Physician Alignment and Engagement | FTI Consulting (2024)

Harnessing Return on Investment (ROI) Through Change Management

For healthcare organizations of all types and sizes, priorities are changing as the need to digitally transform becomes even more essential to business stabilization and growth strategies. When it comes to executing technology advancements, healthcare organizations need to take strategic action to ensure their physicians and staff align with and will be engaged in adopting the change. The return on the investments you make is dependent on your physicians embracing the change.

Key ROI Realization Opportunities

Incorporate Key Stakeholders

We begin by identifying and bringing together a group of decision-makers and influencers to conduct a pilot program with the technology. Choosing these messengers carefully is critical: this group will aid in refining the approach and crafting the story that explains the need for change. Later, detractors will be brought into the process, and the group will help with the delivery of strategic communication, engagement of employees and sponsorship of the change to support the organization-wide implementation.

Our unique approach to change management is rooted in collaboration and ownership. We have seen successful digital transformations when physicians and staff are involved early and play an active role.

Decision-makers – Physicians, usually in leadership, who make challenging decisions that impact how the company operates. Physicians who are strong decision-makers know how to use critical thinking skills to effectively solve problems.
Influencers – Typically physicians within the medical group with sway over your target audience. Influencers have credibility within your Group. They often have significant tenure and specialized knowledge, authority or insight that provides credibility to their opinion. Their presence with the group makes them a useful launching pad for brands in search of credibility.
Detractors – Stakeholders who systematically obstruct the desired change. Often a subset of influencers, the detractors have credibility and are typically resist the change because “it’s not the way we do things.”

Rapid Design Session

To reach enterprise alignment, FTI Consulting will work with you to conduct rapid design sessions, which are facilitated sessions that bring together key stakeholders throughout the enterprise to build consensus and quickly drive value for the organization. Workshops have a specific structure to enable maximum output and efficiency, with the following goals:

To establish a governance model that is fully integrated with practice operations
To confirm quick wins and longer-term improvements in core operational areas of focus in order to drive cost efficiency, reduce resource intensity, improve scalability, and streamline key processes and organizational structures in the defined areas of focus
To establish an overall measurement structure and process for leadership to drive ongoing success and accountability

Project Initiation and Roll-out Strategy

Our team will work closely with key stakeholders to resolve risks and barriers, ensure quality, carry out communication strategies, and drive the organization toward enterprise alignment:

Seek out early adopters
Create an environment for candid and frequent feedback
Work through issues before broad roll-out
Develop the story that explains the need for change, focusing on patient benefit first
Create advocates to communicate the message

Communication is critical to effectively realizing change

Patient-Centric Messaging

Understand motivations, needs and drivers and how transformation will be experienced internally and externally
Proactively identify change impacts, benefits and opportunities for each stakeholder and develop targeted messaging and communications strategies to build understanding and foster a positive experience
Link initiatives and workstreams to corporate values and mission, telling stories and drawing connections that bring changes to life

Embrace Feedback

Create an environment that encourages and celebrates feedback and takes it seriously through active change
Proactively understand and capture areas of resistance to the change and address them head-on
Celebrate successes and progress while also transparently sharing learnings and opportunities for improvement

Consistency

Be consistent and transparent in articulating goals, updates and progress across all stakeholder groups
Ensure leaders are aligned and demonstrate clarity and consistency towards a common goal
Put the right enablers in place – people, processes, systems and technology
Maintain audience-centric messaging and consistently listen to stakeholders

Shared Vision and Cultural Norms

Define a “north star” that inspires and connects people
Create an honest dialogue around cultural nuances and ways of working that will drive progress and support necessary mindset and behavioral shifts
Align around shared expectations, behaviors and language

Key Success Factors

Strategies Rooted in Data

Understand and analyze stakeholders’ sentiments, challenges and impediments, and their capacity to contribute and ability/willingness to change, ensuring that strategies are customized to needs and opportunities

Sponsorship Straight from the Top

Ensure executives are active and visible sponsors of the transformation and validate the need for change, leading by example and reinforcing that this is a process of continual improvement

Strong Partnerships Across Functions

Engage functional teams early and often to align on needs and timing, gain buy-in for strategies and ensure accuracy in execution

Clear Governance

Know from the start who needs to be consulted, informed and given full review/approval rights to ensure an efficient and collaborative process

Engaged Leaders and Managers

Empower leaders to be part of the solution by providing the training and tools that will enable them to effectively bring their teams through the change

Ongoing Monitoring and Refinement

Collect real-time data and feedback to demonstrate progress, identify and address resistance, and otherwise evolve strategies