The Buzz for 2012
What’s “change fatigue?”
According to a fun article by Cheryl Clark in a recent Healthleaders column, change fatigue is one of the top new buzzwords we’ll be seeing in 2012. She explains
“There’s change in leadership, areas of responsibility, accelerated workload and expectations, and requirements for new skills and training in people who may not be prepared for it or want it.
“Some providers have expressed frustration with this ‘new flavor of the month’ attitude. Now managers are trying to find productive ways to make these transitions, so there is enough stability and constancy mixed in to prevent change fatigue.”
Another buzzword cited is “accountable care skimping.” Clark reports
“In the Medicare Shared Saving Program’s final rule released in October, the word “skimp” comes up four times.
“Officials for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services used the word to address a concern that when physicians in accountable care organizations are paid to avoid unnecessary expenses, they may—unconsciously or not—avoid necessary expenses for their patients. Heaven forbid, they may ‘skimp on care.’
I think that skimping is just another word for rationing. The concept of rationing care is understood and accepted in countries such as Canada and the UK which have national health care system. Rationing has become a taboo word in health policy in the US.
Another buzzword noted by Clark is “positive deviance or disruptive innovation.”
She explains
“In healthcare settings, these two phrases, which have different origins and meanings, can be used to express the same idea. They imply a strategy in which providers look at peers—be they controversial individuals or entire institutions—that function differently, but still achieve excellent results.”
This is a good way to explain certain phenomenon, although the term positive deviance will be hard for many people to grasp. The terms deviance and deviants (a homonym) have some strong negative connotations, not only in healthcare but in political and social thought as well.
Will anyone champion skimping as a disruptive innovation?
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