Proactive managers buoy satisfaction
Regular monitoring keeps staff on toe
The management team in the ED at in St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, calls it "managing by walking around." They say it has been one of the keys to their continual improvement in patient satisfaction.
The proof? Last year the ED was ranked second in the country for EDs of its size (50,000 visits or more) by Press Ganey Associates, a patient satisfaction survey firm based in South Bend, IN, and this year it moved up to no. 1.
"If you look on the Press Ganey survey at their priority indices, you get a good look at what really drives patient satisfaction," notes Dave Kish, RN, executive director of emergency services and patient logistics. "When we make rounds on patients randomly, the clinical staff knows we are going to be asking very specific questions every time."
This approach leads to standardization of customer service, one of the key learnings that came out of a course the staff took that was facilitated by The Studer Group, a Gulf Breeze, FL-based firm that provides on-site resources to help hospitals improve quality of care, Kish says. One of the key techniques they taught is AIDET, which stands for:
- acknowledging the patient;
- introducing yourself with a standard greeting;
- duration, which is telling the patient how long things typically take;
- explanation of care;
- thanking the patient when they leave.
Peggy Furman, RN, MSN, director of emergency services, says, "I am a firm believer that as director or manager of a department you need to be visible, to work alongside your staff, and to help them out whenever you can. They appreciate that. They know I'll be there, talking with patients, following up on their care, and making sure they're satisfied with the care they're receiving."
If there are patient complaints, she will have a discussion with the staff member. "This never occurs out in the department or in front of anyone. It's a private conversation between myself and that employee," Furman emphasizes. "I always try to first point out the positive aspects of the care they provided, but then add, 'However, this is an area we need to pay attention to,' and then further discuss that."
Another method to ensure ongoing dedication to patient satisfaction involves the posting of Press Ganey scores and graphing the department's progress, says Kish. "We post them in clinical area so the doctors and nurses can see them," he explains. "They understand that if we hit a milestone, we'll have a celebration and talk about it and thank them." Celebrations have included a new scrub top for individual employees and departmental parties, as well as senior leadership acknowledgement. Also articles have been written in the hospital newsletter. A banner also was hung in the ED and the hospital celebrating the department's No. 1 ranking.
All new staff receives customer service training, says Kish, noting that it is provided by himself, Furman, and an ED physician leader. The four-hour customer service training includes establishing standards giving examples of patient encounters that went well and some that didn't. In addition, the facilitators discuss transparency and the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and System (HCAHPS) hospital survey, which was co-developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
"We are open and honest about it, and make our expectations clear," he says.
Sources
For more information on improving patient satisfaction ratings, contact:
- Peggy Furman, RN, MSN, Director of Emergency Services, and Dave Kish, RN, Executive Director of Emergency Services and Patient Logistics, St. Clair Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA. Phone: (412) 942-2701.)
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