BOG Journal

Healthcare:
There many healthcare trends that are worthy of mentioning that can and will effect
patients and healthcare providers. One such trend is the bed less hospital or examinations from a
remote location. Some organizations are providing virtual health interactions with healthcare
providers. This would allow for many more individuals to be seen sooner than later. This type of
interaction will not work for every patient and it would be dependent on the severity of the
medical problem. There will always be pros and cons with any healthcare delivery system.
Another trend that we see lately is the merging of organizations to help make each other stronger.
One trend that needs to implemented is the availability of high-tech encrypted databases. Too
many healthcare organizations are at risk or have already been hit by hackers. This includes my
current employer that has been hacked. Over two million patients now are at risk of some kind
of identity fraud issues in the near future because of inadequate security.
Working in the medical field we all become familiar with common healthcare
acronyms. There are many acronyms that we use in the radiology department as well as
oncology. When one works in healthcare any period of time using acronyms can help to decrease
the amount of dictation and typing one has to do on a daily basis. Some of the most popular ones
today are the ACA or the affordable care act, ACHE ( American College of healthcare
executives) BLS ( basic life support), CAT (computerized axial tomography) and the list goes on
and on. Acronyms in the healthcare profession is a staple to help save time and effort. The list of
acronyms and healthcare will never cease to increase due to current and future changes within
the field of medicine. Most of us are taught early on the importance of acronyms and are
encouraged to memorize as many as possible. This is much more important for healthcare leaders

to acclimate themselves with the healthcare acronyms. Knowledge of healthcare and medical
terminology: my knowledge base of healthcare and medical terminology is vast being that I have
been in the medical field since 1988. Medical terminology becomes its own language if you will
within healthcare organization. It is vitally important to make sure that as a leader one's
knowledge of medical terminology is complete. Terminology will change with the increase of
new and improved technology. Knowledge of healthcare trends: there are several healthcare
trends that I am aware of personally such as virtual healthcare interaction with physicians at a
remote location. This would allow a person in the north pole to seek the advice of a doctor in
Brazil. I feel that my knowledge of healthcare trends are up-to-date but they're always room for
improvement. We can become a bit stagnant within our own department because we are
concentrated on our realm of medicine and no other current advancements. Knowledge of
managed care model structures and environments: I have many years of experience with PPO
and managed-care models. I am however not versed well with unionized insurances that I hope
to become acquainted with very shortly. I do believe that PPO insurance is will become less
prevalent due to the increasing prices of insurance. Managed-care insurances seem to be the
likely alternative.
Knowledge of ambulatory care sector: my knowledge base of ambulatory care is limited
along with acute care. I have been out of the hospital system as a healthcare provider for some
time and I am trying to re-insert myself into the hospital system so I can become better
acquainted with post-acute, public health and long-term sectors. My knowledge of
interdependency, integration in competition among healthcare sector is limited. I have been
working for the same organization for the past eight years and they are the front runner in
radiation oncology. There is very little competition at this point however, that could change any

time. Knowledge of physicians roles: most doctors fulfill the same duties as they always have
with the exception of doctors that have now went from privately owned entities to hospital
employees. Within my organization, I am aware of what the roles of my doctors are and feel I
have a high level of competency in this arena.
Knowledge of ancillary services: I would have to say that my knowledge of ancillary services are
current and up-to-date. I believe I have a high level of competency in that I have been in
ancillary services working as a leader for the last 26 years. Knowledge of implications of
community standard of care: I feel knowledgeable in the standard of care being acceptable by the
community. As healthcare providers, we are all held to a standard of care that we must strive to
meet and if we are able to exceed the standard of care. Knowledge of evidence-based
management practice: my knowledge of evidence-based management practices are limited to the
organizations policy and procedures that we are guided by. These guidelines change periodically
and if one was to go to a different organization they may be completely different. I feel that my
competency and my current job are adequate. Knowledge of healthcare economics:
My knowledge of healthcare economics is limited to my particular career choice. This is
something that I want to become more versed in and feel that I would need to be competent in to
become a Director of radiology and or oncology. Knowledge of into relationships among access,
quality, cost, resource allocations, accountability and community: my knowledge base in
reference to this is very limited due to the fact that my corporate department allocates all
resources to my sites. Knowledge of nurse and allied health professional scope of practice: my
knowledge base in reference to this is a high level of competency. I am the one in my
organization that decides who will be hired for a particular job in the nursing and allied health
profession with my clinics. I have an understanding of what my nurses and radiation oncologist

scope of practice encompasses and is aware of any deviations. Knowledge of support services:
In my current role as regional technical manager/chief therapist, I have a mid range competency
in reference to plant operations, materials management, supply chain management and
hospitality services. My organization tells me what when and where these are to take place.
However I want to be more engaged and have a greater knowledge of support services and in
doing so this will enable me to become a higher level leader in the healthcare arena.
Knowledge of patient perspective: my knowledge in reference to patient perspective
cultural differences and expectations are mid-level competency. I feel that I interact with all races
equally well but may lack cultural intelligence that I feel is important to implement. Personal
development plan: my short-term goals are to finish up this degree and possibly further my
academic education as well as changing from a leader in oncology back to a leader in radiology.
Intermediate goals are to become the best assistant director of radiology that I possibly can
become in the next five years so that I possibly can move into a higher leadership role. My longterm goal is to become the director of a large oncology or radiology department before I reach
retirement age.
Business and Management
For a healthcare leader to be successful in the field of medical, management skills are a
must. I have always felt that I felt very comfortable and confident in my management skills. I
have been in manager roles for the last twenty plus years, but it has always been on the selftaught on the job training. As of late, I have been involved with planning and implementing a
new accelerator at one on the sites I oversee. It was very trying but rewarding at the same time. I
would like more experience with planning and implementation in the future. Many of the courses

that I have taking this year and last, have given me a much broader perspective on management.
My management style is somewhere between pacesetting and participative. I have and always
will be a lead by example type of leader. In my current role as my organization, I do have
experience with organizational culture. Currently, the culture has changed since we have become
the largest oncology organization in the country. The mission and vision are stable, but the
company has taken on a different feel with all the states and along with a culturally diverse
population of employees as well as patients. I run three clinical sites in Florida and three in the
lower region of Alabama. My knowledge base is growing in reference to directing and
controlling, but there is always room for improvement. I hope to be starting a new and exciting
job in Northern California with a unionized hospital. This will be a complete game changer in
how I am and how I can interact with employees. Directing and controlling will change
drastically with this new organization. I will be learning to negotiate with union reps along with
vendors to help the organization stay true to the lean philosophy. I will be switching back to
radiology instead of working in oncology. I will be able to try out some new team building a
technique such as daily huddles with all the different areas I will be in charge of within the
department.
When it comes to the business of the oncology and radiology field, I feel as if I am
competent in both fields. However, there is much that I would like to gain a better understanding
of Marketing. Where I am employed at the moment, I do not have any dealings with the
marketing aspect. This is all done from the corporate department based in South Florida. The
powers that be decides the marketing course we should take in our area and we find out about it
when we see it on the TV, internet, newspaper and billboards. I believe to be an effective leader;
I would need to have a better understanding of what kind of marketing works for different

markets. I would like a better understanding of how the affordable care act effects my areas of
healthcare. In my current job, it is all about patient care and treating the patient correctly with
high doses of radiation. I have no idea of the insurance a patients has or if they have any at all. I
believe by having a better knowledge base on this topic will help me be a better healthcare
leader. However, this will not change until I change jobs. I will have to become very versed with
union contracts and how to implement the knowledge. I am sure that the policies and procedures
will be much different with a unionized healthcare organization. I have learned most of what I
know about Lean Six Sigma from the courses at Siena Heights, so I have the concept down, but I
want be become proficient with this process. I have been working more closely with the human
resources due to the decrease presents of these particular department. This has helped me to
acquire a better understand of how to manage a more productive diverse environment. Risk
management is something I do not feel completely comfortable with the process. I would like to
have a better understanding of malpractice, compliance, quality management, and safety. Having
a better understanding of risk will help make me a more effective healthcare leader. I hope to
learn more about the strategic planning that is used in a unionized organization. I assure it may
be different from a non-union atmosphere, but I could most definitively be wrong. There is a
very strong mentor presence at the unionized company that I have interviewed at. I am excited to
learn as much as I can about the management and business side of this organization.
Governance and Organizational Structure
One of the biggest responsibilities of the Board of Directors that I work for is to make sure they
are acting on the behalf of the companys shareholders and stakeholders. They are accountable
for reporting the performance of the company to the shareholders as well of coming up strategies
for future prosperity of the company. Our Board of Directors is responsible for following the

code of conduct set forth by the companys founders. This code is consistent with the mission of
the company and is followed by all. As a Regional Technical Manager a local oncology
company, I feel that I have a good knowledge base when it comes to our companies mission and
values. It helps me out as a mid-level manager to have a good understanding of what the
company is about, what they are trying to accomplish. This makes me a much better advocate for
my employees as well as patients. My knowledge of governance structures such as our
companys bylaws, articles of incorporation and fiduciary responsibilities are not as advanced as
I would like. I am somewhat familiar with the bylaws of the organization, but in my current
position as this organization, I would like to be able to have a better understanding of our bylaws.
I can be a bit of a maze accessing information with this organization. As for articles of
incorporation, I have the basic understanding of the process and some of what is required to
receive the articles of incorporation, but I have never been involved in getting the certifications.
I am aware of the duties and fiduciary responsibilities of the Board of Directors as it pertains to
my organization. I know the board has an obligation to act in good faith and best interest of the
organization. The board has a duty to protect any and all interest of the organization. I have little
to no experience when it comes to these responsibilities. While working with my current
organization, I have been able to be a part of the process of the physician credentialing, along
with the privileging process. This is an abundant of paperwork that is required to facilitate both
credentialing and the privileging process, but most is done there the extensive background
checks that are ran. Everything must be verified before a person is allowed access to our
organization. Our medical staff structure starts out with our founder and owner. It starts with him
then disseminates through the rest of the ranks.
Law and Regulations

When it comes to healthcare laws and regulations, I believe have a fairly good grasp of
the inner workings. Most of what I have learned has been through on-the-job training through
different areas of healthcare Whether it be radiology and/or oncology. I am however unfamiliar
with third party payment regulations and options. In my current position I do not deal with
payment whatsoever.my knowledge of human resource laws and regulations have became much
broader as of late. My current position in middle management has helped me gain knowledge
when it comes to Worker's compensation issues, family medical leave act, Equal employment
opportunity commission, and fair labor standards, I feel I am knowledgeable and confident when
dealing with situations with the list from above. However I am not very knowledgeable at all
when it comes to employee retirement income security act. I know we pay in in hopes that we
will receive a retirement pension during the years that we are permitted to draw from this bank of
money. I feel that I am knowledgeable when it comes to confidentiality principles and laws that
pertain to radiology and or oncology. However, these principles and laws are subject to change
and this is where the organization would need to update their management pull of the policy
changes. When it comes to corporate compliance lawn regulations I am confident that I have a
good knowledge base when it comes to anti-kickbacks, front and abuse, Stark law, conflict of
interest and the emergency medical treatment and active labor act. All of these that I have just
named our issues that I have dealt with in one way or the other in the healthcare field in the last
20 years. I am not well-versed in physician contracts, billing and coding practices since these are
not part of my skill set within the organization at my current position. My knowledgebase when
it comes to Medicare/Medicaid/third-party payment regulations is limited due to the fact this is
not part of my skill set at my particular job. However, I hope at my new location I will learn
more about these payment regulations and how it affects the organization. I work alongside the

chief physicist medical director so I am well-versed when it comes to inspections, Accreditation

standards and regulations that doesn't my organization. I do not have any experience though
working with accreditation standards in reference to the FDA, CDC and the NRC. I am the
facility safety officer for four clinical sites so I am accustomed to dealing with OSHA and the
regulations. I do have some experience with JCAHO,ACR and ACRO. When you are in middle
and upper management a lot of the accreditation issues fall within our laps. My knowledge of
patient rights laws and regulations are fairly good. I deal with HIPPA compliance issues from
time to time but mostly just enforcing these regulations. The medical records, access to care,
advanced directive and durable power of attorney are dealt with in a different part of the
organization. The only experience I have is when I read in the patient's documentation that there
is an advanced directive, durable power of attorney and possibly a DNR. I hope that with my
new appointment as operations manager I will become more acquainted with the issues that I am
not proficient in.
Human Resources, Professionalism, and Ethics
I would like to think I have a fairly good grasp on the human resource aspect of my
organization. As far as I'm concerned this is one of the most important aspects of my job as a
healthcare leader and will continue to nurture my knowledge base to become a better facilitator.
Knowledge of performance management systems at my current organization we use the paid for
her performance as a way of rewarding our employees for doing outstanding work throughout
the year. This also works as a way of showing employees where they can do better and possibly
increase their awards for the following year. When it comes to discipline my employees I do
have knowledge on what I can and cannot do however, I must contact the director of HR in my
region before I can act upon my wishes. My current organization allows me to hire anyone I seen

fit to work as a radiation oncologist, licensed practical nurse, And medical assistants. So I feel
my knowledge base on recruitment and selection techniques are well-versed. And when it comes
to knowledge of labor relations strategies and tactics I must admit I am lacking in this area. This
is not part of my job and the organization has not been forthcoming with any of this information
on either of the strategies or tactics, however in my new job I know that working for a unionize
hospital I will become very knowledgeable in these two areas. As of right now I am the regional
technical manager of my region and I am responsible for staffing issues in the Florida Panhandle
and all of Alabama, so I feel my knowledge of staffing methodology and productivity
management is very good. I have to use the organizations methodology to keep cost down as
much as possible when it comes to staffing, however if this can be an issue when your mandated
by certain organizations such as ACRO to have two therapists on each radiation accelerator
machine. I happen to agree with this assessment but it does create an issue when organization is
wanting to decrease staffing. When it comes to knowledge of employee satisfaction measurement
and improvement technologies is lacking at my present organization. The employees do have the
option of writing down their issues on their paid for performance evaluations but I encouraged
him to come to me about any issues that they have within the organization and or the department.
I meet with my employees in the Florida Panhandle at least two to three times a week for a
general huddle to discuss upcoming improvements, machine or building upgrades, IT upgrades
things of that nature so there are no surprises when we come in the next morning in the machines
are acting funny. However, our IT department is notorious for sending out an email at six or
seven p.m. notifying us on their malware and spyware upgrades. This does not give us adequate
time to prepare for the following day so we had to come into a mess on several occasions. There
is not much I can do about these issues other than to complain about the lack of communication

during working hours. Lead by example helps with the employee satisfaction so I feel that my
employees are far more satisfied than they would be with a non-working manager. As for
improvement techniques I have implemented once a week catered chart round lunches so that all
of the employees and doctors can sit and talk about our cases and patients while we eat. My
knowledge base of motivational techniques has been acquired on the job. My organization does
not provide any motivational techniques that I am aware of, but I try to motivate my employees
by setting the example of being a person that lead by example. Otherwise I motivate my
employees is by celebrating my therapist and nurses birthdays with lunches, Christmas parties
with price raffles and surprise lunches when we are working longer hours than normal. I have
also used quarterly appreciation awards for a job well done for my employees that have went
above and beyond and this will show up on their pay-for-performance evaluations. I usually buy
the winner a gift card to the places I know they like. My knowledge of compensation and
benefits and practices are fairly adequate. Our company utilizes an internal website that helps me
and the employees understand their benefits and also the compensation packages that we are
allotted. If I am unsure about a particular issue, I will contact my regional human resource
director and or the corporate office to answer any questions that my employees may have. Once
again the organization I work for can be limited on the communication, so sometimes when I feel
I have a good grasp on this knowledge base they will change things up without notifying us. It
will show up on a policy and procedure that will not be forwarded to my staff or me. I am
however looking forward to my new organization which is unionized and I'm sure that I will
become well-versed on the compensation and benefits and practices of that company. My
knowledge of worker safety security and employee health issues is very good as far as I'm
concerned. I am The facility safety officer for all of the offices in the Florida Panhandle. I deal

with all of the OSHA, HIPAA and workplace violence issues. My knowledge of conflict
resolution and grievance policies are adequate, but I feel that more training in this area is needed
for me to be proficient in it. When it comes to conflict resolution if it is on a smaller scale, I can
usually intercede and contain any issues in house, however if it is a big issue I am mandated to
get the HR director and or corporate HR involved. As a whole, I feel that I am proficient in most
of the areas of human resources however, I am looking to improve on my human resource skills
with my upcoming job. It is a unionize hospital so I believe the human resource aspect of this job
I will be become much more proficient.
We are all taught early on a code of ethics but it changed when we become a healthcare
professional. Each code of ethics is different depending on the organization that we work for.
However some of the ethical behaviors such as Hippocratic oath are universal. My knowledge
base a professional code of ethical behavior are adequate. I have just become acquainted with the
professional codes of ethics pertains to ACHE and AMA. I was unfamiliar with either of these
before The Masters program. I do believe I have much more to learn about professional code of
ethical behavior especially with my new job. I will be trained at new facility that happens to be
unionized, so I am sure there will be vast differences.. This will be a challenge but I look forward
to gaining more knowledge on the subject. Knowledge of patients rights and responsibilities are
framed in every room of all my facilities including the main lobby. This allows the patient to
read and understand the rights and it they have questions they are instructed to speak to myself or
the doctors. I feel I am very knowledgeable when it comes to patient rights and responsibilities
for the organization that I work for presently. When it comes to ethics committee rolls, structure
and function I have to admit I am not very knowledgeable on the subject. I have never been on a
committee that dealt with ethics or the structure of ethics, I do however understand the function

of ethics and how they pertain to my staff and the patients. This is something I most definitely
would want to become more knowledgeable in but, I just have not had the opportunity to serve in
this capacity. Knowledge of cultural and spiritual diversely for patients and staff as they relate to
healthcare needs is an area that I feel I have adequate knowledge in. However, being that our
society is becoming much more diverse, this is very important area to continue to learn and grow
in. We have to be careful what we say to a patient, because we may offend them unknowingly
because of their culture and or spiritual upbringing. As a healthcare leader we have to choose our
words carefully or we may say something that is taken the wrong way. My knowledge base when
it comes to conflict of interest situations as defined by organizational by laws, policies And
procedures is somewhat adequate, but I would have to refer to the organizational bylaws on the
companys Intranet site or contact my HR department. This is not something I deal with on a
daily basis and would have to either consult my superiors and/or the HR directors and/or
corporate HR. I would however like to become more knowledgeable in the bylaws policies and
procedures process and look forward to learning more about my future companies ways. I have
been in the medical field now for twenty eight years and I feel I have a good grasp on
professional norms and behaviors. In the beginning of my healthcare career, this is something
that was taught to us and also observed by working at the hospital. However, being a healthcare
leader we must become more receptive to the professional norms and behaviors of our staff,
physicians and patients. If you pay close attention to the behavior of our staff and patients we can
identify any abnormalities in one's behavior or professional norms. However, what one person
finds to be the norm may be different for another person. I am getting ready to start work for a
much more diverse organization coming up in May, so I feel that I will have the opportunity to
review professional norms and behaviors more in depth at that time. Knowledge of consequences

of unethical actions is something I have adequate knowledge in or I should say the outcome of.
However, this is not something that I would personally take care of. The HR department would
become intimately involved in the issue such as this and more than likely would consist of a on
the spot termination and possible police action if the necessary. The company that I work for
presently does not allow unethical actions and deal with them swiftly. My knowledge of ethical
implications of human subjects research is fairly good. We do approved ethical research on our
cancer patients to see if perhaps we can help them and or help someone else in the future. Most
of the time our subjects are entering the end stages of their cancer, so the research more than
likely is not going to help them but could perhaps save others down the road. We make sure that
the patients are aware of the ethical implications of the studies and always ask for their consent
in the matter. We would never do research on our patients without 100% cooperation and consent
of the patient. Overall, I feel I have a good base in relationship to professionalism and ethics
when I pertains to healthcare. However, being that healthcare itself is so diverse, it will be
important to continue to learn more about all the areas I am deficient in along with the areas that
I feel that I have a good grasp on. This is a very important aspect for all healthcare leaders and
we all should continue learn as much as we can about professionalism and ethics as a pertains to
our employees and patients.
Finance
I have always been very fond of the finance aspects of healthcare. One the biggest
questions I have been asked currently,( during recent interviews) is whether I am comfortable
with the budgeting aspect of a radiology or oncology department. As it stands now my
knowledge of financial management and financial analyst principles are fairly strong. And my

current location I deal with balance sheets incoming and outgoing cash flow statements. I am
unfamiliar with the ratio analysis but will look into this aspect of this process. I am familiar with
the concept of the fixed versus flexible, zero-based, variance analysis in reference to budging
principles. That is to say I have read about them but have never used them in any of my positions
in the medical field to date. I know with the variance announces that are looking for differences
between what we planned for and what actually happened throughout the time. I believe that
most of the budging principles that this organization I work for utilizes fixed instead of a flexible
process. There may be some wiggle room, but for the most part it is a fixed budget. Once again I
am familiar with capital budgeting principles, but in my current position, I am unable to use
these principles. I am hoping with my upcoming change in vocation, I will have the ability to dig
deeper into the capital budgeting principles of an organization. The reimbursement
methodologies that we use at my current location are fees for service and Medicare
reimbursement methods. I do live in a highly military populated area so we do deal with direct
payment from the US government for healthcare of their active-duty personnel. These are the
only methodologies I am aware of at this current time but with my new location I will be
working for a unionized hospital so there methodologies and reimbursements may vary.I
currently work at a outpatient freestanding oncology clinic and do not use fundamental
productivity measures at this location. All of our patients are considered outpatient. They come
in for treatment and then leave 15 to 20 minutes later. This appears to be something that I would
use in my next job as I will be working at a hospital and not a outpatient facility. Both financial
control and auditing principles are important to organization due to the fact most companies have
a fixed budget. The financial controls will help to minimize overtures in spending as well as
using auditing principles to make sure that there is no discrepancies with in the money's coming

in or out of the organization. My knowledge of financial control and on the principles are limited
but I hope to increase my knowledge base on this in the near future. My only knowledge of
capital funding sources is with this company that I currently work for. And investment group
came in and bought part of the company to help with the overall capital funding of the
organization. This increased the amount of money that was available throughout the organization
for upgrades, expansions and the ability to bring on new doctors into the fold. We utilize revenue
generation that my current organization by marketing our advancements in medical technology
as it refers to oncology. We do this by commercials, billboards and word-of-mouth by our
physician liaisons. These particular people go out and speak to current referring physicians as
well as potential referrals. Many of the perspective referral base is unaware of the advancements
we have made in oncology and what take it a company has to offer. I feel that my knowledge of
revenue generator is fairly good in that I speak directly to referring physicians and perspective
physicians by letting them know of our current capabilities and one is coming in the near future.
My knowledge of assessment management is very strong. I was part of a big installation of a $2
million Radiation Accelerator last year and have been looking for replacements for one of my
Florida clinics as well. I assess our facilities equipment once a year for issues with performance
and then provide corporate with a detailed analysis on where we can do better and where we
could use more updated equipment. For example one of my sites in Florida has a machine that is
at the end of life. This means once it breaks down it will not be able to be fixed. So I will assess
the issue of patient care versus the cost of installing a new Accelerator at that site. The
assessment will include the disruption of the clinic, employees and the patient care aspect. All in
all I feel I have a decent grasp on the finance aspect of oncology, however in my current role I

am not asked or given access to the budget. I am however has to keep the clinics as lean as
possible and that is what I do.
Healthcare Technology and Information Management
Having worked in healthcare my entire adult life, I feel that I have a firm grip on the
ever-changing information technology of healthcare. Through the use of the internet and intranet,
the lifes of healthcare professionals has changed forever. As healthcare leaders, we must stay
ahead of the game if possible; rapid changes occur with HIT due to increased security measures
and HIPPA oversight. My knowledge base for the role and function of information technology in
operations is extremely good. A good HIT system will allow for quicker and more efficient
means of accessing vital information about a patients medical history, which could in return safe
their lives. The more secure our HIT system is more protection we can offer our patients and
their records. I am familiar with the technology trends at my current organization such as
increased security on our computer systems and servers. We were just recently hack (informed
by the FBI) that our system was hacked and every patient that was in our system was at risk. Our
IT department was scrambling to upgrade our security defenses against future attacks. However,
I feel that as long as we keep this issue in-house, the more at risk our patients will be. As for
other trends, we have started using e-scripts as a form of expediting patient care. My
knowledgebase in reference to technology security requirements is fairly diverse. I am
knowledgeable when it comes to HIPAA and their practices of bylaws. I'm well-versed in my
organizational policies. However, I am not as knowledgeable as I would like to be in the local
government aspect of technology security requirements. I am however starting a new job come
me and this will be one of the items that I will learn more about. When it comes to knowledge of
health information, I am somewhat knowledgeable in the equipment that is needed for this data

to be dispersed and stored. As for the decision support, I am not knowledgeable in this area
whatsoever, but hope to learn more about it in the near future. My knowledgebase of information
system continuity is not as good as I would like for it to be. This is a very important aspect of
healthcare technology and information management but in my current job this portion is taken
care of by our IT department that is based out of Fort Myers Florida. The only thing I am in
charge of in case of natural disasters or the planning of disasters, is that I am to make sure that all
the systems are backed up and then protected from falling debris and/or water and possible
lightning strikes. I hate to admit this, but my knowledge of information systems planning and
implementation is next to zero. I am familiar with my treatment machines in their life cycles and
end of life, but when it comes to healthcare technology and information management, I am
nowhere as knowledgeable as I would like to be.
Plan of action: my healthcare technology and information management skills are lacking, but my
hopes are that when I start my new job in me as the radiology operations supervisor of Sutter, I
will become more acquainted with this aspect of HIT. It is a unionized hospital and I am sure that
I will be baptized in a more comprehensive and cohesive management style. Healthcare
information technology A process that will continue to change and adapt to health care needs.
My hopes are that I will be able to continue to change and adapt to these changes and become an
expert in this area.
Competency: Quality and Performance Improvement
Quality and performance improvements are a vital aspect of any department and healthcare.
Many healthcare organizations now utilize benchmark techniques to have a competitive edge
over outline competitors. We use benchmark techniques to measure how our organization is
doing in comparison to other organizations that may be a direct competitor tour incision.

Techniques help us to become true Front runners in healthcare. My knowledgebase when it

comes to benchmark techniques are fairly extensive. One of the biggest benchmarks we use is
the Press Gainey. By utilizing the Press Gainey we are able to identify your strengths and
weaknesses and the quality of care were delivering to our patients. It gives us a baseline to which
we can grow one. When it comes to medical staff. I am very knowledgeable in this area. I
conduct all the reviews on all my therapists, nurses and medical assistants. I use a format to rate
their job knowledge, or quality, work quantity, planning and organizing, customer service,
flexibility and dictation, teamwork, operation commitment and other factors that help me make
up my mind in this review or use a point system and this helps to give me a review of the
employee as well as a category to help give them a raise if deserved. I am the facility is safety
officer for three out of six of my clinics. My knowledgebase when it comes to education, safety,
injury management, patient complaints and patient and staff security I feel that I have a very
knowledgeable base in reference to these points. A patient or employee is injured, I make sure
that they are appropriately looked at by the physician on site and then if needed sent to the
hospital for follow-up care. I do my best as the facility safety officer to make sure that all staff
are trained on how not to injure themselves at work. Make sure that were compliant with all
regulatory standards that would help to prevent patient and employee injury. If there is a patient
complaint within our offices, this matter comes to me immediately to where I can facilitate a
positive outcome. I take care of all staff security issues and the employees know to come to me
with any suspicious activity from patients, employees and or when usual activity outside our
clinic walls. Due to the fact the healthcare changes constantly performance in process
improvements are necessary to keep current with these changes. Is important to set up systems to
analyze performance problems and potential problems to ensure the best performance possible. I

feel I have a good grasp on what it takes to ensure performance improvements in process
improvements within my organization. However, is important to be able to convey the
information to the employees in such a way that they are able to do their jobs efficiently and
have good results the final result. When it comes to knowledge of customer satisfaction
principles and tolls I believe I have a good knowledge base in this area. The Florida panhandle is
a very large word-of-mouth area. We were able to get a fairly good read on our patients and how
they were referred to us. If a prior patient was treated with kindness and respect, they end up
telling their friends, neighbors and family and we end up with more patients that way. We also
utilize a drop box for patient comments. We look at is once a week and then addressing issues at
our problem. In addition, we use press Gainey to help judge the satisfaction of our patients.
When it comes to my knowledge of clinical methodologies I am fairly well-versed with
evidence-based medicine. In the field of oncology we used evidence-based medicine and clinical
pathways to treat most if not all of our cancer patients. The doctors make decisions about The
course of treatment the patient will follow my using treatments that were successful on to other
patients. I am familiar with the population health, however within the oncology arena we treat
patients case by case with trident proven courses of radiation treatment as opposed to trading the
population as a whole. I am familiar with paid for performance as we use that method and
evaluating our staff. The organization also uses this model to reward for exceeding certain
performance measures. I am somewhat familiar with utilization review which is to say I
understand what it is and how it is used but I am nowhere near proficient in the skill. In
oncology, there are a set number of treatments a patient gets for particular cancer and most of our
patients are outpatient so we do not have to be concerned with the length of hospital stays. I am
familiar with the national quality incentives which includes patient safety, However, I have very

little experience with the incentives. It is important to continue initiating better quality for the
safety of all patients and healthcare providers. I think it is important that we address in all issues
that could further improve quality of care for all of our patients. 3000+ deaths every two weeks is
unacceptable, so quality initiatives need to be in place to help decrease these medical errors. Plan
of action: I do realize that there are aspects of my quality and performance improvement
knowledgebase that needs work and I intend on improving on my skills in this area. I am hopeful
with my new job in Northern California, I will be able to improve and possibly use more of the
quality performance improvement skills. Regardless, I do feel that this is a very important area
that needs to be investigated further regardless if I'm able to use the skills or not. I believe that
we all can do our part to improve the quality performance of every department was in the
healthcare arena.
Lenny