Value Champion

Rationale for this module

The value champion fellows repeatedly commented the importance of leadership support as a factor that contributed to their success. Even if that support was just a public endorsement of their work. But knowing how leaders think, and thinking about how you can solicit that support, and engage them in a project to reduce an overused service can be foreign territory for many clinicians. The readings and exercises in this module are designed to help a future value champion develop a plan for this important activity.

How to prepare for this session

As with all of the modules, first read the assigned articles, and take notes about where there are sections that address the discussion questions above. There is a webinar recording by Elizabeth Vossenkemper, one of our fellows, and Kathy Reims, her mentor, with tips about engaging leadership support for her project. Watching this webinar will better prepare you for this session. The TED talk by Simon Sinek is an additional option resource, and one you might recommend to learners for viewing after the class. For the small group exercise below, be prepared to divide the class into pairs or groups of 3-5 individuals for each of the scenarios below. You might have a handout with a copy of each scenario for the members of each small group. Make sure each group has a member who will report out to the large group after the discussion for the “putting it all together” time on the agenda.

Suggested Agenda

• Welcome & Introductions (5 minutes)
• Large group: introduction to the module + discussion of readings (25 minutes)
  • Overview of rationale for the module (5 minutes)
  • Discussion of required readings (20 minutes)
• Small group: break out exercise (15 minutes)
• Large group: putting it all together (10 minutes)

Small Group Exercise

In groups of 3, have the clinical value champions role play one of the following scenarios:

• As a pediatrician in a Federally Qualified Health Center, you are concerned about the amount of cough and cold medicine that is prescribed to younger children in your clinic. The leadership in your clinic is new and has made value-based care a strategic priority but is unaware of the overuse of these medications in your patient population. 
• You are part of a small group of medical students and residents in a city/county hospital that seeks to reduce “routine” daily labs ordered by clinicians as part of the care on hospitalized patients. To institute any changes in the inpatient ordering system will require support from leadership at several levels of the hospital.
• A surgery service line chief has asked you to develop and implement a program that would reduce the use of IV acetaminophen for post-operative pain

Questions for discussion:

• In your scenario, what are key features of the overused service that you might use to engage leadership?
• As a value champion, how might you assess current priorities of leadership in your setting and “pitch” your project?
• What would you do if reducing the overused service is aligned with organizational priorities but not with the priorities of the leadership you need the support of?