This post was authored by Shal Jacobovitz, CEO of the ACC.

Health care reform is changing the way physicians practice, and we have seen an increasing trend of cardiologists moving away from private practice into hospitals. Telemetrics, electronic health records and new devices are making the technological world of health care completely different as each year passes. The College is committed to helping our members through these transitions and many others in order to make the most of these changes.

It is important to remember that any change – big or small – can have a big effect on a system.

According to William Bridges, PhD, author of “Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change,” there are three phases of a transition:

1. Letting go of the old ways and the old identity people had.
2. Going through an in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn’t fully operational.
3. Coming out of the new transition and making a new beginning.

In order to manage the change and to make sure the change is handled with care and consciousness of all who are affected, we should be thoughtful about the change using these parameters: process, people, informal systems, technology and culture.

This way of managing change is best described through a personal example. When I first was prescribed bifocal glasses, the idea of putting on the frames and going about my day seemed to be a simple change to help with my worsening eyesight. But it isn’t the change that did me in. It was the transition. It is one thing to get use to the lenses themselves, but getting used to looking at things differently – both up close and far away – requires a bit more work. You have to get used to reading with them, moving your head with them, etc. In essence, there is more to change than simply making the change. Changes are cut and dry, but the ongoing process of acclimating to a change is the transition. We have to be sure that our transitions are managed as well as the initial change.

Another example is using an oxygen mask in the event of an emergency on an airplane. The flight attendants give us instructions to first help ourselves, and only after we are completely sufficient to help others, should we then help smaller children and our neighbors. This is a great example of the stages of change that take place, since we have to be comfortable with the change as individuals before we can help others adapt to change.

As we strive to help our members through the changes and transitions they are facing, the College is in the process of developing a strategic plan that will help charter the pathway.  It is my hope that moving forward we will have the tools needed to help manage changes and transitions.

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