![]() Online Edition - April 2000 |
--- |
|

In This
Issue...![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Features... ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
--But in 1996, the company found itself in need of some healing. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (BCBS-LA) was facing a time of extreme turmoil. The Department of Insurance had placed the health care insurance company under supervision. The CEO, senior team and the board of directors had been removed. The company was experiencing extremely low levels of trust and confidence among Louisiana citizens and the company had vast morale problems within its workforce. --To make matters worse BCBS-LA had just completed a quality/business improvement pilot program that had failed to improve the company's performance or public image. --In the competitive realm of health care insurance providers, any of these pitfalls could have easily translated into devastation for the insurance company. BCBS-LA needed to take immediate action in order to turn around public option, as well as the company's performance. BCBS-LA was focused on being the preeminent health care insurance provider in Louisiana. The road BCBS-LA took to achieve this goal was one filled with systemic change-a change effort that required input and participation from the entire company. The
Challenge --According to Jeff Hoye, the Baobab Group's Managing Director, BCBS-LA needed to quickly do four things if it was going to improve: --1. Fill the void at the top. The disbanding following the Department of Insurance takeover had left voids at the topmost levels of the company. BCBS-LA desperately needed to establish a new board of directors, CEO and senior management team. -- 2. Rally around a vision. BCBS-LA needed a common vision that would focus the entire organization-one that would increase the company's competitiveness, strength in the marketplace and help BCBS-LA grow throughout Louisiana. --3. Improve employee moral. If BCBS-LA was to survive the problems at hand and also improve in the future, employee moral needed to improve. --4. Build public trust. A health care insurance company with low levels of public trust will not succeed. BCBS-LA needed to show the people of Louisiana that it was a reliable and competent source of health care. --"The word reengineering came up and people had horror stories of changing things for no rhyme or reason," Hoye said.
-- Together, the CEO and the senior team established a company vision - to become the preeminent provider of health care insurance in Louisiana. To achieve this vision, goals were structured in a balance scorecard fashion. These goals were designed to address:
--The senior management team and the new CEO launched four strategic initiatives in order to achieve the aggressive goals the company had set for itself. A Decision Support Unit was created, a Learning Institute was formed, an Information Technology unit was assembled and a Business Process Management project was initiated. -- This newly formed Business Process Management (BPM) project was designed to provide the quality performance needed in anticipation of the organization doubling its market share. While the BPM was only one of the four strategic initiatives identified by the senior leadership, it was the one initiative that encompassed all of the organizational goals. --If BCBS-LA was going to double its size (Market Share goal), remain economically viable (Financial Stability goal), improve performance (Quality Performance goal) and develop technology and skill sets (Resource Management goal) it needed to apply increased attention to the quality of its services and operations. -- "We put together a strategic plan and focussed on marketing its message," Hoye states. "We went out and let the businesses and customers throughout the state know that Blue Cross Blue Shield wasn't going away." Tools for
Success --The second tool the BPM project used was the Process Model modeling software. This software tracked processes and identified opportunities for improvement. It was also used to assess cycle time, cost and overall quality. The modeling software also showed what results BCBS-LA could expect from individual scenarios it planned to implement. The strength of the Process Model tool was its ability to show individual employees how certain process changes could effect numerous departments and impact the business in a positive manner. The software also provided the senior team and board of directors with evidence of the BPM's success. --"With the modeling software you understand relationships," Hoye adds. "The business process was complex-there were a lot of interdependencies. This tool let everyone understand cost, the effect of changes and let employees justify the program." --A third tool that the BPM incorporated was a bundle of problem-solving and design improvement tools that were used to guide conflict resolution and system change. --Finally, BCBS-LA used "dashboard" presentations on a continuous basis. These dashboard presentations tracked key metrics throughout the company and provided regular feedback as to the success or failure of the change efforts. The Importance
of Leadership -- "The BPM had to be lead by all senior execs," Hoye states. "The early plan didn't have the support from the top." One operating principle the senior team followed was the documentation of decision making and the expected return on investment for the company. --The senior team also consistently and continuously communicated with all stakeholders in order to raise support for the change efforts. These stakeholders included the employees who performed the day-to-day tasks that were being impacted by the quality improvement processes. Bottom-Line
Benefits -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana was faced with hard times. By aligning its resources and employees around a vision of preeminence the company was able to build itself up to the level of Louisiana's top provider of health care insurance.
|