Taking a Time Out

Cue cheesy music...Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name…

We all like familiarity. Whether it’s your favorite restaurant, hair salon, or bank, there is a sense of comfort that comes with personal recognition. So, I can understand when patients and families become concerned when they enter a hospital for care and are repeatedly asked to verify their personal information. Why do hospitals do this? Does the nurse really forget who you are in a span of ten minutes?

The obvious answer is no, but a more truthful answer is sometimes, yes.

Just like an airline crew or a sports team, each health care team member has a specific role. Each has been well-trained with a very specific set of skills and working together, they take care of many patients very efficiently and effectively on a daily basis. This team of experts works together so much that they can anticipate each other’s next steps. Just watch a general surgeon and OR circulator during surgery – they function like a well-oiled machine. So with all of the stringent processes and precise performance, why do we still stop and ask you who you are and verify what we are about to do for you? Well, let’s take a look at some of the most successful team in the history of sports…

Many of you know that I am a big basketball fan. I attribute it to growing up in Illinois during the early 90s when it was a wonderful time to be a fan of the Chicago Bulls. Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippin, and yes, even Dennis Rodman, all knew their roles and were able to have repeated success over a decade. They practiced together for hours each day, could anticipate each others moves and knew where the ball was going to end up before it left the passer’s hands. They understood each others strengths and helped cover each others weaknesses. After years of playing together, they knew what the next called play was going to be and in any given situation, the best way to beat their opponents.

So, in close games, why did coach Phil Jackson call time outs? If the team was really a fine-tuned machine firing on all cylinders, why would they need to stop? Each member of the team had been in this situation before and knew exactly what was going to happen. So why break the momentum?

Because Coach Jackson knew that during the intensity of the moment and everything going on around them, it was imperative for his team to pause and communicate. It was his job to ensure that everyone on the team was on the same page. While fans are being entertained during a time out, players are huddled around the coach and exchanging information – they are revealing what they have learned about the opposing team and the coach is giving his observations. Each situation has unique circumstances. And given the information, they determine the correct play to run. The time out ensures that they execute the best play possible to give them the best chance to win.

In fact, think about the reaction from players and fans if Phil Jackson didn’t call time outs during close games. If the Bulls ended up losing and there was no time-out called, wouldn’t every sports commentator have questioned the coach’s judgment? Wouldn’t there have been fan outrage?

The same principles apply when you seek care at a hospital. We have highly talented team members who perform well-choreographed tasks and processes. But, we want to ensure that everyone is on the same page prior to providing you care. This is why each person who enters a patient’s room verifies who you are and what they are in the room to do. Our time out ensures that we give you, our most important team member, the best care possible.

So, while none of our team members are endorsing sports drinks, and we don’t have a bartender who was a former major league baseball pitcher, know that we are always glad you came and that you will always get superstar treatment.