HJNO Mar/Apr 2022

DIALOGUE 16 MAR / APR 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   it starts at the top, it’s something I’ve been very focused on and my team has. As part of our kickoff meeting, we gave gratitude boxes to every one of our supervisors and leaders with a gratitude journal, note cards to send notes to others, candles so they can kind of relax, an 80th anniversary Ochsner pen because Ochsner is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. That gratitude box was to kick off things in the right way. Editor Play armchair quarterback for us, Warner. As a healthcare leader dur- ing COVID, what do you know now that you would whisper in the ear of Warner Thomas two years ago? Thomas That’s a great question. I guess what I would whisper in my ear is you cannot communicate enough. Keep communicat- ing every day, every week, every month over and over because people need reassurance, people need clarity. Look, I think we did a great job on communication, really, from the beginning. I applaud our communica- tions team and all the great work being done there. But, it could always be more, and I think we could have started some of the media sessions earlier. We got into a rhythm with the business community and started talking to them. I think we did a really good job around communication, but that would be one piece. Another thing that I told a lot of our lead- ers, but I would reinforce to myself, is don’t isolate and you’re not in this alone. When- ever we get stressed and we get challenging times, many times we just close in and just count on ourselves. But really, that’s the time you need to reach out to others and seek other ideas and seek support from others and not isolate yourself — actually be around other people, get other ideas. Many times, leaders in adversity feel like they’ve got to have all the answers and they’ve got to be the one making all the calls, and that can be the furthest from the truth. You’ve got to have a team, and they’ve got to keep com- ing together. It’s going to be an iterative process that you’re not going to get 100% right. You’ve got to keep being agile and managing what we called “point to point.”Thirty days from the first COVID case, we had more informa- tion. Sixty days from the first COVID case, we had more information. You have to keep adjusting. So, having that agile response and being clear about the changes — I would reinforce that to myself, if I was advising myself, knowing what I know now. I think the other thing would be that I’d advise myself that this is going to go on for a long time. It’s not a 60 or 90 or 180-day issue or a two or three or four-year issue. And, there could be significant workforce and structural issues around this. You’ve got to be thinking broad as well as in the here and now. Editor Describe the difference between good care and exceptional care, a good hospital and an exceptional hospital. Thomas Well, at Ochsner, we like to say that our goal is to be perfect at getting better. I think an exceptional facility is constantly looking for better ways to do everything; quality, safety, experience, and having a relentless focus on improvement and excel- lence. They understand that excellence is a journey, not a destination — that you can’t rest on yesterday’s laurels, that you’ve got to be constantly getting better. I do think that’s the difference between a good and a great organization. Great organizations are learning organizations; they’re constantly learning and training and educating them- selves. But, I’d also say it’s the level you hold yourself, the expectation you hold amongst yourself and your organization, your col- leagues. Being satisfied is not what excel- lence is about; always being hungry and driven to do better is what excellence is about. n