Effective Crisis Leadership in Healthcare: Lessons Learned from a Pandemic

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About Coker Group

Preface

Chapter 1: What Is a “Crisis?”

• Definition of Crisis
• Characteristics of Crises
• Types of Crises
• Elements of a Crisis
• The Basis of Behavioral Change
• Responding Effectively to Behavioral Changes
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 2: Preparation and Planning

• Business Continuation Planning
• Personal and Family Preparedness
• Assessing Organization Vulnerability
• Developing a Preparedness Plan
• Medical Emergencies
• Environmental Emergencies
• Violence-Related Emergencies
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 3: Day-to-Day Crisis Management

• Actions to Take Before a Disaster
• Office Policies and Training
• Dealing with a Crisis and Its Ongoing Management
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 4: Communication Techniques During and After the Crisis

• Ensure the Message Is Clear
• Infuse Humanity
• Build Trust
• Be a Moral Authority
• Control Your Emotions
• Summary

Chapter 5: Leadership in Crisis Management

• Qualities of Effective Leaders
• Vision for the Future
• Decisiveness
• Effective Communication
• Moral Authority
• Management Principles for Administrative and Physician Leaders
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 6: Crisis Mitigation

• Minimizing the Potential Impact of a Crisis
• Awareness
• Education
• Preparedness
• Prediction and Warning Systems
• For Individuals
• For Organizations
• Conclusions
• The Role of Incident Management
• Enabling a Rapid Response
• Incident Management Systems
• Incident Command Systems
• Emergency Operations Centers
• Importance of Informed Decision Making
• Crisis Communication Protocol
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 7: Financial and Economic Issues

• Do not Wait Until a Crisis to Prepare
• Liquidity
• Ongoing Monitoring
• Be Prepared to Make the Tough Decisions
• Revenue Stability
• Insurance is Important
• Tap into Resources
• Be an Opportunist
• Summary

Chapter 8: Operational Crises

• Financial
• Personnel
• Political and Regulatory Factors
• Immediate Safety
• Cultural and Public Unrest
• Strategic and Competitive
• Summary

Chapter 9: Cybersecurity and Crisis Management

• Cybersecurity Breaches on the Rise
• External Attacks
• Insider Threats
• Cybersecurity and Today’s Healthcare CIO
• Third-Party Vendors
• Responding to a Breach/Incident
• During an attack
• After the attack
• The Impact on Covered Entities
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 10: Personnel Considerations

• Crisis Management Planning Team
• Staff Considerations and Planning Decisions
• Regulatory and Legal Considerations When Dealing with Staff
• Other Related Personnel Issues
• Dissension
• Stress and Tension
• Summary

Chapter 11: Legal and Regulatory Response When a Crisis Occurs

• Crisis Defined
• Crisis Management from a Legal Perspective
• Pre-Crisis Planning
• Risk Assessment and Training
• Crisis Response
• Communication Response
• Legal Counsel’s Role in a Crisis
• Multi-State Practice Issues
• Newly Issued Regulations and Governmental Guidance/Waivers
• Area-Specific Expertise
• Scope of Practice and Credentialing Issues
• EMTALA
• HIPAA
• Summary
• References

Chapter 12: Insurance Considerations

• Overview: Claims That Result from Insurance Policies
• Business Owners’ Policies
• Managing a Business Insurance Claim
• Types of Insurance Claims
• Business Interruption Insurance
• Force Majeure and Its Effects
• Appropriate Insurance and Amount of Protection Required
• Summary

Chapter 13: Post-Crisis Actions

• Thermometer versus Thermostat
• The Rhythm of a Crisis: Resolution Phase
• Organizational Learning and Social Evaluations
• Internal Perspective: Organizational Learning
• Evaluating Changes Made
• External Perspective: Social Evaluations
• Responding to Changes Made
• Issues to Consider If Your Practice Is Severely Damaged or Destroyed
• Damage Assessment
• Site Inventory – Goods, Materials, and Equipment
• Post-Disaster Checklists
• Summary
• Resources

Chapter 14: Averting Repeated Challenges

• Learning from Our Mistakes
• Important Items to Have on Hand
• Basic Disaster Supplies Kit
• Additional Emergency Supplies
• Maintaining Your Emergency Kit
• Kit Storage Locations
• Summary

Chapter 15: Summary

• Preparation and Planning
• Day-to-Day Crisis Management
• Communications During and After a Crisis
• Financial and Economic Issues
• Operational Issues
• Personnel
• Technology and Cyber Security Crisis Management
• Post-Crisis
• Summary

Appendix A: Master Checklist from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

About Aimee Greeter, MPH, FACHE

Aimee Greeter, MPH, FACHE, is a senior vice president at Coker Group with specialized ability in business strategy, mergers and acquisitions, transaction advisory, physician alignment, accountable care responsiveness, hospital service line development, clinical integration initiatives, strategic plan development, executive compensation, employee compensation, crisis communications, operational efficiency, and financial management.

Aimee works with nonprofit and for-profit hospitals and health systems of all sizes and larger single- and multi-specialty physician practices to achieve their strategic and tactical goals. The team works with some of the largest and most prestigious health systems in the U.S. on their business initiatives, as well as with independent community hospitals, academic medical centers, and other medical practices in all 50 states.

Aimee is a popular speaker and often is engaged by highly respected organizations across the nation to speak to health systems, medical groups, legal associations, and other healthcare constituents. She has authored many articles and books on topics such as hospital–physician alignment, clinician engagement, practice mergers, professional service agreements (PSAs), and executive leadership.

About Max Reiboldt, CPA

Max Reiboldt, CPA, is the president/CEO of Coker Group. He has experienced first-hand the ongoing changes of healthcare providers, which uniquely equips him to handle strategic, tactical, financial, and management issues that health systems and physicians face in today’s evolving marketplace. Max understands the nuances of the healthcare industry, especially in such a dynamic age, and the need of healthcare organizations to maintain viability in a highly competitive market.

As president/CEO, Max oversees Coker Group’s services and its general operations. He has a passion for working with clients and organizations of all sizes and engages in consulting projects nationwide.

A graduate of Harding University, he is a licensed certified public accountant in Georgia and Louisiana, and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Georgia Society of CPAs, Healthcare Financial Management Association, and American Society of Appraisers. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.