Today I was reminded of the power of stories. Stories have the ability to build bridges, hope and inspiration. Stories can also have the opposite impact. For that reason, it is important to be mindful as we share stories. What are the kinds of stories we are telling? Are we telling stories of appreciation about the contributions of all organizations involved in the project? Are we telling stories about the wisdom, resources and commitment of those working to make a healthcare system in our community that is patient-centered? Are we telling the story of the future- a coordinated seamless healthcare system where cooperation across individuals and organizations is the norm? If the answer is yes, we are on the right track toward moving our vision toward reality.
Rebecca's story- of the patient experience was a positive story that had a profound impact on cementing our vision of the future. Her story was filled with hope and confidence in our ability to work together to create a healthcare delivery system that is patient-centered. It was a story that saw a healthcare system that would meet both her and other patients needs. What if her story had been focused on blame of any or all of the organizations which had provided her care in the past? Would it have inspired us to do the hard work of redesign together?
Today, I heard some stories,.... old stories. These stories were of past perceptions and were filled with negative assumptions about self-interest and motives of organizations now partners in the Pursuing Perfection community effort. They were the same stories I heard 2 years ago when I came to the community as an outsider. I do not know if the stories were true then. That really doesn't matter. They are not true now and together we need to change the story. Now and in the past year, I have seen each and every organization working together to build a better healthcare system for patients in Whatcom County. I have seen people have difficult conversations, and every organizations make financial commitments that were not in their self-interest. That old story I heard today, did not ring true for any one of the organizations I 've worked with in the past year.
So here is the new story: Pursuing Perfection is a community effort, it is beyond organizations and it has one focus - patient centered care. We are working together across organizations, creating a community will to do the hard work ahead. Together ,we will remove barriers that prevent us from realizing the vision of a healthcare system that we all yearn for. We will use our collective capacity, wisdom and resources wisely to see our vision a reality. It is not about organizations - it is about patients and community.
Sometimes, old stories will appear in times of change and stress. When I hear them, I will not let their negative assumptions affect my pursuit of perfection in cooperation with all the partners and community who care so deeply about making the vision a reality. I will gently remind others that it is old story and not helpful today in making decisions or moving forward. I will remember Rebecca and others like her who are counting on us to cooperate and build a new story for our community. Most of all, I will not make assumptions about people's titles, organizational affiliations as a way to separate or distance us - one from the other...We are in this together. We will support each other and together we will make a seamless healthcare delivery system that honors the 6 aims and 10 new rules of healthcare that the IOM report challenges us to create. By doing so, we will build the bridge across the quality chasm. Rebecca and the patients of this community expect no less.
