Healthcare Consulting
Perspective
Our Perspective: The landscape of medicine is changing. Healthcare systems are facing increasing demand for their services while rising to meet new and disruptive challenges to their historic mode of operation. In this age, delivery systems must effectively manage their resources, including labor supply, while maintaining quality.
We bring a systems view of healthcare microsystems to analyze and shift the choices guiding behaviors. We believe that the system in which providers operate, via explicit and implicit reinforcements, guides the choices providers make to meet expectations.
We work with a diverse set of healthcare systems to develop operating strategies that effectively utilize their most valuable resource—their providers.
Approach
Our Approach: We bring methods grounded in behavioral sciences to aid our clients in understanding their healthcare system. We abstract empirical data to better understand the cognitive processes underlying behaviors in your social system. To this end, we employ a variety of methods, including choice modeling, social network analysis, and psychometrics.
Examples of Services include:
- Cultural value assessment: The explicit cultural values of an institution do not always align with the sum of the behaviors exhibited by staff. We assess the cognitions underlying these behaviors to identify the causes of such divergence and provide strategies to re-align them.
- Burnout assessment: The literature on burnout indicates burnout rates at upwards of 50%. These rates constitute a threat to patient safety. We assess burnout across institutions and provide interventional options to combat burnout.
- Disruptive Provider Assessment: Disruptive behavior presents a risk to patient safety by undermining the team’s ability to provide quality patient care. Using methods based in the social sciences, including network analysis, we identify and remediate disruptive providers.
Results
Client Results:
All clients have been anonymized. Each summary has been stripped of identifying information.
A small healthcare system engaged our firm to provide insights into the processes causing a dysfunctional culture within one of their groups. We developed an instrument based on their concerns. We found a schismatic social network, divided by the perceived acceptability of a sexualized work environment.
A medium-sized group engaged our firm to assess the extent of burnout within their provider cadre. Rates at upwards of 80% were found, which were consistent with, although slightly higher than, other systems in the region.
Research
Our Research:
Williams, B. W., Byrne, P. D., Williams, N. V., & Williams, M. V. (2017). Dreyfus and Dreyfus and Indicators of Behavioral Performance: A Study of Measurement Convergence. Journal of continuing education in the health professions, 37(1), 50-54.
Williams, B. W., Kessler, H. A., & Williams, M. V. (2014). Relationship Among Practice Change, Motivation, and Self‐Efficacy. Journal of continuing education in the health professions, 34(S1).
Williams, B. W., & Williams, M. V. (2008). The disruptive physician: a conceptual organization. J Med Licens Discip, 94(3), 12-20.
Williams, M. V., Williams, B. W., & Speicher, M. (2004). A Systems approach to disruptive behavior in physicians: A case study. Journal of Medical Licensure and Discipline, 90(4), 18-23.