical IQ will be evident in the DON’s educational background, continuing education, experience within the surgical environment and certifications.”
2. Exceptional “people” skills. The DON is a front-and-center role in an ASC, meaning this person is continuously delegating and working with virtually all staff members within a facility as well as working face-to-face with patients on a daily basis. As such, it’s particularly important that a DON has social skills that go above and beyond what’s normally expected.
“There is a lot of interaction between staff members, physicians and patients and whenever you have human interaction, there’s the potential for stress, misunderstandings and tension,” Mr. Zoch says. “All of these things — stress, misunderstandings and tension — can show up in a multiple of ways and times, and the DON is usually the one doing damage control. So exceptional people-skills, or the lack thereof, can make or break an ASC’s culture.”
3. Ability to communicate. The ability to communicate takes a great set of social skills one step higher. Mr. Zoch says that being able to communicate with patients, surgeons and staff is one of the top skills a DON should possess. Quality in healthcare begins with the relationships between patients, physicians and staff that are created and fostered through open and effective communication.
“It’s all about relationships. Great people-skills, particularly the ability to communicate effectively, will shine through to everyone. When they don’t see that, it results in employee turnover, which costs money, and will ultimately destroy the culture within an ASC,” he says. “If you have great communication skills, it will likely result in greater retention, a happier, more productive work force and physician loyalty.”
4. Passion. Top DONs always have a positive and passionate attitude about the work they do. This directly affects the culture of the work place and attitudes of staff members. Mr. Zoch says that the vast majority of clinicians decide to go into healthcare because they want to make a difference, so they are looking for opportunities to work with people who feel the same.
“Most clinicians want to go to work and be surrounded by people that are passionate about what they do and have work that matters,” he says. “The DON really sets the tone for that kind of passionate culture within the facility.”
Mr. Zoch adds that a DON’s passion will be reflected, in part, by how well he or she is able to equip staff members with the tools and resources to do their respective jobs well within the ASC setting and by the support shown to all stakeholders.
5. Great accountability. As one of the forefront leaders of an ASC, an excellent DON sets high expectations and follows up to ensure that those high expectations are being met. This ultimately creates a culture of accountability. Mr. Zoch says a DON should help staff members understand their roles in the greater scheme of things, how they can affect the bottom line — clinically and financially — and follows up by “inspecting what they expect.”
“It doesn’t matter what the expectations are. It could be better turnaround times or improved clinical outcomes, but there absolutely must be an element of accountability in order to develop that as a part of the culture,” he says. “Top DONs wouldn’t say, ‘Okay, I expect this,’ then never check to make sure it was done. They set expectations and follow up to see if they’re met. If they aren’t being met, then they make the necessary changes to ensure that they are met the next time. Top DONs are masters of inspecting without making the team feel that they are being micro-managed.”
Learn more about Kaye/Bassman.
Contact Greg Zoch by email: gregz@kbic.com
