If you pick up the business section of the newspaper, hardly a day goes by that you don’t read about some CEO of a Fortune 100 company who has resigned to pursue other business interests. Translation: The CEO was fired, but to avoid a lawsuit they paid the guy (or gal) off and sugar-coated the press release to avoid a lawsuit.
Don’t you wish sometime they would tell it like it is? Well, you can read it here first: I’ve been fired! Bill Brody has been canned. Laid off. Booted. You can fill in whatever descriptors you would like to use. No sugar-coating it, just the unvarnished truth.
How’d it happen, you ask? Well, for several years I had been assigned to the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (CSICU) to make biweekly patient safety rounds. My job was to probe, prod, engage, indulge and lead the physicians, nurses, pharmacists, information gurus and other staff to greater heights of excellence to make the CSICU a safer and better place for patients. And during that period I wrote about a number of my experiences on the unit. We had some excellent first results and I thought I was helping in the process.
Until one day a year ago or so, after one of our meetings, the group fired me. They told me to take a hike and they would run the process themselves. My services were no longer required, or perhaps even desired. So, I hit the road and was afraid I would never hear from them again. That is until one day a few weeks ago, when the CSICU patient safety team invited me to a safety summit. For about two hours I listened in awe as different members of the group described and demonstrated what they had been up to for the past 12 months or so. They even presented posters with their results.
Infections from central lines had fallen to almost zero. Surgical-site wound infections, down 50 percent or more. Better communication, tight glucose control, reduced time on ventilator assist, automated medication dosage distribution to reduce medication errors, etc., all leading to markedly improved patient outcomes. There were presentations by doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others—a true multidisciplinary team effort.
I see now why I was work-furloughed. As long as I was in the room, the team would never completely own the task of patient safety. With me out of the loop, everyone was willing and empowered to step up and do their part as members of a team whose only focus was to do no harm and to improve patient care. Each and every team member assumed responsibility for the safety of the patient.
I am truly proud to see the power of bright, energetic caregivers and support staff giving their all for quality and safety in patient care.
Congratulations, CSICU. And thanks for the pink slip.
