COMMUNICATING WITH THE C-SUITE
A typical, misaligned, ask might go something like this: ED: We need a new piece of equipment for the ED. New studies in the New England Journal show how valuable it is, and it is clearly best for patients.
“Most obviously,
C-Suite: Hmm, that does sound important, but we don’t have enough money.
figuring out who is who in the C-Suite can be like decoding alphabet soup.
ED: But we need it… C-Suite: But we can’t afford it… While the ED has the patient’s best interests in mind, they failed to take into account the priorities of the C-suite. Prior to any conversation with health system or hospital leadership, it behooves departmental leaders to consider all of the stakeholders, the process of implementation, return on investment, potential benefits, and potential risks.
C-Suite: Why wasn’t this equipment purchased already?!
When the priorities of the hospital leaders are considered and incorporated into the ask, that same conversation might instead go something like this:
To ensure effective communication, it’s key to think outside your departmental silo, adequately prepare, align the ask to institutional priorities, anticipate downstream issues, and highlight key areas of concern.
ED: We need a new piece of equipment for the ED. Anesthesia and Pulmonary also need similar equipment from the same vendor. We think now is the time to get a good deal if we buy in bulk, and we can save money on servicing the equipment we already have.
Communication with non-clinical leaders, particularly those in the C-suite and on the board can be successful, you just have to learn to speak their love language.
C-Suite: Hmm, how urgent is this need? ED: It’s urgent for patient safety. Recently, there were two bad outcomes related to the old equipment. One of them is in litigation now and the expected payout on that case is more than the total spend for all three departments combined. That outcome likely could have been avoided if we had the newer equipment. We should also mention we’ve already put together a plan for training and maintenance and have the documentation ready to file for DOH approval.
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COMMON SENSE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
Author acknowledgement: Dan DelPortal, MD MBA References 1. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/only-24-of-hospital-boardmembers-have-clinical-backgrounds.html 2. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/only-24-of-hospital-boardmembers-have-clinical-backgrounds.html