Essential Values: Collaboration

THE POWER OF COLLABORATION

When the healthcare ecosystem is functioning at its very best, all participants work together to deliver optimal care to patients. And while it may seem that this focus on a shared goal is straightforward, the collaboration that it requires is complex, rigorous and continuous, encompassing much more than regular conversation and mutual engagement. True collaboration involves encouraging and harnessing the unique experiences, expertise and passions of everyone on a team — which is exactly why Essential Radiology embraces collaboration as an essential value. 

The value of collaboration 

At its core, collaboration is a way of working that involves various individuals outside of one’s expertise to achieve a shared goal. And although understanding the definition of collaboration is important, it’s even more crucial to recognize what it isn’t in order to fully grasp its value. Writing for Harvard Business Review, Hedi K. Gardner, Ph.D., and Herminia Ibarra FBA, touch on the fine points of collaboration and what it embodies. 

“Many people naively see collaboration as a leadership style in which relationships take precedence over the task at hand. But collaboration is not a consensus,” note Gardner and Ibarra. “It’s one thing to acknowledge the value of collaboration intellectually; it’s another to internalize its potential so fully that you proactively seek more collaboration opportunities and that collaborative skills become central to your professional identity.”

While collaboration is valued nearly everywhere, it’s especially crucial in the healthcare world, not only for the success of daily operations but for patient care. One particular case study of a Blue Cross Blue Shield program, BMC2 Cardiovascular Consortium, suggests that intentional, impassioned collaboration in health care leads to remarkable results, preventing unnecessary tests, lessening unnecessary antibiotics – which lead to a change in national guidelines to and even dropping the mortality in its hospital group by more than 50%. 

Essential’s culture of collaboration

At Essential, collaboration isn’t just something we do; it’s part of our DNA. From staffing and workflow management, to technology integration, every aspect of our work is rooted in a collaborative experience. Michael Rabern, Cofounder and CEO explains, “From the outset, our goal at Essential has been to foster open, honest and rigorous working relationships with our clients — radiology practices, hospitals and health systems — to build frictionless service delivery together. Custom solutions, collaborative problem-solving, these are the tools of our trade.” Liz Alley, PHR, Director of People and Culture, talks about collaboration as a unifying aspect of Essential’s brand from an internal perspective She explains, “One of the most satisfying and exciting things about building the Essential brand from the ground up is bringing the unique experiences and perspectives of the team into focus around common goals. By harnessing diverse points of view and broad knowledge, it’s amazing how quickly we’re able to put infrastructure into place and scale  — while intentionally avoiding the missteps that we’ve all experienced in previous roles and companies.” Raul Ruiz, Essential’s COO, reflects,”No one person on our team has all the answers. And by encouraging a collaborative mindset in every stream of our work, we are also encouraging people to bring their freshest, boldest, best ideas to the table. The more we all see the tangible benefits of creating wholes that are greater than their parts, the more natural and engrained true collaboration becomes.”