Case Study

CHALLENGE

When Rob Rose came on as Senor Vice President of Patient Services at Bristol Hospital, he had to hit the ground running. Bristol, located in Bristol, Connecticut is a 154 bed facility serving a community of 100,000 people. Due to turnover and restructuring, Rob had an immediate need to fill several key management positions. Among several others, the positions of Director of Perioperative Services and the Medical Staff Office Manager positions needed immediate placement. "There was no time to go through a search process for permanent replacements; particularly with the Peri-Op position," said Rob. "I could not afford to leave the OR without leadership."

The Nielsen Healthcare Group (NHG) was recommended to Rob when he came to Bristol and he contacted them for assistance. NHG, the leading provider of interim managers and executives in the health care industry, had been used by Bristol executives in the past to provide quality candidates for interim management needs. "Nielsen Healthcare Group had previously been a reliable source for interim managers and directors at Bristol and they responded immediately with three excellent candidates," noted Rob. "Nielsen provides strong candidates at a reasonable fee. And unlike other interim providers I've dealt with, once NHG provides the candidates, they allow me to deal directly with them to make our selection."

SOLUTION

Rob's selection for the Director of Perioperative Services also had to hit the ground running. The department needed a lot of immediate attention. "This is a key leadership position," said Rob, "The staff needed both morale support and immediate leadership." Janet was very proactive. She was on board at Bristol within 2 weeks of her selection. On her first day she came to Rob with a 60-page action plan. Janet's strong leadership skills also helped immediately with department morale and she worked very well with the physicians. "It was like she grew up in an OR." commented Rob's CEO, Kurt Barwis.

Janet is still with Bristol Hospital today and recently signed on to stay in the position. She continues to implement effective changes and meet the needs of her department.

A DIFFERENT NEED

The Medical Staff Office Manager position posed it's own challenges. A small Department of one, the position handles many key responsibilities including all communications with the medical staff, accreditations, and credential verification for all physicians; all in addition to being the assistant to the Chief of Staff. "We were in the middle of recruiting and accrediting new physicians when our current Manager opted for early retirement," Rob said, "Again, it was a situation where we needed an immediate placement."

"The candidate Nielsen provided came with impeccable credentials," noted Rob. "One of the advantages of interims is that there is no down time needed to train a new person. Joyce started in under a month and was a seamless fit. Currently, she's working on automating our entire paper process in that department."

OUTCOME

"I think interim management definitely has its place," said Rose. "At crucial times it can provide a swift solution to some critical staffing needs. And in the long term, I can actually save money and time because there's very little, if any, job orientation and training." Rose feels he's definitely benefited by using NHG as Bristol's interim staffing solution. "The candidates from Nielsen are competent, well received, and professional. I view our relationship with NHG as an ongoing one and continue to use them as an important interim resource."

Interim managers from the Nielsen Healthcare Group can step into key management roles with minimal disruption to department performance. NHG offers an important resource to health care providers with its network of over 15,000 veteran health care professionals. NHG helps members fill temporary vacancies, reduce costs, increase effectiveness, and enhance quality control.

Interim staffing from NHG can also:

• Provide a stable management situation while a permanent replacement is recruited.
• Assist in the training and transition of a permanent replacement.
• Temporarily fill vacancies when a key manager departs.
• Provide support for short term needs (JCAHO preparation, hospital or department restructuring).

Thanks to a contractual agreement between Connecticut Hospital Association Shared Services Program (CHA SSP) and NHG, members are eligible for a 7% discount on this service. For additional information contact Bruce Nielsen, President or Susan Silver, Executive Vice President at the Nielsen Healthcare Group at 800.581.8901 or visit their web site at:
www.nielsenhealthcare.com.