Page 270 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

Dream, Believe, Dare, Do 251

not physician-centered, environment. “In health care,” said Marge Deegan,
“we develop mindsets that become the barriers to innovation. We had a cred-
ible leader in charge of the process. Patrick was always the one who pushed
the envelope. He is so professional, and never let on how difficult it was to
bring on the new concepts.” 99
And many new concepts in the area of facilities at Griffin were about to
take shape. On Patrick’s watch, however, new “attractions” at Griffin needed to
pass one critical test: how well they could support the credo of patient-centered
care he dared to adopt. He listened intently to the focus groups he had com-
missioned to identify what was needed to create the “ideal” birth experience.
The expectations of focus group participants were like a newlywed’s “Christmas
Wish List” with hefty price tags attached to every item. Most executives in
Patrick’s position would have asked for a more realistic proposal. In fact, many
company leaders prioritize “customer wishes” annually, choosing only a few of
the least expensive items or “low-hanging fruit” that are easy to achieve. And,
if you were an executive in an organization like Griffin, which was at one time
struggling financially and nearly bankrupt, you might opt for cosmetic changes
and forget the rest. But, the emboldened Patrick did something that shocked
his team members. Just like Santa Claus, he brought the gifts that everyone
wanted: a noninstitutional, home-like setting with garden-fresh flowers, family
room-style lounges, soft hallway lighting, skylights, custom-built double beds,
and a Jacuzzi—and that was just the beginning.
Since the opening of the Childbirth Center at Griffin Hospital in 1987,
Griffin has been renewing its status as an innovator in the healthcare indus-
try. It was now the place to go—at least for expectant parents who didn’t
need to be convinced to sign up for a dose of Griffin’s pampering while liv-
ing through the various stages of pregnancy and childbirth. But selling this
patient-centered approach to Griffin’s doctors was a whole different experi-
ence for Patrick and his management team. Thankfully, it didn’t take long
for old-line doctors to move out and for a new crop of altruistic doctors to
join the Griffin team.
When the decision was made to take the patient-centered care concept
hospital-wide, the rest of the hospital’s doctors knew they couldn’t pass it off
as simply a maternity “thing.” Patient empowerment, open medical records,
and formal care conferences can be very threatening to physicians who are
accustomed to having ultimate control.
Medial director Dr. Kenneth Schwartz told us, “I’ve yet to see a nega-
tive outcome from patients reading charts, and a number of positive things