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17 May 2003

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The Oyster Principle

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Dear Friends,

If you've ever sat watching someone opening oysters in search of
pearls, you'll know what a frustrating exercise that is. You usually
end up with a large pile of wasted oysters and no pearls! On the
rare occasion when you do manage to find a pearl, chances are that
it will be flawed or misshapen.

The Japanese realised a long time ago that pearls were the result
of a process, and if you want to control the result, all you have
to do is define and control the relevant process for predictable,
desirable results. So they created the cultured pearl industry.

The only real difference between a cultured pearl and a "natural"
pearl is that one is the result of a random, uncontrolled process -
an accident - while the other is the result of a deliberately
controlled process, by design. Other than that, the process is
identical. The oyster begins coating a tiny pebble or other
irritant with nacreous substance, and continues until it no longer
irritates.

From our own point of view, the relevance lies in the different
motives for opening the oysters in the first place. Pearl fishers
open oysters in the hope of finding pearls. It's difficult,
dangerous (life-threatening!) and they're frequently disappointed.
On the other hand, the cultured-pearl farmer opens the oyster to
commence a process - to initiate a relationship - that will produce
a predictable, desirable result. All it takes is time, effort and
discipline. There's almost no risk. And if they do happen to find
the occasional pearl when they open an oyster for the first time,
it's a bonus.

These diametrically opposite perspectives are reflected in the
motives, attitudes and behaviour of the two groups. And in their
lifestyles and stress levels!

The lesson to be learned from this principle is simple:

Instead of putting a result ahead of the relationship that produces
it in our perspective (and, therefore, in our priorities), with all
the attendant risks of damaging that productive relationship, focus
instead on maintaining, enhancing and protecting it so that
continuing results are assured. Even if no immediate result is
obtainable, it's worth the time, effort and discipline in the long
run

In purely practical terms, it means regarding every prospective
customer, every enquirer (even the nuisance) as an oyster - not as
a pearl! Initiate the relationship. Find ways to get under their
skin in a positive, desirable fashion.

Eventually, they'll turn into pearls and present themselves to you,
ready to buy.

But if you expect instant results, and are prepared to "burn"
prospective customers in order to get them, you'll get exactly what
you deserve... a stinking mess all around you, and no rewards.

Wish you all a Happy MT Week!

Enjoy!

Maj (Dr.) Amit Chatterjee, SM
Strategist / Founder ~ mailto:amit@...
MT India ~ www.mtindia.org
"The Community of MT Professionals"

"It takes years to become an overnight success! Inch by inch, it's
a cinch."

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NEWS AND VIEWS :
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1) Offshore Outsourcing: Shattering the Myths

MYTH: The quality of Indian work is inferior.
FACT: With the right partner, medical transcription performed in
India meets or exceeds U.S. standards (without the need for costly
additional QA overhead!).

MYTH: Medical transcription performed in India won't comply with
HIPAA.
FACT: Offshore outsourcing partners add value by ensuring HIPAA
compliance.

MYTH: India's workforce is largely uneducated.
FACT: Medical transcriptionists have a higher average education
level than their U.S. counterparts.

MYTH: India's technology infrastructure is unreliable.
FACT: Indian government and industry have invested heavily in a
robust IT network and state-of- the art technology platforms

MYTH: Outsourcing steals jobs from U.S. workers.
FACT: There aren't enough MTs in the U.S. to meet the growing
demand.

MYTH: Outsourcing MT services is a passing fad.
FACT: Outsourcing to India is becoming the standard, not the
exception.

http://www.advanceforhim.com/common/Editorial/editorial.aspx?CC=147
44

2) IDX signs up Apolo with Flowcast Agreements

Apollo Health Street Inc. (AHSI), a subsidiary of Apollo Hospital
Enterprises Limited (AHEL) - among Asia's largest integrated
healthcare groups, with upwards of 5,500 beds, is offering its
end-to-end revenue cycle management services to US based providers.
It will leverage Flowcast functionality to improve billing services
through the entire revenue cycle from patient verification and
eligibility, medical records through medical coding, follow up and
resolution of denials.

Central to the vision of AHSI is to use the power of information
technology to fully integrate various stakeholders including
patients, doctors, clinics and hospitals. "The robust revenue cycle
management capabilities of the IDX system coupled with our global
service delivery through our offices in the United States and India
ensure lower cost and superior quality for our US based provider
clients," said Divya Sehgal, Vice President of AHSI.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK3.story&S
TORY=/www/story/04-30-2003/0001936812&EDATE=WED+Apr+30+2003,+07:35+
AM

3) Kaiser exporting privacy

Kaiser Permanente , the health care provider is quietly outsourcing
costly computer operations to companies in India, and workers in
Northern California are worried that their jobs could be next to
go.

Within five years, according to a recent study, Indian outsourcing
firms will comprise a $21 billion industry, employing 1.2 million
people.

Garry Hurlbut, Kaiser's vice president of information technology,
stressed that the company's data will remain in Kaiser's own
computers. But he acknowledged that nearly a half-dozen Indian
outsourcing firms will have remote access.

"A lot of others were doing offshore work before we got
interested," Hurlbut said. "We're only working with the most
reputable companies."

I'm not suggesting that Indian techies are less reliable or
trustworthy than their American counterparts. Dell Computer, for
one, is so pleased with its Indian partners that the company has
moved the bulk of its tech support to the subcontinent.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/05/14/BU307139.DT
L

4) Microsoft Honors Healthcare Professionals for Innovative Uses of
Microsoft Office

The president of a family practice clinic, a physician and a
nursing informatics specialist are each first-place winners in a
Microsoft Corp.-sponsored competition to honor healthcare
professionals making innovative use of the Microsoft(R) Office
family of products. The results were announced at TEPR 2003.

The Microsoft Healthcare Industry Solutions Group is sponsoring a
contest for innovative use of the Microsoft Office System. The
contest will recognize solutions that use the newest version of the
product, Microsoft Office 2003. The contest is open to submissions
from individuals or teams to recognize those who are creating
innovative healthcare solutions using the Microsoft
Office System. Each winning individual or group will receive a
Tablet PC. Entries may be submitted between May 11 and July 13,
2003. More information can be found at http://www.mshug.org/ .

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK2.story&S
TORY=/www/story/05-12-2003/0001944704&EDATE=MON+May+12+2003,+09:00+
AM

5) South has a 26% share in ITeS too

The earlier assumption on the north-south divide in the Indian IT
industry - north would dominate ITeS, while the south would mainly
be a software story - isn't likely to hold good forever. Though
Gurgaon - or the politically right National Capital Region -
continues to be the BPO capital of the country, the southern charge
has seen them garner a 26% share of the Indian ITES industry in a
short space.

Though revenues from ITES firms have grown, their numbers have
shrunk. One possible reason for the reduction in the number of
active ITES companies is the closure of many medical transcription
firms in the state.

Unlike generic call centres and BPO firms, medical transcription
business demands considerable investments in updating skills and is
a more difficult business to be in.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?
msid=46101858

6) IDX Salutes Montefiore Medical Center for Highest Verified Use
of
CPOE

When KLAS(TM), a research and consulting firm specializing in
monitoring and reporting on the performance of healthcare
information technology (IT) vendors, researched the use of
computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in the nation's
hospitals, Montefiore Medical Center topped the list. Montefiore
demonstrated the highest level of inpatient CPOE among the
organizations surveyed, with 100 percent of inpatient orders
entered electronically and 2,500 physicians participating.
The results of the KLAS survey will be presented at the 19th
annual Toward an Electronic Patient Record Conference & Exhibition,
May 10-14 in San Antonio, Tex. Montefiore is a long-time user and
development partner of IDX LastWord(R)
and has recently announced that it will be upgrading to the next
generation IDX Carecast(TM).

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=SVBIZINK3.story&S
TORY=/www/story/05-12-2003/0001944694&EDATE=MON+May+12+2003,+08:51+
AM

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