MGMA Member Spotlight: Bill Kenney on Developing a Successful Employee Wellness Program

MGMA Podcasts

In this episode of the MGMA Member Spotlight podcast, host Daniel Williams welcomes Bill Kenney, CEO of Dermatology Consultants, to share his expertise in developing an employee wellness program. Bill discusses his background in healthcare management and social work. He outlines Dermatology Consultants' size and scope and his role overseeing 180 employees across four clinic locations. Kenney is a featured speaker at the upcoming MGMA Staffing Conference on August 15-16, 2022 in Burlington, MA.

Key Takeaways
- Investing in an outside consulting group was critical to keeping the wellness program on track and staff accountable.
- Engaging physician leaders from the start helped gain buy-in for initiatives.
- Quarterly competitions and a symbolic "goat trophy" drive fun, healthy competition between teams.
- Involving staff in planning ensures activities appeal to their interests.
- Measuring engagement, costs, satisfaction and goal achievement indicates program success.

On Physician Engagement
Some of the key challenges Kenney has faced faced in engaging physicians in wellness initiatives include:

- Physicians' busy clinical schedules and time constraints
- Difficulty finding wellness activities that appeal to physicians' interests
- Lack of incentive or perceived relevance of wellness to physicians' work
- Physician autonomy and reluctance to participate in "mandated" activities
- Ensuring initiatives don't interfere with patient care workflows

"To address these challenges, we spent time understanding our physicians' needs and perspectives," Kenney said. "We also involved physician leaders in planning to gain buy-in, and emphasized the benefits of wellness for both work and personal life. Making activities optional but highly encouraged also helped engagement."

On Staff Accountability
Some best practices for keeping staff accountable to wellness program goals and tasks include:

- Setting clear, measurable goals and objectives at the beginning of each quarter or year
- Tracking participation and progress regularly through our wellness software platform
- Providing regular feedback and recognition to high-performing teams and individuals
- Involving staff in goal-setting so they feel invested in the outcomes
- Tying the wellness program to our overall company culture and mission
- Having designated wellness champions on each team who encourage participation

Resources
MGMA Staffing Conference
Dermatology Consultants

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