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Our Healthcare Symposium speaker Owen J. Dahl, MBA, LFACHE, CHBC, LSSMBB speaks about how to effectively navigate your way through changes in the healthcare field in the following article. 

To hear more from him and other great speakers, register for the Healthcare Symposium November 13 at Amegy Bank here. 

The Houston market is saturated with accountable care organizations and patient centered medical homes. One would maybe think that a discussion on models or strategies would be useless right? Contrary to this notion, it is always beneficial to either learn or review what is happening in our local market. Have you made a good decision? Or are you prepared to make the right decision for your patients? It is important to focus our main stakeholders: our patients. Focusing on our patients and their needs will enable us to make solid decisions and a create a positive long-term impact. 

A medical practice will see several different types of patients with various needs on a daily basis. These range from an initial diagnosis to an ongoing management of the chronic care patient. How do we effectively meet their needs as we consider the best “organizational” option to pursue? In my session we will discuss many options for the ACO model, challenge the “business” (medical practice, system) and gauge effectiveness. In fact, it is possible that there are options including standing your ground. With the many options and challenges in today’s healthcare environment a “linear” plan may not be the best option. Taking a page from the oil industry, it is beneficial to consider different scenarios that may lead to long term, e.g., three to five years, of success. 

There is also the small matter of changes, that occur daily in the healthcare world. Some
changes may work in the short term, but may be sabotaged by team members, or not accomplish the desired outcome. These must be managed effectively if any organization is to survive or hopefully thrive.

More about the author: 

Owen J. Dahl, MBA, LFACHE, CHBC, LSSMBB is a principal of Owen Dahl Consulting, in The Woodlands, Texas and the author of Think Business – Medical practice quality, efficiency and profit. He also is the contributing author of the popular book Lean Six Sigma for the Medical Practice and the recently published Integration of Behavioral Health Into Medical Homes: A Rapid Implementation Guide. Owen has 53 years of experience in consulting, running a medical billing service and managing medical practices. He speaks on issues related to strategic planning, Lean and Six Sigma, culture, human resource management, revenue cycle among others. Owen was a hospital administrator.  He is an adjunct professor at the University of New Orleans.  Owen received his Bachelors degree in Hospital Administration at Concordia College, Moorhead, MN and his Master’s from the University of Northern Colorado. He recently achieved his Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt through Villanova University. He served in the USAF.