At a time when hospitals are required to do more with less, the importance of having the right individuals in the right job becomes both a quality of care and bottom-line financial concern. The daily interactions between caregivers, patients, and their families create impressions that last long after the patient is discharged. Top performing employees demonstrate higher levels of patient care/service, increased satisfaction, and better engagement, all of which can ultimately impact your patient loyalty metrics.

As I presented to a group of HealthStream’s Home Care and Hospice agency clients recently, I was reminded again of the important role hospice has played in my life and the lives of others I have known.

The answer to the above controversial question is that it depends upon two critical factors: how effectively online educational courses are utilized by institutional leaders and educators that purchase and assign offerings to their constituents and how seriously individual users learn and apply the content to enhance their clinical competency and patient outcomes.

It might surprise many to know that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has reported that one out of every 25 patients in US hospitals are said to have been harmed by medical care. This stunning statistic accentuates the need to develop a clinical staff that is providing optimal care at all times.

One of the responsibilities of a leader, especially in healthcare, is to create a learning culture where employees are at the very least technically competent and ideally at the cutting edge of their respective disciplines. With strong leadership, employees are never permitted to rest on their laurels regardless of age or length of employment. Nobody is permitted to practice OJR (on-the-job-retirement).

For those of you who want to read a personal story about why hospitals are all focusing on Stopping Sepsis and Surviving Sepsis--the link below is about a 12-year old boy who died a few months ago of sepsis because the signs of early sepsis weren’t recognized by the healthcare providers. Not many things can take out a healthy 12 year old boy in 4 days – but sepsis can. The last paragraphs of the article can really break your heart.