Message from the Board:

As we prepare to take on 2008 in the health care risk management arena, we have to ask ourselves, what happened to 2007? It seemed like just yesterday we implemented regulations to fulfill January 2007 effective dates! As we reflect on the past year, Health Care Risk Managers have been challenged like never before. With CMS Pay for Performance, SB1301, hospital and insurance entity closures, Risk Managers continue to  surpass the odds and are ready to face the challenges of 2008. The CSHRM Board is proud to support the profession and is honored to work beside its members in forging into the New Year. The Board would like to thank its members for their participation in CSHRM this past year.

Thank you- Board of Directors

Networking/Education/Conference Updates:

During March 5-7, 2008 CSHRM members will learn strategic new risk management skills while networking with colleagues. CSHRM’s annual conference held in Walnut Creek will be filled with several hot topics facing Risk Managers today. Conference brochures will be sent to members in the following weeks outlining speakers and topics in detail. SB1301, Healthcare Literacy, and Saving Millions For Your Hospital, are just a few of the highlights. The annual business meeting is also held during the conference.

Scholarship for CSHRM Conference:

A scholarship is available for the annual conference for active CSHRM members. Prospective candidates should apply.  Submission of completed applications, in letter format, can be mailed directly to:
the Scholarship Committee
120 Village Square, PMB 34
Orinda, CA 94563.

Board member, Barbara Worsley will also accept completed scholarships by e-blast. Send to: bworsley@scpie.com. Deadline for submission is January 31, 2008. More on scholarship information can be found on our on education page.

2008 Board nominations:

Consider volunteering your time to participate on the CSHRM Board of Directors or nominate a colleague! Nomination forms were sent to members via e-mail. Forms are also available on the website at http://www.cshrmca.org/board.html.

CSHRM Committee Updates:

Membership Committee Update:

 2008 membership brochures have been sent via e-blast to all members. If you have renewed for 2008, thank you. It is going to be a great year for CSHRM. The brochure can also be accessed on the CSHRM website at http://www.cshrmca.org/docs/CSHRM2008_Membership_App.pdf. To contact the Membership Committee Chairperson, Campet@sutterhealth.org

Education Committee Update:

As evidenced by recent mailings and e-blasts concerning the annual conference, the education committee is hard at work to provide you with a spectacular annual conference. What could be better then Casino Night?  For more information, check out the CSHRM website.

Communication Committee Update:

The first revised newsletter of 07’ was a success. We received great feedback from members. The board encourages members to “print” the newsletter to share with colleagues.  Starting in 2008 the newsletter will be published every other month. Articles written by members or their colleagues are welcomed. Contact Communications Chair at faberd@sutterhealth.org for article submission.

Reminder: Contact Communications Chair for email address updates to ensure you receive CSHRM generated communication.

Article of the month:

Ostensible Agency: When Appearances Lead to Vicarious Liability
(http://www.cshrmca.org/docs/ClaimsRX_Nov2007%20ONLINE.pdf)
This article has been made available with the permission of NORCAL Mutual Insurance Company.

Humor, The Best Medicine

SOMEDAY WE'LL LAUGH ABOUT THIS...
Karyn Buxman, MSN, CSP, CPAE

The crisis of today is the joke of tomorrow. H.G. Wells

Have you ever been in a situation that at the time was so awful... so humiliating... so embarrassing... that you thought you would never live it down-- and then a week later you were telling it to someone and laughing hysterically? If you find yourself saying, "Someday we'll laugh about this," maybe you ought to try shortening the time span and laugh a little sooner. Of course, some time does have to elapse. At the peak of a crisis, humor falls flat. But if you can develop the talent for seeing the humor in adversity, you'll save a lot of wear and tear on yourself both emotionally and physically.

Recently a woman shared with me that nothing funny ever happened to her. Instead she had one crisis after another. She wanted to know what I recommended. Inwardly, I felt like telling her to become a humorist. What great material! One of the many definitions of humor is "learning to play with your pain." Who wants to laugh about a good hair day? Or a terrific pay check? Or a perfect teenager? That's just not what good 'humor material' is made of.

Jane, a client from Arkansas, recently shared with me that she and her husband were traveling the southwest. During the vacation she ate something that violently disagreed with her gastrointestinal system with disastrous results. Every time they passed a gas station, Jane's husband would pull the car in and she would rush to the rest room. After numerous stops all morning and afternoon, she was becoming exhausted. Once again her husband whipped into the station, Jane grabbed the rest room key from the attendant and rushed to the bathroom. Several minutes later she trudged over to the attendant and handed the handsome young man the key to the bathroom. He looked out toward her husband beside their car and asked, "Got gas?" Without looking up she answered, "No-- but this diarrhea is exhausting!"

In the silence that followed, it gradually dawned on Jane, to her utter embarrassment, that he meant had she purchased any gas! Her faced turned crimson-- and then she burst out laughing. Fortunately the time necessary for her to see the humor in the situation was hardly more than a split second.

Sometimes it takes a little more work and a little more time to recognize any humor potential. Here's a simple exercise to help you see your next crisis from a different perspective. Try "catastrophizing" the event. Ask yourself, "How could this be worse?" Then exaggerate it some more. This works well as a mental exercise for yourself, and even better as a group exercise, seeing who can one-up the previous person at "awfulizing" the event.
About a year ago I was traveling to the west coast and was making a brief connection in Denver. The bad news: the only plane that took off on time from the Denver airport was the one I missed while we were circling the airport. After we landed I asked the ticket agent for another connection. "Have a seat. It's going to be at least another hour." Shortly after I was seated an announcement came over the PA system. It would be at least an additional hour. Then later, another message: another hour. Then another hour. Another hour. Another hour. And another hour. This continued for 10 hours.

I was feeling absolutely miserable. I wanted to relish in my misery. And yet other passengers stranded along with me wanted to make small talk. "And what do you do for a living?" they asked. It hardly seemed appropriate to respond, "I'm a humorist. Now just LEAVE ME ALONE!" So I paced the hallways and finally asked myself the question, "How could this be worse?" Mind you, this is an individual decision with each person's response being unique to them and their circumstances. But on that particular night, stranded in the Denver airport, missing my transportation, missing my meeting, and missing my meal at a four star restaurant, I decided that for me it would be worse to stuck in the Denver and be pregnant... This worked for a moment, but then how could it be even worse? I could be nine months pregnant... Worse yet? In active labor... And even worse? My water could be leaking in front of all these strangers! That did it. The ends of my mouth curled slightly upward and I shook my head as I headed back to the waiting area. This definitely could be worse.

The Chinese symbol for crisis translates, "opportunity riding on a dangerous wind." Today many of us face crises on many different levels: Companies downsizing, organizations merging, marriage problems, obstinate teenagers, not enough income, too many inches around the waist... During a crisis, we often overlook the fact that it may turn out to be a tremendous opportunity. But at the very least, it may be a great time to ask yourself, "Where's the humor in this situation?" And if you can move from a grimace to even a faint smile, it's worth the effort

Karyn Buxman is an award winning speaker, author and professional nurse. For 15 years, she has been speaking to audiences about the application of humor in a work setting. More recently, she has combined her work with the Six Advisors Such in order to effect even greater change in the arenas of business and personal growth. Karyn is President and Founder of Humor; a company that specializes in the needs of businesses and associations who are seeking speaking, training and coaching services. Contact her at info@humorx.com or by visiting. www.humorx.com
© 2007 Karyn Buxman • 858-456-1874
5641 La Jolla Hermosa Ave • La Jolla, CA 92037