AHA survey: 'Most wired' hospitals achieve higher patient satisfaction
Experts say interactivity is most appreciated by patients
Patient satisfaction is higher at hospitals that embrace technology, according to the 10th Annual Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, which is published by the American Hospital Association. These hospitals scored significantly higher in patient satisfaction in a number of areas, including: admission process, room, nurses, tests and treatments, visitor and family interactions, and services.
"That doesn't surprise me at all," says Brent James, MD, vice president of medical research at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, which has been on the "Most Wired" list for 10 years.
There is "most definitely" a correlation between a hospital's use of technology and patient satisfaction, adds Penny Smith-Horton, patient and family satisfaction coordinator for Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah, GA, which has been on the list for nine years.
"We use Press Ganey for patient satisfaction surveys, and we've found it was one of the areas that patients rate higher and made them more likely to recommend us," she continues. In the data Memorial reported for publication on the HospitalCompare web site, 71% of its patients said they would "definitely recommend" Memorial. "This is higher than both the state and national averages," says Horton. "We think there's a connection [with technology] to the high score; our patient satisfaction is steadily increasing on the inpatient side."
"I think it does improve satisfaction, as well as quality," notes David Erickson, MD, chief medical officer for Avera Health, a Sioux Falls, IA-based system that has been on the "Most Wired" list for 10 years. "We have been very pleased."
What the 'most wired' use
The "most wired" facilities use a variety of technology to provide services and interact with patients. All three of the aforementioned organizations, for example, say they have an EMR (electronic medical record) system.
"On our web site we have transparent data on quality measures from a clinical standpoint," notes Deanna Larson, RN, Avera's vice president of quality. "When patients come in they are given a brochure on how they can connect. And in one facility, we have a system that looks like a hotel TV connect monitor; if a patient has concerns, they can click and someone will come to see them."
"We have a Meditech EMR at various stages of implementation, depending on the facility," adds Erickson. "At one of our clinics, you can go online and schedule an appointment, which I think has been very successful."
In addition, Larson says, "some patients are in the initial stages of e-prescribing — and that helps a lot." She adds that all nurses have pagers and phones on their belts, which enable them to respond to patient calls more quickly. And, most of the facilities' ICUs are linked to outside intensivists 24/7 through an e-ICU system. "The patients actually hear that voice come into the room," she notes.
At Intermountain, "we have a fully protected health portal," says James. "When patients log in, they can see what is being covered by insurance, and they can look at their EMR." It also has particular applications for chronic diseases, with advice about care; the system also can alert a clinic if you start to have problems. "On top of that, we have a [public] web site where you can get access to health care information," James says.
In the outpatient setting, a clinical desktop system is used, "and we see the phenomenon where patients sit shoulder to shoulder with the doctor and can see their record and participate in their care," notes James.
"We added a solution a year ago called Relay Health, by McKesson, which gives patients interaction with their physician," says Chris Leggett, director of technical services at Memorial. "They can e-mail the provider with questions, ask to schedule appointments, pay bills online, and get their prescriptions renewed."
The system, which is totally voluntary, enables patients to put in their demographic information, and is password protected.
The Memorial Health web site has other interactive options for patients, he continues. "They can look up their illness and get information, look up referring physicians, and obtain patient education," he says. "They also can pre-register for services, such as X-rays."
Quality professionals at highly "wired" hospitals look to satisfaction surveys and anecdotal comments from patients for hints as to which services are the best satisfiers — and patients are not shy about letting them know what they think.
What do patients say?
"Our patients like the ease of making their own appointments, and those who are used to online access say they like it and use it," says Larson.
"Part of our standard satisfaction survey has to do with information transfer — and we got a bump in patient satisfaction in that setting," says James.
Horton says the pre-admission option is a big satisfier for her patients. "One obstetric patient wrote, 'Good option to have on web site,' on our satisfaction survey," she reports.
However, insists Larson, "it's not the machines; it's really the people. The machines support the care we deliver."
Regardless, says Horton, your facility can increase satisfaction by making it easier for patients to interface with your technology. "Read your patients' comments, listen to what your patients have to say, and then use those comments to determine where you need to make improvements," she advises. "And communicate what you do well to the rest of the organization."
"It's too easy for the person on the technical end to lose sight of what they are after," adds Leggett. "We constantly have to put ourselves in the place of the patient."
James also warns against expecting too much. "When we first gave patients access, we did a trial of 60,000; it was pretty easy to use, but we got very low uptake," he reports. "The reason is that people do not want to see their record unless they are actively sick; out of sight, out of mind."
What works well, he continues, is interaction, such as information about health care coverage, or sitting next to your physician and reviewing your case.
"For years we had 'ask a nurse' using a computer, as well as for post-surgical and ER follow-up information, and that was quite popular because the patients had a compelling current problem," he explains.
It's also important to continually explore new ways of expanding your technology and related services, say the experts.
"We have experimented with a touch screen, but it has not been deployed broadly," notes James. "We're exploring different ways to give people access to their information."
"Part of what we're wrestling with going forward is to provide access and care for the elderly in rural locations," says Erickson. "Any time we can use this technology to support nurses, pharmacists, and physicians, it is invaluable." He adds that his system is currently looking at several other pilot projects, such as e-pharmacy and e-ED.
[For more information, contact:
David Erickson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Avera Health, Sioux Falls, IA. Phone: (605) 322-4733.
Penny Smith-Horton, Patient and Family Satisfaction Coordinator, Memorial University Medical Center, Savannah, GA. Phone: (912) 350-8000.
Brent James, MD, Vice President of Medical Research, Intermountain Healthcare, Salt Lake City, UT. Phone: (801) 442-2000.]
Patient satisfaction is higher at hospitals that embrace technology, according to the 10th Annual Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, which is published by the American Hospital Association.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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