The Northwest’s high-performing teams

NW dental UBTs are on the Path to Performance

We just returned from the beautiful Northwest Region, where we spent several days visiting with UBT co-leads, Performance Improvement staff, senior leadership and the UBT Resource Team.

High performing teams

The Cascade Park Medical Office has used their UBTs to help move quality measures from the bottom third to number One in the Region! Sponsor Gina Bailey, the Cascade Park Administrator, looks to the teams to figure out how to do things after they understand what that needs to be done. What a great accomplishment. This only happens with committed sponsorship. Teams are being used to figure out the best ways to tackle the issues and are fully accepted as a key part of operational strategy in the medical office.

Dental teams on the Path to Performance

Meanwhile we were happy to find the Northwest dental UBTs ranking their teams along the Path to Performance. As part of the National Agreement all teams will be ranking themselves along the Path to Performance criteria from a level 1 team through a level 5 team. Holly Morgan, Improvement Advisor and dental hygienist, told us that once dental teams rank themselves, team co-leads write a specific plan on how to go from their current level to the next level. All the co-leads sign the plan and begin to help make the next level a reality. This is another great way to develop leadership within the teams and help with specifics of moving the teams to the next level.  Great work Northwest dental!

UBTs backed by a great resource team

Another important part of the Northwest’s success is the UBT Resource team. This team includes regional co-leads Susan Ross-Bell and Kate Pingo along with a stellar group of about 20 consultants, educators, union leaders and a communicator. The resource team itself is a UBT. They provide an example of team-based decision making, and have first-hand experience in the team work that they teach others.  The Northwest Resource UBT walks its talk, and is the best role model other UBTs could wish for. And we know from our own experience, and the writing of others, that good role models are essential to culture change.

Finally, a travel tip: if you go to Portland and you rent a car from Alamo or National, the car return is not at the airport where all the other car returns are! One of these days, our adventures won’t be so logistically challenging. Until then, we’ll roll with the punches!