Leadership

Strengthening Our Mission of Patient Safety Through the Connections We Make

By Dustin Jackson, MHA, CPCS, CPMSM

When I first entered the medical services profession many years ago, I noticed right off the bat that MSPs were very protective of the work that they did. Some MSPs would even question others who asked what we do and why we do it. It made sense to me at the time given the specialized work we do, not to mention the extreme confidentiality of the information we handle.

As I grew and learned as an MSP, I came to worry that we were working ourselves into a silo, holding on to the amazing work we were doing a little too fiercely. Make no mistake, the work that we do must remain confidential, but how and why we do it doesn’t have to be kept secret! I have learned that the connections we make within our work environments outside of our own departments add even more value to what we already add to the healthcare system.

Making these connections will help others understand the important work that we do as MSPs and the value that we add to the healthcare system as a whole. It is also just as important for us as MSPs to learn and gain a better understanding of the work others are doing within the healthcare system. Having this mutual understanding, knowledge, and respect will help us see where our work intersects and where we can build new workflows between departments that will inevitably make our work much easier and strengthen our mission of patient safety and regulatory/accreditation compliance.

If you were able to attend my webinar this week, you heard that some of the key connections for MSPs to make are corporate compliance, patient safety, and operations. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, as the work we do has infinite intersections in the healthcare system. For example, it is important for hospital MSPs to have a connection with nutritional services due to the medical staff’s need to approve the nutritional manual.

Building these connections and gaining new perspectives and knowledge allows us as MSPs to look at our work in a different way. When reviewing a file, I ask myself, “How would risk management view this situation or flag?” or “By not meeting this deadline, how will this affect my operations colleagues? Will they be able to staff this service to provide care to our community?” Knowledge is value, and the more connections we make, the more knowledge we gain, adding much more value to the healthcare system.

MSPs have historically excelled at connecting with each other, our fellow MSPs. Building these connections not only helps us relate to those who understand us like no other, but it also creates a network where we can share best practices and learn from each other. By being involved in your state association and NAMSS, you have access to so many resources right at your fingertips. Many times I have reached out to my MSP connections across the country to gain knowledge on new services or to bounce ideas off them for best practices. These are all connections I have gained through my connection with NAMSS. I can honestly say that my career and the opportunities given to me have all been due to the connections I have made, and I encourage you to create valuable connections to further your work, your career, and yourself.  I want to wish everyone a very happy #MSPWeek, and thank you for the work you do on a daily basis to keep our communities safe!

Dustin Jackson, MHA, CPCS, CPMSM, is the system director of the medical staff services department at MultiCare Health System.