Access employees bloom, thanks to support system
December 1, 1999 4 minutes read
Access employees bloom, thanks to support system
Better raises, happier patients are by-products
Access management employees are being empowered and patient satisfaction scores are rising, thanks in large part to an operational support program in place at Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, NC, says Sammie Best, CAM, executive assistant to the vice president of network services.
The Rex Operational Support Association (ROSA), which offers continuing education and other professional support to access employees and other nonclinical personnel, was established in April 1997. Since that time, the health care system’s scores on the Princeton, NJ-based Gallup Organization survey have risen to the point that the point scale had to be realigned, says Best, who until late September was manager of inpatient registration. "We’ve stayed above the North Carolina average and the national average," she says. (See charts, p. 137.)
ROSA also is largely responsible for Rex’s recognition by Working Mother magazine for the third consecutive year as one of the 100 best places for working women, she notes.
The impetus for ROSA, which has grown from about 200 members to 730 since its inception, was the need for more opportunities for support personnel, says Elaine Vasques, corporate executive assistant at Rex Healthcare. "Historically, health care facilities have always provided support and continuing education for clinically oriented staff members," she adds. "This organization has begun to think differently."
There are no dues or other membership requirements associated with ROSA, she says.
At the outset, notes Vasques, who chairs ROSA’s executive committee, its organizers came up with three goals: education, communication, and integration. "Communication and integration almost go together," she says. In an integrated health system like Rex Healthcare, which includes a 388-bed hospital, a 56-physician primary care network, a home health service, and a number of other major treatment centers, "people tend to get territorial, which causes problems," Vasques adds. "Our ultimate goal is to integrate our membership so that employees in primary care know those in materials management; to break down those walls."
ROSA’s executive committee, which meets monthly, is made up of 18 people from throughout the organization, she says. A number of subcommittees also meet monthly, and there are quarterly membership meetings. "We have motivational speakers, luncheons with management staff, and fun fairs with lots of games," Vasques says.
A recent event raised money for a scholarship fund that benefits members pursuing education in nonclinical areas, she adds. That fund, which is in the midst of its first application process, will award scholarships for spring quarter classes.
Every quarter, ROSA sponsors one major educational offering, Vasques says. Past topics have included business writing, dealing with difficult people, and professionalism. There also is specialized computer training for support staff, she notes, in acknowledgement of the fact that "not everybody does everything."
Members of the Rex education and development staff and trainers from the information technology division provide instruction, "and when we need outside help, we bring in consultants and educators," Vasques adds.
One of the keys to ROSA’s success is the backing of Rex Healthcare’s president and chief executive officer, whom organizers approached for support at the outset, she notes. "We went from the top down. We outlined the idea, and he wholeheartedly supported us from the very beginning, offering a budget for ROSA from his own budget."
Those funds, Vasques adds, pay for special events, employee incentives, and travel for ROSA members who take advantage of outside educational opportunities or represent the organization at various professional gatherings, such as last spring’s National Association for Healthcare Access Management conference.
Best, who fostered ROSA’s development while manager of inpatient registration, says the program was her avenue for improving the low scores on the annual Gallup survey, which measures patient satisfaction. Over the past five quarters, she adds, those scores have risen continually.
ROSA helped boost those scores — leading to annual merit increases for access services staff — by creating better access employees, says Best, who is a member of ROSA’s executive committee and also serves as historian. (See chart, p. 136, for details on the merit increase.)
"Overall, they’ve become such well-rounded individuals in their communication with the public — their customer service skills," Best says. Through ROSA’s special events and continuing education opportunities, access employees "feel totally involved," she adds. "We’re not letting them get stale."
Not a requirement to belong
Access employees are not required to be part of ROSA, "but we didn’t have many that didn’t want to participate," Best says. "There’s always something new, fun, and creative to participate in. They were ready for a change."
In her new role, Best points out, she interacts with Rex’s primary care physicians, bringing the message of ROSA to a broader access audience. "If you think about access, it comes in many forms; not just inpatient services, but anywhere a patient comes into the organization, including primary care facilities."
In line with that all-inclusive philosophy, staff from the primary care practices sit on ROSA’s executive committee, she adds.
Before developing the program’s educational offerings, ROSA’s leadership did a formal needs assessment of all members and surveyed management staff for their perception of those needs, says Carolyn Holloway, RNC, CAN, MSN, director of education and development. That process, she notes, identified mostly needs that directly related to access services.
Skills identified as needing improvement were:
• professionalism;
• business writing;
• leading meetings;
• taking minutes;
• computer skills;
• phone skills/customer service.
Each of those needs has been addressed through continuing education, Holloway says.
The effect on the access services staff has been dramatic, Best adds. To make those kinds of changes, she says, "the staff needs empowerment. You can give them this through involvement. If they have the tools to learn, they grow."
Need More Information?
Sammie Best, Rex Healthcare, 4420 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh, NC 27606. Telephone: (919) 784-3111. E-mail: [email protected].
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