Welcome to Module 3, Physician Collaboration. My name is Nikki Smith, Director of Member Services for MedAxiom. I have nothing to disclose. And here are our learning objectives. Understand the importance of building a strong dyad leadership. Understand the communication needs of dyad partners and how to foster effective collaboration. Identify key metrics and consider possible resources for assistance, including MedAxiom. How to partner with physicians. The dyad leadership model is widely used in healthcare. The reason for this is simple. It works. Without the dyad, which is a physician leader partnered with an operational leader, there are often two perspectives working on an issue alongside each other or against each other to achieve the same goal. When you pull these together, then you've got true collaboration in the dyad partnership. Today the demands of healthcare industry and payers has required administrators and physicians to come to the table together to work to achieve improvements. This has been to the benefit of all, especially to our patients. Having both clinical and operational perspectives tackle challenges together means you have collective skill set, both working in unison to find solutions. Many of you probably have a designated physician leader for your practice or program. They are your greatest resource. They can partner with you and help you face challenges or make decisions. It's important to remember that physician engagement can be the key to success. The providers are one of your most important stakeholders. Having their knowledge and their help can help you move your agenda or meet the needs of change faster and easier. Your physician success is vital to patients and to the harmony of your area. And partnering with them, helping them to understand the why behind some of the policies and process changes will be to your benefit and to the benefit of your team. Creating a solid relationship with your lead physician will take the same skills as we discussed in the previous module on leadership. The basics of strong dyad leadership are mutual respect, respect for your dyad skills, roles, and abilities, and their respect for yours will ensure a collaborative relationship. Get the opinions of your physicians that practice within your area and expect to be treated respectfully. You are the leader of the program and of the practice. So this relationship is a dyad relationship. Respect for each other and respect for what you both bring to the table. Have a shared mission, one that keeps you on the same path. Use open communication, be honest and transparent, and appreciate your complementary strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these will help you see what makes you both essential. As we discussed earlier, to begin these important professional relationships, focus on trust. So be trustworthy, be honest, follow through, and be accountable. Use your self-awareness. Take responsibility for your words and actions. Be confident and kind. Include and welcome different opinions and perspectives of your dyad. And have courage. Admit when you don't have all of the answers and be willing to do the work to find them. Have the courage to speak up to your dyad when you see an error in thought or a need to take a moment for reflection before action. Remember you're not alone, and your role as a manager in your area requires many partners and allies. So again, physicians are among your strongest stakeholders. Creating relationships that are built on trust and mutual respect will provide you with a partner to assist you as you make your way and lead through change. What do providers want to know? Before we discuss what providers want to know, it's important to note that most providers are very busy. Many have clinical responsibilities that include procedural time, reading tests, clinic time, some have research responsibilities. So their capacity for meetings is really low. So sometimes your best bet is catching your provider physicians in the hallway. What that means is that communication has to be brief and to the point. It's also vital to remember that physicians are scientists, and they're often data-led. So when you're going to them, make sure that you have the metrics that you need that outline the problem. But once you hit that sweet spot of relationship where they trust that when you're bringing something to them, it's important, valid, and that you need their help, you'll be well on your way to securing a great partner. It's also vital to remember that physicians are scientists. They like facts, and they're generally data-led. This is important when you're collaborating with physicians in your practice and other physician stakeholders. They'll be interested in the metrics used or the data that surrounds a topic at hand, especially when being asked to make a decision or to address a challenge. Often when we're discussing practice, department, or program issues, data may not be available. This can make conversations seem ambiguous to those who are more data-driven, which can make communication challenging. So follow up in writing as needed. This may help to ensure the information has been relayed. Here's a short sample of practice metrics that provide meaningful information to both you and your providers. These are metrics that speak to the overall health of the practice. Physicians will want to know that their practice is growing, that it's operating efficiently, that it's meeting patients' needs. And of course, this is just a sample. Most programs have more metrics than a larger dashboard, but these give you an idea of what's commonly measured and what physicians may ask for. If you're managing a procedural area, metrics such as volumes, turnaround times, and schedule utilization are common, as well as metrics around staffing. It's important to remember that there is no perfect data. When you're facing a challenge or you need to make a strategic decision, you have to use the data that's at hand. One of the things that we frequently get wrapped up in is, is the data accurate? And physicians being scientists and data-led, this can really be a barrier for them. They want to know where the data came from, how it was collected, what the definitions are. And as an administrator, you should understand the answers to a lot of those questions. But the other thing that is really important to understand is, is that there is no perfect data. Health systems are still really struggling to pull data out of EMRs that makes sense and tells the story that we want it to, or even matches the definition that we really want it to. We're not all there yet. And so there is no perfect data. You have to use what you have, make sure that it makes sense when you're telling a story with it, and then move forward. It's going to be up to you as a leader to share those thoughts with your physician dyad. And many of them have, do research and have had the opportunity to try to pull data out of the EMR, and they know that it can be dirty, as they say, dirty data or not perfect. But some physicians, when you're presenting, don't understand that. So keep that in mind. And remember when you're bringing challenges that are about personnel or about personality, sometimes those conversations are a little bit more challenging because there is no data, right? So again, just put your best foot forward, bring the data that you have, make sure that you can speak to it. We're dedicating time to this topic because of its importance. You need to know when to ask for assistance. You as the practice manager or department leader will not have the answer to every question that you're asked. In some questions, it'll be very hard to find answers. That's expected. It's the norm and it's okay. When you're asked a question by a provider, a staff member or stakeholder that you don't readily have the answer to, pause. This is a moment of opportunity. Handle this with honesty. That will garner you respect from your staff and your team, knowing that you're reliable and accountable. Only let the questioner know that you don't have the answer to their question and that you'll work to find it. Some questions are process questions, which you can figure out by asking those who perform the process. Some of the questions, your supervisor might be able to answer for you. Some of them, the process owners will be able to help you with. Some will be able to be answered by colleagues and peers. Other leaders are great resources for you. Other providers are great resources for you. You can ask vendors questions and you can always reach out to Medaxium when you have questions. Remember, you're not alone. Get to know your organization. There are resources everywhere. When you have the answer, circle back and let them know that you found it. Again, that reliability and closing the loop, they'll appreciate. This concludes module three. If you have any questions, please reach out. Email us at academy at medaxium.com.

Physician Collaboration

Dyad Leadership Model

Patient Outcomes

Data-Driven Discussions

Effective Communication