What are your stakeholder requirements? How do you know if you are meeting them?

GBMC managers do an excellent job of moving us closer to our vision, everyday. We make the most progress when we live our leadership system. We are getting very good at the first step – reviewing the “why” of what we do, our mission, vision and four aims. The next step is to ask ourselves what those who we are serving need. In other words, what are our stakeholder requirements?

As an example, the nursing staff is one of our Pharmacy’s stakeholders. The role of a nurse is very complex. A nurse has many things to do to assure that we are moving toward our vision in the care of patients. One of the nurses’ needs is to always have medications available when patients need them. Our Pharmacy is an industry leader in having reduced “missing medications” to close to zero. How did they do this? They did it by studying every defect and improving their standard designs in verifying medication orders and in stocking medications on the floor through the use of our Lean Management System. The leaders of the Pharmacy also have a robust audit process for making sure the standard work is followed.

The first tenet of high reliability (what should happen, happens and what should not happen, doesn’t) is having a preoccupation with failure. This means that the leader does not assume that everything will go right. The leader knows that especially in a time of high worker turnover in a tightly coupled complex system, things will sometimes go wrong, and the leader knows that he or she must stay vigilant and not assume that everything is ok. When things don’t go right, it is often because we have created standard work, but it is not being followed. When this is the case, the leader is often running around fixing things that would be fixed if only the standard work was followed.

So, every manager should ask him or herself “what are my stakeholder requirements and how do I know we are meeting them?” I am so grateful for everyone’s efforts, and this will move us even faster toward our vision!

Let’s Do This!!!
We have a little more than one week until we reach the nominations deadline for the 600 spots on this year’s Baltimore magazine Top Doctors list. 

The more physicians who participate, the higher the chances that an institution will be well-represented on the winner's list. Nominations will close on Friday, June 24!

Docs, please vote for the colleagues you most respect! The survey is found here.

Go on a walk or a run for a great cause!
This Sunday, June 19, we’re holding our annual Father’s Day 5K and 1 mile Fun Walk with both in-person (online registration for in person is closing on Saturday at noon) and virtual options, to benefit our hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  

Our NICU team provides complex and compassionate care for newborns. We are fortunate to have a fabulous NICU with excellent clinicians and cutting-edge equipment. The equipment and staffing required to provide the care for our sick or premature babies is expensive and the funds raised from our annual Father’s Day 5K help to defray these costs. 

GBMC gets remarkable assistance from the community because we are known as the best place to have a baby in our region. We are incredibly grateful for the sponsors of this event and for all who participate.

Please support this year’s event and consider walking a mile or running a 5K. Encourage your family to join you! Visit www.gbmc.org/5k for further details and remember that your support will directly benefit the critically ill and premature babies cared for annually in GBMC’s NICU. Thank you!

…also, Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers in our GBMC family!

Juneteenth: Freedom Day 
On Sunday, we will recognize Juneteenth and celebrate a critical moment in African American history. This is the day when, in 1865, enslaved people in Texas finally learned that they were free, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. 

This holiday is not just a day for celebration in our nation. It’s a time to reflect on how the injustices of the past reach into today. It is also an opportunity for us to make a commitment to do all we can to combat racism, hatred and inhumanity.

GBMC HealthCare will continue to embrace our diversity. As we drive toward our vision of providing every patient, every time, the care that we would want for our own loved ones, I hope that you all will join me in commemorating Juneteenth.