Cost constraints, new federal regulations, and ongoing advances in health care are all pressuring executives and clinicians to increase the effectiveness of delivery systems.

• How will teams identify the highest value improvements?
• How will they discover impacts across the system and unintended consequences of proposed changes?
• How will they test ideas and build consensus before implementing changes?

This four-session recorded web seminar series demonstrates how to use the Systems Thinking framework and iThink/STELLA software to understand and address the many challenges facing your health organization.
 

Session 1: Facilitating Meetings with Operational Maps

Session 2: Modeling for Process Improvement

Session 3: Common Structures for Modeling Health Issues

Session 4: Using Models to Support Group Learning

Overview

Modeling Changes in Health Systems will help you apply the tools and concepts of Systems Thinking to increase understanding of health issues and improve delivery of healthcare services.
 
You’ll learn how hospitals are already using Systems Thinking to improve ER and practice-area performance and remove waste and inefficiencies. You’ll use common structures to improve your model building efficiency and increase the effectiveness of your own health models. And, you’ll develop your ability to apply maps that help diverse stakeholders reach consensus on what's behind high costs and poor performance in healthcare.
 
Each recorded session includes a 50-55 minute presentation led by instructor Chris Soderquist followed by questions and answers. Online access to session recordings, sample iThink/STELLA models, handouts, and homework assignments will cement your learning.
 

Course Syllabus

Session 1: Facilitating Meetings with Operational Maps

Many meetings are characterized by ping-pong matches of untested assumptions, negative attributions, and crystal ball gazing. Discussing health issues often increases the level of defensiveness, as partisan perspectives and doctrine reduce the opportunity for learning. Learn how operational maps lift the quality of the conversation and make it conducive to learning and problem-solving.

Session 2: Modeling for Process Improvement

Hospitals and clinics process patients. Insurance providers and government health service organizations process forms. Pharmaceutical companies have innovation processes. All of these activities, require human and technical resources to manage the work. Learn how to use features in the iThink/STELLA software to improve your health-related processes.

Session 3: Common Structures for Modeling Health Issues

Understand common structures used in modeling health systems and apply them to your specific models:

• Aging of health populations
• Attracting and retaining professional staff
• Compliance and treatment switching
• Allocating resources
• Building and maintaining IT
• Financial/accounting

Session 4: Using Models to Support Group Learning

Experience how using simulations can facilitate learning among senior managers, staff, and public stakeholders. Learn how models were used to develop a group’s understanding regarding the power of prevention versus treatment. Understand how legislators and policy professionals used learning labs to explore strategies for reducing obesity, low birth weight births, and other health issues.

About the Instructor

Chris Soderquist is the president of Pontifex Consulting and a long-time partner of isee systems.  Chris has over sixteen years experience consulting to the health industry. During that time he has provided consulting and training to several pharmaceutical firms and teaching hospitals. He has taught Systems Thinking for health policy to legislators in Georgia, New Hampshire and Kansas. He has worked with the Minnesota Department of Health, the Kansas Health Institute, the New Hampshire Endowment for Health, and the Georgia Health Policy Center. Most recently, Chris has consulted with the CDC on strategies for reducing child maltreatment, and with the NH Department of Health and Human Services as they redesign the Medicaid system. 

In the first session, Chris is joined by Rachel Ferencik from the Georgia Health Policy Center who has been applying the tools in this series to health issues for their clients – both in Georgia and in other states. Rachel shares her experiences and describes how they’ve been teaching Systems Thinking to state legislators who create health care policy.

Course Requirements

• STELLA or iThink version 9.1.4
• Web browser
• Apple Quicktime Video Player
• Adobe Acrobat Reader