Knox's Blog

I recently had the privilege of meeting an InovaTV star the other day, Ansanus Obizuo, also known as Obi. Certainly you remember Obi from the piece that ran a few weeks ago called, “Unit 25 knows True North!” Larisa Golding’s unit at Alexandria is one of several units piloting the A3 board deployment and helping design the strategy for future roll-outs across the system. This a total team effort where the staff decides how the board will be designed, used and which issues to tackle first. The Lean team mentioned that the Unit 25 team is doing a phenomenal job so I stopped by again to have a look.

Obi, who has been with Inova for twelve years is excited that this new board streamlines the process and makes everything easy to understand. Obi says, “We know what the process is, we get the team around the problem and everyone contributes ideas.”  He also recognizes one of the barriers which is perception. Obi said, “Whatever we do – perception is the one of the great variables we have to change.” This really got me thinking because it is the same issue we discussed when I met with the Home Health team. At Home Health, we talked about patient perception and whether or not they remember being educated on medication side effects.

At Alexandria, we were talking about colleague perception and the importance of good communication. One of the issues Unit 25 is looking at is the No Pass Zone where everyone is responsible for answering call lights. This has the potential for bruised egos or hurt feelings if one perceived their toes are being stepped on. Good communication around our need for a patient centered focus improves trust, empowers everyone to act for the good of the patient and eliminates an “us versus them” misconception.

Perception is not necessarily the truth; it’s our view of the truth. Are you approaching your world as a victim or with a more optimistic positive outlook? We can learn a lot from leaders like Obi and do our part to encourage open and honest dialogue so that when fear and distrust comes knocking, no one will be home.

Obi says he goes home smiling everyday because he is part of the process that will change the future of healthcare delivery, keep our community safe and bring down the healthcare costs. Now that’s a perception I like!

This is National Volunteer Week and I’d like to take a moment to recognize our hundreds of volunteers across the system.  Our volunteers choose to give their time and energy to improving the patient experience. Whether delivering flowers, working in a thrift store or helping with administrative tasks, this hearty crew of dedicated givers offers an extra dimension of support and assistance to hospital staff. In addition, their financial contributions have helped us launch many new projects, services and raise new buildings! Our volunteers are deeply committed to Inova and I hope you join me in taking a moment to say “Thank you, your service is invaluable.” I’ll conclude with a poem Phil Brooks, Manager of Chaplain Services at Fairfax, once read at a volunteer recognition dinner:

“I’d rather see a sermon
     than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me
     than merely tell the way.
The eye’s a better pupil
     and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing,
     but example’s always clear;
And the best of all preachers
     are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action
     is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it
     if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,
     but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver
     may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lessons
     by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you
     and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding
     how you act and how you live.”

EDGAR GUEST

At our last Inova Learning Institute, we discussed the three questions most folks want answered at work. Watch to find out what they are!

“Be inquisitive – never stop learning.”  – Grace Lucas

A member of my blog team recently unearthed from the archives a 3×5 card written by Grace Lucas, one of the original founders of Fairfax Hospital. On the card were very small, handwritten notes for a speech she was going to give at a nursing Capping Ceremony in 1974. (For the youngins out there, nurses used to wear caps!)

Grace noted that when she first became a nurse, there were no married nurses. There were no LPN’s. There was a lack of medications and back then patients used to stay in bed for over a week after a routine operation. Thankfully, some things have changed.

Also listed on the 3×5 card was the importance of anticipating the needs of the patient.  She also recognized the importance of  the team and continuing skills training. Thankfully, some things have stayed the same.

Grace’s words, “Be inquisitive – never stop learning,” sums up where we at Inova are today! We are still living those values. The changes we are facing today sometimes happen so rapidly that we must set aside the static PowerPoint slides and build the ship as we go. When our OneInova team is engaged and empowered and feels a strong commitment to building upon the creativity of fluidity, good things happen. Connections are created in the heart, not just on paper. The greater sum of all the individual efforts then moves mountains with ease. Instead of saying, “Oh no team, look at this mountain,” we can say, “Watch out mountain, look at this team!”  When we come together, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.

Now on deck – Loudoun and Fair Oaks folks – stand by – you’re next! And I hope everyone is paying attention to the awesome job Fairfax is doing. How did it happen? They learned from our brave first go-live team – The Ambulatory Very Brave Rock Stars. And that’s how it all happens. Hire the best. Prepare. Train. Do. Make mistakes. Fix. Learn. Re-train. Laugh. Lose sleep. Eat. Repeat.

I recently stopped by the Command Center at Fairfax and was amazed at how many people were down there just getting it done. Calmly. Rationally. Just moving along as if this were just another day at the office. Granted, a busy, crazy, hectic day. But just another day of doing what we do best. The room was full – doctors, IT whizzes, nurses, administrators, registration – you name it. I chatted with Dr. Ruffin and Don Kemon and was told that the call volume to the Command Center had already dropped by more than 50% and over 2/3rds of the problems reported had been solved. Reports coming in are that a very large majority of nurses, physicians and therapists say they like it and can see how once they are more comfortable with the software it will help them and their patients considerably.

As one of our nurses, Adriene Perry says, “The transition means so much in so many ways. It will save nurses valuable time that we can devote to caring for our patients. It will take nursing care and what our hospital can do for patients to another level. Inova has such top-notch nurses and clinicians with a wealth of experience; implementing Epic will make things even better.”

And rest assured Loudoun and Fair Oaks, one of your saving graces will be the super users. In fact, there are a large number – 900 of quite capable super users in addition to the excellent staff that will be working in your Command Center 24/7. Some are from ILH and some from IFOH, so they will back on their home turf to offer super duper assistance. Our users, builders, trainers, physicians and administrators are committed to the success of this project and our results show that commitment.

Inova’s Facebook page recently ran the following bit of information:

Snapple Facts #828: Every hour more than 1 billion cells in the body must be replaced.

Apparently, Snapple prints various facts and tidbits under each of their bottle caps. In fact, I’ve heard some folks in the West Tower of Cambridge Court have taken it to a new level.

This self-named “Lunch Bunch” have quizzes, discussions and much merriment with these caps. One person will read the fact aloud, leaving out a critical detail. Everyone then guess the answer. For instance, “A hippo can hold his breath under water for (take a guess on how many) seconds.”

Over the years, the caps from these lunches have been collected into a vase, which is referred to as The Vase of Knowledge, and is stored in Bob Lazaro’s office in Community Affairs. There are no repeats in this vase – each cap is unique. I know, what  about the hippo? I’ll save you the trip over to Bob’s and tell you the answer; a hippo can hold it’s breath for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Here are a few more interesting medical fun facts:

• The brain is way more active at night than it is during the day.
• Sneezes often exceed 100 mph.
• Your hearing is not as sharp after eating too much.
• It only takes 17 muscles to smile and a whopping 43 muscles to frown.
• The brain uses about the same amount of juice as does a 10-watt light bulb.
• We are approximately 1 cm taller in the morning than in the evening.
• 32 million bacteria, give or take a few, live on your skin.
• Type O is the most common blood type.
• There is only one part of the body that can’t repair itself – the tooth.

Sometimes it’s these little things that help us find comfort and joy here at work. What little rituals do you have with your colleagues, to help pull your teams together?

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I here?” What about, “What is my role at Inova?” Or, “Am I living my full potential?”

Potential can be viewed as a feeling – a feeling of adequacy and satisfaction of a job well done. It’s a feeling that is so much better when shared. You know how when you complete a project or come up with a great idea you can’t wait to tell someone? Who is your “someone?” Probably a combination of your biggest supporters and someone who understands. And this is a different group each time depending on the project.

And when you have a great “someone” around you, it’s much easier to accomplish projects and tackle new ideas. I know that when I rely only on my viewpoint and ideas, that’s all I get – my limited perspective. But if I gather a handful of folks around the table and ask for input and help, horizons are broadened. I am presented with ideas I wouldn’t have thought of and I’m given the opportunity to make my original goal even better.

While rounding at Fairfax several months ago, a nurse in the Women and Children’s building commented that the team environment makes a huge difference in terms of feeling like work has purpose because folks feel that they’re part of a larger community. She said that folks generally stick around because they like the people they work with and that is why she has stayed.

A great team can make all the difference. For just about every goal or idea someone has, there’s been someone who has either done it, knows something about it or is thinking about doing it. I try to learn from those around me, try new things, push my boundaries and assume there is a better way. If we all use our unique talents on a daily basis to make a difference, we can all take the leap into the great scary idea of  change together, as a team, with the confidence of a great future ahead.

So, back to the question of “Am I living my full potential?” I think for me, it’s being willing to push myself into areas that make me uncomfortable. It’s being willing to acknowledge that mistakes are okay because at least I am trying. So when I get anxious about the future, I remind myself that our real progress is created by our inner strength and so long as we support each other, we’ll be able to keep up with this ever changing world. Potential is created by combining talent, excitement and the courage of being willing to face the unknown, because of knowing that I have a great team at my side.  Buckle up and live your potential!

I’d like to hear your stories.  How do you know when you’re living your full potential?

My October 25 blog titled, Our Unique Calling, has led to a few interesting conversations and there are two points I’d like to expand upon. The first is a reminder that our commitment to you is as strong as is our commitment to our patients. The second is that sometimes a job is just a job, I get that!

Taking care of our Inova family is paramount to our success as an organization. If we are happy in our careers, feel valued and that what we do does make a difference, chances are we will give our colleagues, clients and patients five star service. With the success this inevitably will bring, we will have more resources to pour back into education and training and we can all continue to grow together.

So on those days when the emails never stop, the budget is due, there are too many meetings and indeed, sigh, a job is a job, how do we cope? We reframe the situation. Accept rather then stress. Easier said then done, I know. We’ve all been there. But the more tools we collect and have at the ready, the better prepared we are to make it through.

Everyday, every hour, every moment we have a choice. We can choose to be miserable, angry, fearful or grumpy. Or, we can stop. Freeze. Breathe. Breathe deep from the solar plexus and take a moment to ask ourselves is this attitude worth it? Is it helping my colleagues? Is it healthy for me? What can I do right here, right now to create an attitude adjustment? The problem is not the problem but our attitude about the problem is our problem!

I’ve always felt that one of the benefits in working in healthcare is that our innate abundance of compassion led us to a field so in need of giving, empathetic people. Therefore, we are surrounded by caring, giving, compassionate people. What a blessing, one worth stopping and reminding ourselves about.

I love the saying, “Love what you do and you will never have to work a day in your life.” And now that I’ve gone down this path, I realize I could easily write ten more blogs on this subject with different tips. But I’ve gone on long enough, so I’ll end with just one. Gratitude.

Make gratitude an action word. It’s hard to maintain a rotten mood when you learn to flip your energies. I know for me some of what I thought were the toughest times became opportunities for growth and learning. When I’m in the midst of tough times, or even just a rotten day, I stop and remind myself that this too shall pass. So today, I’m grateful for having you in my life. You are taking a moment out of your day to check in with me. That makes me want to do a better job.

Many times I’ve been stopped by people wanting to thank me for the excellent care they received at an Inova facility. As much as I’d like to take all the credit, I can’t. The credit goes to the team of caregivers and all those who make care giving possible. It recently occurred to me that I should introduce you to the small but mighty team that makes this blog possible.

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Chris Boyer is our web/social media go-to guy. He and his team design, develop and update Inova’s web sites and help keep us on top of trends. For my blog, Chris interviews my guest hosts, makes my links active and finds images to use. He was even able to download the Beatle’s song, “I’m a Loser.”

Anne Doyle is usually found behind the camera, but I’ve asked her to trade a picture for a thousand words – or maybe just a few. Anne’s 18 years at Inova help me tie in where we’ve been with where we are headed. I also appreciate her dry wit, which you can find in headlines such as “I’ve been Squashed.”

Carrie Rich is our lead conductor and task master. She gathers ideas, filters them up, over and around, and keeps us all on track. Carrie has her finger on the pulse, her sight on the main thing and, incredibly, helps me translate my ideas into strategies for Inova.

You are the other member of my team. I thank you for your past feedback and comments and look forward to creating a more interactive forum. So let me start by asking what has been your favorite blog to date and/or what would you like to see us cover next?

Ask your staff for their feedback as well. I’d love to hear from everyone, since everyone is on my team.