Posted by By Mindy Busemeyer, BS, RT(R)(CT)(MR)
I was promoted to the director position at Decatur County Memorial Hospital about six months ago and found myself struggling with initiatives relating to patient satisfaction and management skills. As all radiology departments and hospitals struggle to maintain reimbursement levels, our patient satisfaction scores become a reflection of how we may be reimbursed in the near future and our leadership skills are reflected in these results. I had received my Bachelor of Science degree in radiology management, but I did not have any working experience in the field.
Some of the best information I received upon becoming a new director was to join AHRA. My first AHRA experience was the 2014 Spring Conference in San Antonio. At this conference I learned about the Partners in Learning program, and I was encouraged to send in an application.
I was accepted into the program and was matched up with Diane Weber, director of radiology at Lake Health in Willoughby, OH. I was excited about the partnership, as Lake Health, like us, is an affiliate of both Studer and Press Ganey. With this in common, I knew we would be approaching things the same way and would have been taught some of the same skills.
I was able to spend time with four different leaders at the facility, and they all provided me with effective tactics pertaining to patient satisfaction and leadership to take back to my facility. Everyone was willing to answer any questions that I had and was very accommodating, especially Ms. Weber. It was encouraging to learn from someone who was highly educated in radiology management. She was also very helpful with all of my general questions.
This experience has helped me grow as a director, made my everyday life a little less challenging, and has given me the ability to focus on some more advanced issues within radiology. Thank you to the AHRA Education Foundation and GE for the opportunity.
Mindy Busemeyer, BS, RT(R)(CT)(MR) is the director of radiology at Decatur County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, IN. She can be reached at mindy.busemeyer@dcmh.net.
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Well done, Mindy. Your article reminds me of my humble beginning’s as well, for my very first Director’s role many years ago. Thankfully the advice for me was the same, regarding joining the AHRA and what a difference this advice made for my preparation for my new role as a Director and future roles as my career advanced into the Administrative ranks. The PIL program, sponsored by the AHRA Ed Foundation and GE Healthcare, is a wonderful opportunity to learn from your peers and in some instances, several of your peers, as was your case. You’re to be commended for taking this opportunity and using it to improve on your patient satisfaction and managerial skills and taking what you had learned back to Decatur County Memorial in Greensboro, Indiana to better serve the needs of your hospital and community. I hope you have the opportunity to provide a PIL experience for a colleague in the future. Progressive leadership such as yours is needed, and it matters! Keep it up!
Warm regards,
Dave Fox