Page 272 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

Dream, Believe, Dare, Do 253

who had a little child at home. He was trying to get through chemo, and
would come in and work a couple hours probably to get a break from his
home setting. The administration here at Griffin really supported him. Every
one of them donated vacation time to his paycheck—the docs, the nurses,
the entire administration. He had a full paycheck until after he passed away.
People are what make this place so special. It’s the sincerity, the compassion,
the respect.” 101
Hospitals throughout the United States are in desperate need of what
Patrick Charmel has modeled for Griffin—the Dream, Believe, Dare, Do
credo. Management consultants from Ernst & Young (another one of our
featured organizations) describe the changing healthcare paradigm that could
serve to force many in the industry to adopt the Planetree approach and rein-
vent themselves: “The trillion-dollar American healthcare market is on the brink
of the biggest transformation yet. The primary force behind this change is not
technology or managed care but the growing mass of educated and empowered
consumers. ‘Healthcare consumerism’ will alter how healthcare organizations
will operate, how they compete, and, perhaps, why they exist.’’
After embracing the patient-centered Planetree model, Griffin took own-
ership of the Planetree organization in 1998. The Planetree national headquar-
ters is on Griffin’s campus in Derby, Connecticut, and is a subsidiary of Griffin
Health Services Corporation. Today, the Planetree Network has grown to over
100 member hospitals in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands,
whose staffs are trained, coached, and nurtured by Planetree president, Susan
Frampton, and her competent team of professionals.
According to Griffin vice president, Bill Powanda, hospitals who adopt
the Planetree philosophy do so for one or more of the following reasons:

■ Pure altruism—a belief that this is the right way to treat patients
■ Strategic initiative—a way to differentiate themselves, particularly if
they are in very competitive markets
■ Brand promise—assurance of being backed by Planetree, which pro-
vides support through its network membership

Those fortunate organizations that have CEO support to bring Planetree
into their facilities will live and learn a new vocabulary that reinforces how
people behave; they’ll be saying, “That’s very Planetree,” or “That’s not very
Planetree” as a critique and confirmation of what is patient-focused and what