Hunkering Down Isn’t A Viable Solution
I’m hearing from supply chain professionals throughout the country that their hospitals, systems or IDNs are “hunkering down” in this new economy with the hope of weathering this financial storm we all are facing.
Just the other day a supply chain manager clearly stated this paranoia when he said “I know this doesn’t make sense not to spend a little money with your Utilizer™ Dashboard when we could save millions by doing so, but that’s the reality at my hospital today.”
This frugality doesn’t make any sense to me, since when you are in a hole you need to dig yourself out, not wait for someone to rescue you. Simply refusing to spend money to save money or to generate new revenues isn’t a viable solution in these tough times. It will only make your situation worse!
So when you hear that there is a freeze on ALL new spending at your hospital, system or IDN, I would question the validity, sanity and wisdom of this management fiat. Inspired leadership doesn’t retrench, hunker-down or hide from reality. They take prudent steps to dig out of the hole that they find themselves in until they can see the daylight. Then they dust themselves off and move one step at a time to higher ground where they can clearly see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In fact, inspired leaders are spending money to make and save money, even in these perilous times. These leaders understand the importance of moving forward, not backward in this sea of change. And they have the courage to make the hard decisions that are necessary to keep their healthcare organization on course in these turbulent times. To their credit they aren’t waiting for someone to rescue them from the challenges they face because they know help isn’t on the way.
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