Incentives increase staff commitment to success
Incentives increase staff commitment to success
Bonus and award programs have long been a part of corporate America’s strategy to develop enthusiastic, innovative, and loyal employees, but now same-day surgery programs are using incentive programs as an effective way to improve service to patients and physicians.
Incentive programs give employees a sense of ownership that empowers them to go beyond the traditional thinking that only managers and administrators make important decisions, says Charles Logan, RN, executive director of St. Mary’s Ambulatory Surgery Center in Knoxville, TN.
"Our philosophy is that we have taken the word no’ out of our vocabulary," says Logan. "If a surgeon asks a employee to do something that varies from our regular routine, such as scheduling a procedure at a different time or using a different vendor’s equipment, the staff member does not automatically say no. If the employee doesn’t feel comfortable making the decision to go ahead with the change, he or she can say, We can probably do this; let me check,’" he explains.
If you do have an incentive program, be sure to communicate your program’s progress to staff members on a regular basis, says Robert J. Zasa, FACMPE, principal, Woodrum/ASD, a Pasadena, CA-based firm that manages and develops ambulatory surgery centers. "It is hard to ask people to shoot at a target and not show them the target," he points out. He recommends monthly meetings at which you share all information with all staff and physicians.
"Some organizations select information to share with different groups based upon what they can affect, but we share it all because everyone works as a team," he explains.
Logan agrees with the team concept and points out, "I have heard nurses suggest to surgeons ways to improve upon processes. We work together as peers who all have a vested interest in improving our service and our bottom line."
St. Mary’s incentive program is a quarterly monetary bonus based upon the same-day surgery program’s overall performance in areas such as number of cases, supply costs, and patient and physician satisfaction, says Logan. The amount of incentives are based upon the percentage of the goals achieved and can vary from quarter to quarter, he adds.
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