Organizational simple rules are fundamental specifications of what is required, what is prohibited, and what is allowed. The rules shape every aspect of organizational design and behavior--structure and leadership, systems and processes, management of resources and information. Yet they are so fundamental that those in the organization may be as unaware of them as we are of the air we breathe.

When change is difficult in an organization, it is often the simple rules that are getting in the way. The concept of "simple rules" can help provide a deep, systemic explanation for organizational performance, and can be a tool for enlisting the medical staff, administration, nurses, and others throughout the system in necessary change.

Learn more about the role of simple rules in healthcare organizations.

Models of medical staff redesign:

Internal Strategy to Support Programs and Performance

• Are you producing all the outcomes you need?
• If not, could one limitation be the organizational design?

Healthcare is a complex business: You do not control all the components necessary to execute your external strategy.  Alignment is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

At the American College of Healthcare Executives' 2008 Congress on Healthcare Leadership, "Redefining the Healthcare Landscape", hospital, health system, and medical practice leaders met to discuss strategies and structures for improving results--both clinical and financial. In this talk, Andrew L. Epstein, MD, of The Bard Group, outlines the innovative medical staff structures that can help hospitals adapt to the "redefined landscape."

Learn more about effective medical staff structures.

20/20 Visioning brings your future into focus

For any initiative to provide real improvement in outcomes, quality, or financial performance, it needs to be guided by a coordinated, widely-shared vision of the organization’s future.  In the typical healthcare organization, key leaders may have a sense of where the organization could be in ten years, but it is not usually front-and-center in discussions about improving specific areas.

The Bard Group's 20/20 Visioning process helps an organization's leaders clarify that vision by bringing it to the surface, articulating it, refining it, and agreeing upon it. Linked to a timeline and strategy, a vision becomes a powerful tool for improving outcomes, safety, quality, and business performance, as well as staff morale and satisfaction.

Learn more about The Bard Group's 20/20 Visioning process.