Quality of Caring (QofC): Accounting for the value of compassion

What criteria did you use to choose a medical facility or hospital the last time you or a loved one needed care??Best-in-class medical technology??Most advanced diagnostic tools??State-of-the-art surgical suites??Substantial, recent infrastructure investment??Affiliation with a highly regarded university and medical practitioners with the most impressive pedigree??These and many other factors are used to rate and rank medical facilities.?Some of these criteria also contribute handsomely to the financial valuation of these facilities, many are also recognized as assets on the institution’s balance sheet.???

Friday evening, on our way to dinner with our daughter, son-in-law and soon-to-be first grandchild, a bone chilling half-gurgle, half-scream ricocheted from the back seat of the car.?Our daughter, an acute-care nurse, yelled, “Pull over, call 911. Kevin’s having a seizure!”?A perfectly healthy, 31-year-old who runs, plays golf, eats organic veggies, was a high-school athlete, never smoked, and looks a picture of perfect health had a brain bleed.?Its cause, a mass in his left temporal lobe.?In the span of sixty seconds our world was upside down.

It wasn’t the best equipment, the most expensive imaging technology, a huge endowment, or education from the most prestigious teaching institutions that has made the difference over the past few days.?The 911 dispatcher was calm, reassuring, provided clear advice, listened as we gave directions to our remote location and repeated back what we shared, relaying it to the EMTs.??The first responders were quick, efficient, calm and worked with us to jointly determine the best medical facility for our situation, while offering quiet reassurance.

The emergency department staff quickly assessed the situation, provided an interim diagnosis and stabilized Kevin.?They offered their best evaluation, were candid and with humility recognized the gravity of his situation and had him transferred to a neuro ICU.?The care team at the neuro ICU demonstrated curiosity, respect, humor, and persistence as each successive diagnostic measure revealed something more complex and concerning.

As parents there was little we could do, except to call in reinforcements.?I reached out to a treasured friend, who works for the hospital system for advice and guidance.?Instantly, phone calls were made, staff were mobilized.?Every step of the way, tiny and not so tiny acts of kindness made all the difference – Our daughter was told one CT scan was going to take only 30 minutes.??When the nurse learned that it would take more than an hour, she called from radiology to make sure that our daughter knew and wouldn’t worry.?Attending physicians sat bedside on many occasions to explain findings, raise concerns, answer questions, share witty remarks and quips.?

As Kevin’s next transfer was being arranged, members of their care team rallied to provide support.?They facilitated necessary arrangements, offered encouragement and showed genuine respect for the very difficult decision to move him to our daughter’s hospital so he would be closer to home and could be attend to by her own work-family.

My husband and I stood in the ICU doorway, watching the transport wheel Kevin out the door to his next destination. Each member of the care team hugged our kids.?They shared personal cell-phone numbers and emails, asked for texts and updates.?Not a dry eye in the house!

Our daughter works for a hospital system that recognizes and rewards their employees for exemplary care and compassion.?Patients and their families submit stories and comments, which are evaluated by an internal team and are eventually shared with the employees.?More than once I have cried reading the stories and sentiments shared by her patients.?Not only does it make me proud, it offers a rare glimpse into her professional world and helps me view her through someone else’s experience.?I see how her work makes a meaningful difference – the process also lets me know how much she is valued.???

In mere days, my own book People Economics: Defining and Measuring the True Value of Human Capital will be released.?As I sat down to a cup of coffee this morning, I couldn’t help but feel compelled to consider the experiences of the past few days under the microscope of the principles and paradigms I advocate in my own writing.?

The world of business, specifically investments and mergers and acquisitions, uses a quality of earnings (QofE) analysis to inform the value assigned to a potential acquisition target.?QofE measures the strength of an organization’s earnings, after allowing for one-time-events and accounting anomalies. There is no corresponding analysis for the strength of an organization’s Quality of Caring (QofC) – the kind of value we saw generated over the last few days, attributable to the day-to-day efforts of an institution’s people.?These efforts directly contribute to patient and family health outcomes; camaraderie and engagement among peers and other staff members – which incidentally translates to performance, productivity and efficiency.?It also has material impacts on business reputation and brand.?Care team members’ contribution to enterprise value is measurable and requires investment - these people truly are the most important asset.???The quality of their contribution derives from a sense of common purpose and genuine compassion – maybe even love. ?

When you need to choose a medical facility, remember that the best imaging technology can’t read, interpret or share the findings without a capable, well trained person to enable the translation.?A state-of-the-art surgical suite, even one enabled by robotics, requires many steady hands to achieve the best outcomes.?Seeing patients and their families for who they are, humans, and not just a chart of symptoms and medical images, is the mark of a true healer.?

I wish I knew the names of every one of the amazing people who have graced us with their gifts. Know that you are all in our hearts. ?Maria, Carol, Cleo, Patti, Sue, Amanda, Eric, the sending teams and the receiving teams, and all those we will meet along this journey – you are valuable beyond measure!

#sluhn #HUP #peopleecon #healthcareprofessionals #humancapital