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It was an interesting week in the media. The focus of TV and news was on the "revelations" of an athlete who confessed to using illegal drugs to enhance his performance. He did what he wanted to do, regardless of the impact on his sport, his family, his health, his career. How did he get there? Likely, he did not have a clear sense of his personal ethics and values. Rather, it was win at any cost.
For those of us in health care, we are being challenged to redefine how we interpret our values. It's not enough to say we care about patients, if we deliver care that results in a hospital acquired condition. It's not enough to say we care, if the cost of care makes it hard for families to access. It's not enough to say we care, if we fail to take a time out and an error occurs.
It's individual and team accountability for finding the right approaches and the right transparency for holding ourselves responsible for delivering the right care every patient, every encounter, every time.
This week I am including an article from Becker's Hospital Review that offers one framework. In future weeks I will be including others that help us see a broader perspective on where health reform is taking us.
Then, as the St. Joseph's team, we must ask ourselves how we will take accountability to the next level. To return to the dialogue this week, the athlete was roundly criticized by former team members, and others. Data even suggested he was using drugs, but it was ignored.
Do we listen to complaints, review outcomes, and scan the environment routinely to correct problems?
We can learn a lot from this week's debate, in particular, keep our values front and center: compassion, reverence , integrity, excellence, and stewardship.
Have a great week!
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