Create an easy-to-follow agenda. Keep a copy of a blank meet-
ing agenda with your scrapbook. As agenda items come to
mind, jot them down on a Post-it and stick them in the scrapbook.
Make your agenda a scavenger hunt of sorts based on information
from physicians, schedulers and vendors. Include printouts of note-
worthy e-mails in the scrapbook. As staff share comments or con-
cerns that everyone should hear, have them jot their items down and
place them in the scrapbook. The next time someone comes to your
office door and asks, "Would you make sure everyone knows …?"
hand her a Post-it!
Other items you could include on the agenda: governing board deci-
sions, new or revised policies, and quality improvement study infor-
mation. Extend an open invitation to your physicians and governing
board should they want to present or want you to share. Don't stress
if you don't have time to write a formal agenda. Review your notes
and make a quick bullet-point list. If you don't get to everything on the
agenda, keep the items you passed over in the scrapbook for next
time.
Set solid start and stop times. Carve out a block of time and a
place for your weekly meetings. What works best for us? A 15-
minute slot before the first case on a day when we know we'll be start-
ing late. (No judgment here: We all have those docs who take start
time as a suggestion.) Five minutes before the meeting starts, let every-
one know we are "meeting in 5." In weeks where either there isn't a
full agenda or the schedule doesn't permit getting together, let your
team know that the meeting's been postponed until next week.
Establish a regular gathering spot. We meet just off the pre-op area, so
that we're still available for patients and for staff who may not be able
to attend.
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