Donald Bryant Profile and Articles

Display by: Popularity | Title

1). How Do You Know You Are Getting Better? Use Data To Drive Improvement
The best quality improvement initiatives are driven by data! Why? How are you going to know how much you have improved if you don’t measure something?

All of you have been exposed to measures in many situations. Most of them were important. In school, you were graded. Perhaps you own shares of stock; how do you measure the success of the stock—its increase in value, a measurement.

2). Standardize Your Process To Improve The Bottom Line
Standardize your processes! You can save time, money and prevent errors. Things you do over and over should be done the same way every time, if indeed you do the task the best way. They say variety is the spice of life, but for healthcare processes it certainly isn’t most of the time. Consider this, if you would. Would you buy your favorite brand of soda if sometimes your 12 ounce can were 3/4 of the way full and sometimes almost overflowing.

3). How To Make Changes In Your Healthcare Organization
For many of us change is a difficult process. In organizations like healthcare it seems to advance at a snail’s pace sometimes. There is a need for change in healthcare, most agree, though we would be hard pressed to agree upon the changes needed. One incentive for change is pay-for-performance programs now beginning in several areas. I would like to describe a couple that affect primary care physicians and then give a few suggestions as to how to adopt changes to take advantage of these programs.

4). Healthcare Providers--It's Time For Your Checkup!
I think this is a good time for a checkup, or physical as it is termed in the healthcare industry. I mean this is a good time to check the health of your site or setting. As healthcare providers, we are dedicated to curing our patients of their ills and keeping them healthy. My question is, “Do you have the same attitude about the place you work?” Is your site meeting its highest goals? If not, then it is time for a change.

5). Are You Missing Your Best Quality Improvement Ideas?
November 2005. Winter is just around the corner here in Western Michigan. The leaves are literally raining off the trees. Just this morning at breakfast as I looked into the woods and I could see a steady stream of golden brown, red and yellow leaves heading towards the earth.

Last month I talked about keeping your quality improvement changes in place—using a manual that you develop of SOP’s, standard operating procedures.

6). What You Need to Know About Starting a New Business
Starting a new business can seem overwhelming, but you can succeed if you stay focused on the variables that lead to success. All you need are a few tips to get you started.

7). Nine Stress Management Tips for Small Business Owners
Stress is common in the lives of small business owners. Here are some tips and reminders for managing and minimizing stress in your life.