Stakeholder management is crucial for the success of any organization, and in healthcare, it becomes even more important. With the growing impact of health technology on patient care, CIOs and CTOs face the challenge of effectively managing the expectations, needs, and interests of different stakeholders, especially health practitioners who heavily rely on these technologies. In this article, we’ll dive into eight strategies that CIOs and CTOs in healthcare can use to up their game in stakeholder management. Let’s get started.
1 Understand your stakeholders
The first step in effective stakeholder management is understanding who your stakeholders are. In healthcare, this includes patients, doctors, nurses, administrators, insurance companies, government agencies, and more.
Each of these groups has unique needs, interests, expectations and concerns that must be taken into account when making decisions. For example, in the case of your EHR technology, doctors and nurses would require a system that is user-friendly, efficient, and can easily integrate with other systems. On the other hand, insurance companies may be more interested in data security and compliance. Understanding these differences will help you tailor your strategies to meet the specific needs of each stakeholder group.
2 Open and transparent communication
Open and transparent communication is the cornerstone of effective stakeholder management. It is important to keep all stakeholders updated about new developments, changes, and issues that might impact them.
Regular meetings, newsletters, emails, and webinars are effective ways to keep everyone in the loop. Moreover, being transparent about challenges and setbacks breeds trust and can lead to stakeholders offering support or solutions.
3 Seek feedback and make adjustments
It is equally important to create a culture where stakeholders feel comfortable expressing their concerns and know their feedback is valued and considered in decision-making processes.
Create channels for candid, measurable feedback from your stakeholders. You can do this by conducting surveys, focus groups, or implementing a formal feedback program. This allows you to identify areas of improvement and make necessary adjustments to your strategies, tactics, and operations.
Actively seeking feedback also shows that you value the opinions of your stakeholders and are willing to listen and adapt. Additionally, transparently addressing any issues or concerns raised by stakeholders demonstrates your commitment to their needs and expectations.
4 Balance short-term and long-term goals
Short-term goals are vital for addressing immediate needs and urgent concerns. However, solely focusing on short-term objectives may cause us to overlook the importance of long-term goals, which are essential for sustainable success.
Effective stakeholder management requires a delicate balance between short-term and long-term goals. By aligning short-term objectives with your long-term vision and involving stakeholders in the decision-making process, you can foster buy-in and maintain equilibrium between immediate needs and future aspirations.
5 Collaborate with stakeholders
Collaboration is key to successful stakeholder management. By working closely with stakeholders, you can gain insights into their perspectives, challenges, and expectations. It allows you to identify joint interests and develop solutions that benefit all parties involved.
Involving stakeholders, especially health practitioners, in the development process of technological solutions can ensure that the end product meets their needs. For example, one of the great benefits of Oracle Health’s Millennium EHR is its MPages which you can create custom versions of to see specific pieces of data that align with a practitioner’s own needs and workflows. This flexibility can improve patient care and efficiency immensely but only if designed with the practitioner’s needs in mind. Therefore optimising your EHR is not possible without the direct input of your stakeholders.
Collaboration also fosters a sense of ownership and involvement among them, increasing their buy-in and commitment to the project’s success.
6 Give them sufficient training and support
Implementing new technologies in healthcare can be a daunting task, especially for those who are not tech-savvy. To ensure successful adoption of these solutions and to avoid resistance or frustration from stakeholders, it’s crucial to provide sufficient training and support.
This includes offering training on how to use the technology effectively, addressing any concerns or challenges that may arise during implementation, and providing ongoing support and resources. After all, it could be that after training, they need to be reminded of what they’ve learned with refresher training or a member of your team on hand to support and run through things.
By ensuring that stakeholders are comfortable and confident using the technology, you can maximize its potential impact on the organization.
For more information on EHR Enhancify’s training services for Oracle Health EHR, please get in touch.
7 Stay calm during challenging conversations
Conflict is inevitable when dealing with a diverse group of stakeholders. However, how you handle these conflicts can either make or break your relationship with them. It’s important to stay calm during challenging conversations, understand the emotional needs of difficult stakeholders, and find a middle ground that satisfies all parties involved.
For example, if a healthcare provider is vehemently opposed to a new technology because they feel it will take away from the personal touch in patient care, listen to their concerns, empathize with their point of view, and then illustrate how the technology can enhance patient care without necessarily eliminating the human element.
Maintaining clear, respectful communication can ensure that all viewpoints are acknowledged and considered, leading to solutions that satisfy the broader interests of all stakeholders. Remember, patience and understanding are key in managing challenging conversations effectively.
8 Appoint an IT consultant to your team
An IT consultant can play a crucial role in helping CIOs and CTOs in healthcare improve their stakeholder management, in fact covering many of the points above on your behalf.
Analysis of stakeholders: IT consultants can help identify and analyze key stakeholders, their needs, expectations, and influence. This information can guide the creation of a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy.
Technology implementation: A consultant can ensure a smooth implementation of your new technology by defining its requirements, mapping out workflows, testing the system, ensuring it complies with regulations and integrates with other systems, and training users.
All of this is crucial in effective EHR implementation, and as an Oracle Health EHR specialist, EHR Enhancify is perfectly suited to assist you with this.
Strategic planning: An IT consultant can assist in aligning stakeholder expectations with strategic objectives. They can help create a roadmap that clearly outlines how technology will be used to meet these expectations, thus fostering stakeholder buy-in.
Training and support: IT consultants can provide training and support to stakeholders to help them understand and adapt to new technologies. This can reduce resistance to change and increase stakeholder satisfaction.
Conflict resolution: IT consultants with experience in stakeholder management can offer strategies for dealing with conflicts. They can help mediate challenging conversations and find solutions that satisfy all parties involved.
Involvement in development process: Consultants can help ensure stakeholders, particularly health practitioners, are involved in the development process of technology solutions.
By leveraging their expertise, IT consultants can provide valuable insights and strategies to improve stakeholder management, leading to better project outcomes and greater stakeholder satisfaction. Why not get in touch with EHR Enhancify to see how we can help?
In conclusion, effective stakeholder management is crucial in the healthcare industry, as it involves balancing diverse needs, interests and expectations while striving towards a common goal. By following our advice above, you can foster strong relationships with your stakeholders and ensure the success of your healthcare organization.