Thom Mayer, MD

Practical leadership for difficult times, from a crisis management expert who has led response teams through the 9/11 Pentagon attack, NFL on-field medical emergencies, and the war in Ukraine.

Winner of the 2022 ACHE James A. Hamilton Book of the Year Award

When physicians and nurses suffer from burnout, patients suffer as well. This book pinpoints the how and why and shows what healthcare providers and their organizations can do.
 

You know you have great healthcare providers. But are your systems and processes letting them maximize the time they spend with patients? It's a deeply important question. Even the best, most talented, most compassionate healthcare providers are only as good as the context in which they practice. Organizations must set them up to do their best possible work. Only when patients flow smoothly through the care process can physicians, nurses, and other care providers execute their tasks efficiently and effectively. Hardwiring Flow: Systems and Processes for Seamless Patient Care, by Drs. Thom Mayer and Kirk Jensen, delves into one of the most critical issues facing healthcare leaders today. Patient flow. Essentially, it means patients spend exactly the right amount of time at every juncture in their journey through an organization-just enough time to maximize their clinical outcomes in the most cost-effective manner. The authors' previous book, Leadership for Smooth Patient Flow, won the 2008 James A. Hamilton Award from the American College of Healthcare Executives. Hardwiring Flow extends and updates the principles of this work and integrates its concepts with Studer Group principles. Drs. Mayer and Jensen bring the industry's richest experience to this subject- a subject that, historically, has not been as clearly defined as healthcare leaders might wish. Readers will learn: Why patient flow helps organizations maximize the Three E's: Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Execution How to implement a proven methodology for improving patient flow Insights for improving flow's teammates;-patient safety, customer service, risk management, and more Why it's important to engage physicians in the flow process (and how to do so) How to apply the principles of better patient flow to emergency departments, inpatient experiences, and surgical processes Of course, better clinical outcomes must be at front and center of all change. But leaders cannot ignore financial impact, either (especially these days). And as the authors of this book assert, organizations that master flow not only provide better care and reduce the likelihood of litigation, they also attract and retain the best possible talent. In short, they enjoy a decided competitive advantage in the healthcare market.

The successful first edition of Leadership for Great Customer Service has become a definitive source for healthcare leaders seeking to transform their organizations’ approach to elevating and sustaining service excellence. The authors have continued to be highly sought-after speakers on customer service in healthcare since the book’s publication ten years ago and have consulted with more than 100 healthcare institutions in that time, adding to the content and case studies of this new edition. This thoroughly updated edition has been expanded to include practical applications and techniques that build on the well-recognized content of the first edition.

This entertaining yet practical guide presents the authors’ model for achieving customer service excellence in three parts:

Framing the Customer Service Mandate: Address the “why” before the “how,” and develop a greater understanding of your patients and their expectations. Survival Skills for Achieving Great Customer Service: Make the customer service diagnosis, negotiate and resolve expectations, and create “moments of truth” that drive customer experience. The A-Team Tool Kit: Explore the types of dialogue and behaviors displayed by A-Team versus B-Team members, coaching tips, the importance of scripts, and how to reward champions to leave a legacy for your organization.

New to this edition are a highly pragmatic set of tools, known as “The A-Team Tool Kit,” which spans ten chapters. The A-Team Tool Kit puts evidence-based applications, guidelines, techniques, and advice in your hands to achieve service excellence. Also provided in this edition is a summary of Survival Skills at the end of each chapter.

A Comprehensive, Practical Text on Effectively Running an Emergency Department
Emergency Department Management is a real-world, pragmatic guide designed to help emergency department managers efficiently handle the many complex issues that arise in this challenging clinical environment. Written by professionals who have spent their entire careers in the service of emergency department patients, this unique text delivers practical solutions to virtually any problem that may arise in running an emergency department or acute care center.