The Zen of Healthcare Collaboration
The Zen-master Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) taught that three things are essential:
great faith
great doubt
great resolve
One hand
Hakuin asked students, “what is the sound of one hand?” The master wrote, “When you hear for yourself the voice of One Hand, whatever you are doing, whether enjoying a bowl of rice or sipping a cup of tea, all of it you do in the samadhi of living with one bestowed with the buddha-mind.” Samadhi refers to the highest stage in meditation, in which a person experiences oneness with the universe.
The path to collaboration
As a yet-to-be-enlightened male surgeon, the sound of one hand makes me recall the mentoring of the late Dr. Frank Wheelock, who told residents, “If you don’t use both hands, the Good Lord will certainly take one of them away.” I think of how much louder and heartier applause is when both hands clap together.
In authentic healthcare collaboration, two or more parties meet in the spirit of inquiry rather than advocacy and come to consensus on solutions that benefit patients far more than either party’s solution would do on its own. Collaboration may take longer, but provides more lasting and sustainable solutions than command-and-control situations, as evident, for example, from:
- Chapter One, where Dr. Fried and colleagues slashed the sepsis mortality rate to 15%, saving over 200 lives, without adding or changing a single drug
- Chapter Six, where Drs. Wilson, Joshi, Schneller, and colleagues have saved millions of dollars in supply costs by collaborating with practicing physicians
- Chapter Twelve, where Dr. Mandel, OR Director, and Susan Phillips, VP of Surgical Services, turned around a moribund operating room culture to boost case volume, revenue, and clinical outcomes
These chapters receive more detailed coverage in the new ACHE self-study guide, Coordinated Care: Improving Clinical and Financial Performance, from which readers can derive six hours of category I credit until December 31, 2011.
Collaboration Flywheel
- Collaboration is an iterative journey in which a more pleasant, effective practice environment facilitates: 1)improved clinical and financial outcomes,
2) healthcare professional recruitment and retention,
and 3) the development of outstanding programs that foster improved clinical and financial outcomes.
As always, I welcome your input to improve healthcare collaboration and get it done.
Kenneth H. Cohn
© 2011, all rights reserved
Disclosure:
I have not received any compensation for writing this content.
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