Nearly every professional in every industry can likely relate to covering for a colleague who has been out sick, on leave for an extended period, or gaining additional responsibilities for someone who’s left the organization completely. For large organizations as a whole, this scenario may not seem like a problem, but for the smaller teams within them, this can be a significant stressor. Now, consider the implications of a sub-specialty inside the confines of a hospital, with the vacant position being the leader of that team.
Corazon has oftentimes found that Manager, Director, or Administrator-level positions in healthcare facilities can become vacant unexpectedly but are nearly never filled quickly enough to avoid lasting, damaging effects on day-to-day operations, team morale, patient satisfaction, and supply/inventory management. Oversight for all of these singular responsibilities is very important for a quality leader, and to be most effective should reside with one person. To assign these responsibilities to multiple team members will no doubt result in inconsistencies, which can be very costly – clinically, operationally, and financially – for any size hospital.
If a team leader, especially one in a high-volume area, is no longer present at the facility and there is no clear replacement readily available, hospital executives typically turn to their in-house recruitment teams to secure a new hire. Sometimes a search such as this one can last anywhere from three months to up to a full year due to the difficulty of finding, vetting, and then hiring a qualified candidate, which is often in short supply in nearly every area of the country. The negative programmatic impact of such a lengthy search can affect all aspects of service line operations.
However, there is an alternative to letting this position sit vacant for such a long period of time: a qualified Interim leader. Corazon believes that placing a polished, highly experienced individual in a vacant position while searching for a permanent hire can “bridge the gap” by maintaining team focus and direction, infusing new ideas from past experiences, and ensuring consistency in operations which ensures quality patient care continues without interruption – a significant area of concern for a very complex and/or high-volume area of the hospital.
An often-overlooked aspect of utilizing an interim assignee in a leadership role is their wealth of experience and expertise in a focused area. Taking advantage of their successes and failures over the course of an entire career can be an invaluable resource to a program. Corazon’s experience supports that most interim placements are eager to pass along their knowledge, which can elevate the existing team and propel the program forward well beyond their time onsite.
It is important to understand that we must also look past what we have to potentially lose and instead what can be gained as a result of bringing in an individual who can enact quick change and provide a different perspective in making gains in a brief time. Below are a few of different Corazon’s interim assignees’ accomplishments:
- Led Heart Center to the achievement of a dominant position in terms of quality and volume in a highly competitive market, maintaining 70% of cardiac surgical market share equaling $58M, a 140% increase during tenure.
- As Medical Director, led the clinical innovation, strategy, growth, and quality for Surgical and Perioperative Services for a growing, integrated health system. Oversight of 80+ FTE Surgery providers at 34 practice locations with service line annual contribution margin in excess of $140M with an annual growth of 11% during tenure.
- Increased the net revenue by 33% and collections by 46% within 12 months through providing operational and financial oversight through the development of the strategic plan.
- Identified $300,000 in organizational savings in product costs through an assessment of the first 200 cases while onsite.
These types of experiences can also lend themselves to providing mentorship to an incoming full-time replacement – which cannot be understated. While these interim assignees are charged with day-to-day strategic and tactical responsibilities of the role, their value can extend beyond, positively impacting the program well into the future based on the changes made.
In many cases, a gap in leadership can unfortunately create turmoil in relationships between physicians and staff but it cannot also create an opportunity for growth. By bringing in an experienced interim leader, the hospital provides physicians with a clear point person to work with their contingent and continue to push the service forward to new heights. On some occasions, the interim leader, staff, and physicians meld so well that the interim ends up joining the hospital in a full-time capacity.
Each program inside a hospital can vary in terms of particular challenges and needs, just as every hospital does as a whole. However, there is one constant in nearly all thriving organizations, and that is sound and competent leadership. If a leader exits a key service line, the lasting impact of a vacancy (even one of just a few weeks) can negatively impact everything that has already been built …
Don’t let a gap affect a successful service line’s present OR future – consider a qualified interim to bridge the gap and reap the lasting benefits he or she can bring.
