7 Steps to Navigating the ROI Discussion

Imagine yourself sitting outside your institution’s executive boardroom. You’re waiting to be called in to make your case for investing in medical simulation. You believe in the benefits of simulation. And, you’re passionate about what it can do. But at some point, you know you’ll be asked, “What’s the return on investment, the ROI?”

To stake your claim in that discussion, experts advise that you find common ground. This involves striking a balance between understanding what’s important to senior management, being clear about what you intend to deliver, and remaining firm about metrics that are important to solving the problem at hand.

To find that common ground and navigate the ROI discussion, follow these easy steps.

1. Own your part of the math, not all of it

您不必成为CFO即可进行投资回报率讨论。重要的是，您欣赏CFO的想法。首席财务官的工作是最大程度地提高投资成果，以使组织受益。他们如何接近这一点的标志是ROI的公式。

Experts advise, avoid viewing your CFO and senior executives as gatekeepers. Yes, they hold the key to something you want: money. However, you hold a key to something they want: gains in organizational performance. Now more than ever, senior management is seeking solutions to achieve better performance. If you define your gains correctly, you will increase your chances of making the ROI discussion a collaborative one.

2. Get real about your problem

当您专注于收益时，请帮助您的首席财务官和高级管理层了解问题。您试图通过模拟解决什么疼痛点？为什么现在需要解决这个痛点？如果不这样做会怎样？为什么有人要照顾？传达您的组织以现实世界中面临的问题。

Answering the above questions will allow you to create a persuasive problem statement that you can use to spark interest in your project. Here’s a mock example from an attending obstetrician responsible for a labor and delivery department:

Our staff does not respond adequately as a team to shoulder dystocia emergencies. We need to address this problem now because we’ve already experienced three cases in the past month. In each case the infant was compromised, one seriously. If we ignore this issue, we will make this problem systematic, putting our patients at predictable risk. Our organization needs to make solving this problem a priority because we cannot afford the liability, the impact to our reputation, or the potential for patient harm.

Refine this statement to reflect your own clinical field and circumstances, but don’t lose the essence of what you are experiencing in your real-world environment which others may rarely see.

3. Present a simulation solution that is simple and focused

The more complex your simulation design, the more difficult it will be to justify how everything connects to the gains you’ve identified. Most experts advise that you should keep your projects simple—especially if you’re new to simulation. Think about your metrics first and ensure that your simulation design fits how you define success.

The following list can become quite complex if you let it:

• 仿真设备
• Instructor training
• Support services (if necessary)
• Ancillary equipment to support the simulation, such as medical supplies and consumables
• The time staff will need to devote to training rather than being at their regular job

“The justification of simulation is about the goal and the metrics you’re using to measure your day-to-day success,” explains Dr. Amar P. Patel, Director of the Center for Innovative Learning at WakeMed Health & Hospitals. At the end of the day, we’re here to help learners be more competent and confident in their skills. And we’re here to keep our patients safe.”

Simulation does not have to be complex to achieve this. Match your design to your metrics.

4. Now get specific about gains

You understand and can explain the problem. You’ve created the solution. Now you can answer what your organization stands to gain. Will it be reduced risk? Improved patient satisfaction? Mission achievement? Better nurse retention? Better employee engagement?

A joint report from the American Association for Physician Leadership® and HFMA suggests that many gains fall under the general topic of helping build a high-reliability organization.³利用他们的建议，请考虑在患者安全，质量，患者满意度和经济利润方面概述您的收益。如果您的解决方案在任何这些类别中都带来了积极的收益，那么您现在已经触及了高级管理人员可能会集中精力的领域。对您来说，好消息是，您可能是有史以来第一个将它们介绍给模拟作为解决方案的人。

5. Create advocates in the boardroom before you even get there

继续保持你的首席财务官,并扩大哟ur support base. Reach out to decision-makers and ask for their help. Invite them to see and experience the problem you seek to solve. Arrange for them to participate in a simulation and show them how simulation addresses the problem in a way no other solution can.

According to Joe Fifer at HFMA, “As a hospital CFO I saw great ideas daily. The ones that really got my attention and commitment were sponsored by people who got me actively involved so I could experience the problem first hand, sometimes even at the patient’s bedside.”

By getting members of your senior management involved, you’ll be presenting to an audience that already feels some ownership of the problem and are more likely to view your efforts as a problem-solving session rather than a bid for funding.

7. Stand in the door. Go!Here’s where you get to put it all together and make a powerful case for investing in

在这里你可以把它放在一起,马ke a powerful case for investing in simulation.

• Lead with the pain point. Explain why it needs to be solved now and what the future looks like if you don’t
• 解释为什么模拟是最好的解决方案
• Present the costs, but in light of concrete, measurable and important gains that create a better vision for the future
• Show how, through better engagement, you can deliver short-term incremental gains in a way that other solutions can’t

By getting your CFO and other key stakeholders involved early in the process, you’ll be confident in framing the discussion in terms that they can understand and appreciate.

概括

Your senior management’s ultimate goal is to implement solutions that advance the functions of your institution—while giving them the greatest ROI. You know the advantages of simulation training. And now you have the background to effectively present your case.