Implementing a Corrective Plan of Action for Your Facility
A big part of behavioral health consulting is helping facilities uncover their weak links so that corrective plans of action can be implemented. Note that any action designed to strengthen weak links will only be as successful as the corrective plan. It is incumbent upon us and our clients to come up with a plan that is both doable and effective.
Successfully designing and implementing a corrective plan of action isn’t accidental. As with almost anything else in behavioral health management, plans need to be devised with purpose. They need to be implemented strategically. Below is a basic framework describing how to do it.
Properly Define Corrective Action
First and foremost is properly defining corrective action. The corrective action isn’t merely a change in policy for the sake of change. It is not implementing a new process just to make things easier. Corrective actions are implemented as a way to eliminate some form of nonconformity or anomaly and prevent recurrence.
Why is this definition so critical to understand? Because incorrectly labeling policy changes and new processes as corrective actions is like crying wolf. Do it too many times and you might find it nearly impossible to implement genuine corrective actions down the road.
Understand the Need for the Action
Successful implementation of a corrective plan of action revolves around the need for that action. It goes without saying that decision-makers must thoroughly understand the need before coming up with a plan. Otherwise, any plan they devise will likely fall short of the intended goal.
Was there a particular incident through which the need was revealed? Was there a known cause of that incident? Is the issue one of nonconformity, policy anomaly, or something else entirely? A thorough understanding of the need leads to a more purposeful and effective corrective action.
Consider the Unintended Consequences
Although corrective actions are necessary to eliminate nonconformities and anomalies, they still have consequences of their own. It is critical that decision-makers consider what the unintended consequences of a particular action might be. Unfortunately, this is where so many organizations fall down. They fail to consider much beyond the immediate solutions a particular plan offers.
Unintended consequences can be minor enough to be a non-issue. But they can also be major. If the potential consequences of a corrective action outweigh the benefits of the action, it is time to go back to the drawing board to come up with another plan.
Develop a Comprehensive Implementation Plan
A solid corrective action plan is a two-part plan. The first part is the corrective action itself. The second part is a plan for how that action will be implemented. Note that implementation will almost always make or break a corrective action. How actions are implemented has an enormous impact on the end results.
By their nature, corrective actions are significant and altering. They are by no means subtle. As such, there is a temptation to soften the blow of an especially serious corrective action through gentle implementation. Where it can be accomplished without negative consequences, a more gentle implementation is fine. But if doing so will only create additional problems, it is sometimes best to just get it over with.
Well Worth the Pain
Our experience as a behavioral health consulting company has given us plenty of opportunities to help facilities design and implement corrective action plans. We can tell you that corrective actions are part and parcel with healthcare. They need to be implemented in order to guarantee quality of care. Yet a well implemented plan is worth any pain it might cause in the short term.