Episode #20: Stop Stressing and Start Managing the Constant Tension Between Margin and Mission in Today’s Healthcare Climate

Stop Stressing and Start Managing the Constant Tension Between Margin and Mission in Today’s Healthcare Climate

Introduction to Episode:

Are you feeling the tension between serving the mission while maintaining the margin?

It is a stressful time for leaders as they worry about delivering quality, safe care, reducing clinician burden, improving patient and family experiences and at the same time dealing with changing reimbursement models and financial constraints.

As a leader, do you feel like you don’t have enough fingers to plug the numerous holes in the dike?

The truth is, these challenges are not isolated problems. They represent polarities, interdependent pairs or tensions that are related to one larger polarity.

 We posit the Margin and Mission polarity is the overarching polarity in healthcare today and many other polarities co-exist beneath this polarity.

During this episode we discuss the interdependent relationship between margin and mission, the internal and external factors that are impacting both and some simultaneous action steps to gain or maintain positive outcomes. 

Inside the Episode We Talk About:

·         High quality, safe care and the best experience for both providers and recipients are not achievable if

both margin and mission aren’t addressed simultaneously

·         Keep an eye on the interdependent relationship between margin and mission

·         Be clear on the positive outcomes you are wanting to achieve when you focus on the mission and

positive outcomes when you focus on the margin

·         Understand the negative consequences that will be experienced when both margin and mission are

not being supported

·         Everyone plays a role

·         Engage staff knowledge and input into fiscal issues

·         Increase staff capacity to understand financial management components

·         Engage everyone in monitoring for early warning signs 

Teaching Points:

·         No margin without mission and no mission without margin. It is an interdependent relationship

·         Be vigilant in monitoring the interdependency and emphasis of the organization

·         You will fail over time if you do not leverage this polarity and there will be dire consequences if you

over focus on one pole to the neglect of the other

 Related Episodes

Episode #10:  Unleashing the Power of the Margin and Mission Polarity in Complex Care

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