Communication

As managers we require constant communication from our employees on what's going on with the patients.  But as managers we have the largest responsibility when it comes to giving communication.  We have to be accountable to follow up on patient appointments, communicate changes in discharge plans, report changes in condition to other departments, report projected therapy completion dates, report new medications or upcoming appointments to our staff...it's our responsibility to carry to communication from our team and even more importantly to carry all incoming information to our team in a timely manner.  Too many times when I enter a facility as a consultant, one of the biggest gripes I get from facility staff and therapy staff is the manager isn't doing this basic function and it creates all kinds of chaos.  It also creates distrust and a general feeling of dislike toward the manager.  Create systems for fulfilling communication - don't rely on your memory to communicate everything to everybody.  If you can't think of systems to do this for you - then carry a small notebook around with you and write everything down immediately and cross it off when you've communicated it.