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3 WAYS TO IDENTIFY ARROGANT LEADERS

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3 Ways to Identify Arrogant Leaders

I recently heard a great speaker in Atlanta named Clay Scroggins (Author, How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge). He made this point:

“Arrogant people don’t ask questions.”

I had to think about that.  Test it against my experience.  See if it was an exaggeration – or could it be so?

He went on to say….”they not only don’t ask you questions, they do not ask themselves questions either.”

Hmmm. Thinking over all the arrogant people I’ve ever met.  List very long. May take a while to conclude.

(a minute passes)

Dang.  I think it’s true!!!

Here are three easy ways to find out if a leader is arrogant…

THE TELL-ASK RATIO:

Count the number of things the leader came to TELL you, compared to the number of open-ended questions they ASKED you.  Anything  above a 3:1 ratio may indicate a problem (just a hunch).

A surrogate for this test would be – how long did they talk relative to how long they listened.  Try this in your next project meeting with your supervisor.

THE DON’T ASK/DON’T KNOW SCAM:

If you think you are working for someone arrogant, take note of how many times they declare things to the organization that they do not actually know to be true.

  1. “We will launch a new product by X.”
  2. “We will have that problem solved by Friday.”
  3. “We will overcome this adversity.” (Just to mention a few possibilities.)

THE KNOW ME/KNOW THEE TEST:

Ask the leader to share one of their most difficult experiences and what they learned from it.  If they can’t think of one, well, you know what that means.

Another version of this test?  Ask them to name your three children at the next company picnic.  If they smile, nervous laugh, and walk away…

3 WAYS TO PRACTICE HUMILITY:

  1. Listen carefully.
  2. Ask inquiring questions.
  3. Know yourself and know your team members.

That’s humility.  And it drives performance.

Serve well.

What are some signs that a leader is arrogant?

How might leaders practice humility?

 

 

 

Patient’s $7,800 ED bill reaches California Supreme Court

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https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/patient-s-7-800-ed-bill-reaches-california-supreme-court.html

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A case involving a hospital patient’s emergency department bill has been initiated at the California Supreme Court, a spokesperson for the Judicial Council of California confirmed to Becker’s.

He said the supreme court received a petition for review from the patient, and it has at least 60 days to decide whether it will grant, deny or take other action.

The petition centers on an unpublished opinion by the Fifth District Court of Appeal issued in July that would allow self-pay patients treated at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, Calif., and Clovis (Calif.) Community Medical Center to challenge their medical expenses as part of a class action, The Fresno Bee reported.

The appeals court decision reversed a trial court order denying class certification; directed certification of an “issue class”; and denied the the patient’s request to publish the opinion. But now the patient has petitioned the supreme court to get the opinion published. “Unpublished or ‘noncitable’ opinions are opinions that are not certified for publication in official reports and generally may not be cited or relied on by other courts or parties in other actions,” the spokesperson for the Judicial Council of California said. However, if the case were published, it would become case law, potentially affecting lawsuits against hospitals statewide.

Hospital officials have argued the case should not be published.

The case goes back to a dispute over interpretation of Community Regional Medical Center’s admissions contract and the rates charged to an uninsured emergency room patient, Cesar Solorio, according to the appeals court decision. Mr. Solorio reportedly received X-rays and a splint on his wrist at the hospital on Sept. 22, 2015. He later received a bill for $7,812.03 and filed a class-action complaint alleging rates billed to self-pay patients are “inflated and exorbitant,” the appeals court decision states.

Community Medical Centers, the operator of Community Regional Medical Center and Clovis Community Medical Center, disputes claims that the self-pay billing process is different from insured patients, according to The Fresno Bee.

Michelle Von Tersch, vice president of communications and public affairs, told the publication documents regarding a patient’s treatment are reviewed to determine applicable charges after discharge. She said that many uninsured patients are eligible for financial aid programs, such as charity care.

Read the full Fresno Bee report here.

 

CMS eases readmission penalties for safety-net hospitals

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https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/cms-eases-readmission-penalties-for-safety-net-hospitals.html?origin=cfoe&utm_source=cfoe

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Partially because of a push from Congress, CMS is easing its penalties for 30-day readmissions for hundreds of safety-net hospitals, according to NPR.

The penalties were established in 2012 under the ACA in an effort to boost patient care. CMS estimates hospitals will lose $566 million in the latest round of penalties that will be assessed over the next 12 months because patients ended up back in their facilities.

Safety-net hospitals, which serve a large number of low-income patients, have argued for years that these sanctions adversely affect them. They have argued that their patients are more likely to suffer complications and have a readmission through no fault of the institution, but rather because the patients can’t afford necessary medications or don’t have primary care physicians to monitor their recovery.

However, effective Oct. 1, lawmakers mandated that CMS consider the long-standing argument from safety net hospitals: that they shouldn’t be penalized or held to the same standard of readmission as other hospitals. 

In a major change to its evaluation of readmission rates that took effect this year, CMS stopped judging each hospital’s readmission performance against all other hospitals. Rather, the agency assigned hospitals to one of five peer groups with similar percentages of low-income patients. To assess the penalties, Medicare compared each hospital’s readmission rates from July 2014 to June 2017 against the readmission rates of its peers to determine whether a penalty should be assessed and how much the penalty would be.

CMS will assess penalties or dock payments to 2,599 hospitals in fiscal year 2019, which begins Oct. 1.  The penalties resulted from fiscal year 2018 readmissions.

However, the new evaluation method has shifted the burden of those punishments away from safety-net hospitals. Penalties levied against safety-net hospitals in fiscal year 2019 will drop by a fourth on average from fiscal year 2018, according to NPR.

“It’s pretty clear they were really penalizing those institutions more than they needed to,” Atul Grover, MD, executive vice president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, told NPR. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

 

CHS subsidiary to pay $262M to settle fraud probe

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https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/legal-regulatory-issues/chs-unit-to-pay-262m-to-settle-fraud-probe.html

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Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems subsidiary Health Management Associates has agreed to pay the federal government $262 million to settle fraudulent billing and kickback allegations.

The settlement resolves allegations that HMA billed government payers for inpatient services that should have been billed as less costly observation or outpatient services, paid physicians in exchange for referrals, and submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid for falsely inflated emergency department facility fee charges.

HMA’s conduct occurred between 2003 and 2012, before CHS acquired HMA. HMA was facing multiple qui tam lawsuits and was the subject of criminal and civil investigations when it was acquired by CHS, and CHS cooperated with the government in its investigation.

“Since acquiring HMA in 2014, it has been our goal to resolve the government’s investigation into all of these allegations which occurred prior to the acquisition and which were already under investigation at the time of the transaction,” CHS said in a press release.

In addition to the $262 million settlement, HMA entered a nonprosecution agreement with the Justice Department. Under the NPA, the government agreed not to bring criminal charges as long as HMA and CHS cooperate with the investigation, report evidence of violations of federal healthcare offenses, and ensure their compliance and ethics programs satisfy the requirements of a corporate integrity agreement between CHS and HHS’ Office of Inspector General.

Under the settlement, Carlisle HMA, the HMA-affiliated entity that formerly operated Carlisle (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. CHS divested Carlisle Regional in 2017.

“We are pleased to have reached the settlement agreements so we can move forward now without the burden or distraction of ongoing litigation,” said CHS. “As an organization, we are committed to doing our very best to always comply with the law in what is a very complex regulatory environment and to operate our business with integrity, ethical practices and high standards of conduct.”

 

UVM Medical Center, nurses reach tentative labor deal

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https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/human-capital-and-risk/uvm-medical-center-nurses-reach-tentative-labor-deal.html

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University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington has reached a tentative contract agreement with the union representing about 1,800 licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners.

The three-year tentative agreement, reached Sept. 19, includes a 16 percent average base salary increase over the life of the contract, according to hospital officials. They said raises for ambulatory nurses will be retroactive to the first pay period in September.

Additionally, the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals conceded on its previously proposed increases to certain shift differentials as part of the deal.

The tentative agreement comes after six months of bargaining and demonstrations by nurses, including a 48-hour strike in July. Both sides said they were pleased they were able to make progress.

“We are looking forward to implementing the many positive changes that result from the new contract, which will enhance patient care, provide additional support for nurses and allow for new opportunities to advance the nursing profession,” hospital officials told Becker’s.

Molly Wallner, lead negotiator for the union, said: “We are proud of the unity, strength and perseverance our nurses have shown. This has been a long and difficult road for all of us, and we are proud of what we have accomplished. Our fight for patient safety is not over, and we will continue that fight through the [state] legislature.”

Nurses are expected to vote on the tentative agreement soon.