Instilling a mediation-based conflict resolution culture.
Conflict thrives and grows in the increasingly competitive and uncertain health care environment. Conflict impacts health care organizations' performance in several areas: (1) patient grievances and health plan member disputes; (2) internal employee and management disputes; and (3) payer, provider, and vendor disputes. "Grief Budgets," the hard costs and soft costs due to disputes that are poorly handled and conflicts that are ignored, detract from an organizations health mission and erode its bottom line. This article offers a strategy to solve conflict at an early stage in all three areas, with measurable results that strengthen profits and improve customer service by instilling a mediation-based conflict resolution culture throughout the organization. Mediation is non-adversarial, neutral, proactive, and collaborative. It is also confidential and always protects the future relationship between the parties. The challenge, therefore, is to strategically implant mediation into the health care organization's structure, to intercept and solve conflict early on. The article provides an overview of the steps needed to install a dispute resolution program.
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Solutions Mediation Systems, LLC, Laguna Niguel, CA, USA. millermarc@home.com
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D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D017008:Negotiating / Q000379:methods*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D011340:Problem Solving; D011361:Professional Competence; D014481:United States