Hospital treats patients and families like VIPs
Service originally intended as new staff benefit
Talk about putting your patients first: Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta has launched a concierge service for its patients and families that it first had intended to offer as a new benefit for its staff members.
The switch was made, hospital officials say, because of the hospital leadership’s desire to reaffirm its primary commitment to its patients.
The service, which was launched in January 2005, is intended to lighten the burden of those caring for relatives in the hospital, explains Marilyn Head, RN, vice president of patient advocacy.
"They will walk animals, do laundry, go to the dry cleaner, run errands such as picking up theater tickets, make transportation arrangements for family coming into town, arrange for hotel reservations, and so on," she says.
Two concierges are on call Monday through Friday, each during a separate shift.
"The first hour of nonerrand-running services for each request is free," says Andrea Novakoski, president of 2 Places at 1 Time Inc., the Atlanta-based company that provides the service.
"After that, it costs $5 an hour [supplemented by the hospital] for errand running. We get a lot of requests such as, Make me dinner reservations,’ and those are free and accessible for everybody — airline reservations, too," she explains.
Staff were initial target
The program was suggested first by the hospital’s CEO, Head recalls. "He and Andrea came up with the idea," she notes.
2 Places at 1 Time has been working with Ohio Health System since the beginning of December 2004, serving its 12,000 employees. It has been going incredibly well, Novakoski says.
"Several members of the executive staff met with our CEO," Head adds. Besides herself, the meeting included team members such as the director of patient relations.
"This was in late summer or early fall," she recalls. "After our initial discussions, we were planning to first start the program for our employees."
A funny thing happened on the way to the launch, however. In early fall, the project was put on the back burner for a couple of months to complete other initiatives that already were under way. When it was revived, Piedmont’s CEO again met with Novakoski.
"He said, If we’re going to do this, it should be done for our patients; that’s why we’re here,’" Head reports. "Our group agreed that would resonate better; our mission is our patients, so we decided to start with patients and families. What we want to do is provide the best service to our patients and make their experience at Piedmont as pleasant and accommodating as possible."
A bonus of such a service is the relieving of stress, which medical experts agree has clear health benefits.
Making a real difference
The service is more than just a luxury, points out Novakoski; it can make a real difference in peoples’ lives.
"A lot of family members come in town, and they are like a fish out of water," she explains.
"They may want to know how to get to a restaurant without getting lost. Or if they are bringing in kids because Grandma is sick, they don’t want them to sit in the hospital for eight solid hours. We may have to plan activities for them or direct the family member to a tour of a children’s museum," Novakoski adds.
Errand running is in great demand right before discharge, she continues.
"If you are a mother in the maternity ward, it’s great to have someone stock your refrigerator or deliver home-cooked meals to your family while you are in the hospital," Novakoski notes.
These are not just hypothetical scenarios; she already has a number of real-world stories to share.
"Women with high-risk pregnancies can be in the hospital for a long time," Novakoski offers. "One such woman told us, All I want is to do my hair.’ However, she was trying to explain to her husband what to buy, and he looked at her like she was speaking a foreign language.
"The nurse walked in, overheard the conversation, and suggested calling the concierge. They went to the beauty store and purchased the items, and you would have thought we brought her a pot of gold!" she shares.
Sometimes, the requests can be highly personal, Novakoski adds.
"There was one woman who was freaked out about her pets," she recalls, noting this particular patient ultimately passed away.
"We went to her house, bought cat food, and changed the litter boxes. After she passed, as the concierge had met with her closest friend, they had the key turned over to her to take care of everything, thus fulfilling the patient’s final wishes," Novakoski adds.
Responses being tracked
Both Piedmont Hospital and Novakoski’s firm are following the new initiative to see how it is being received.
"Every single time someone uses the service, they get a survey," Novakoski says. "So far, the responses have been fabulous. It is a five-point quality survey that also allows us to track actual comments; and basically, we are getting ratings of excellent."
Here are just a couple of the comments the program has received:
- "An excellent addition to hospital services."
- "It allowed my family more time for visitation with me."
"It’s definitely been well-received; it certainly has been good for patient satisfaction," Head adds. "Now, we want to expand it to our employees as an additional benefit."
Staff have been giving the service positive responses as well — "Except when they ask, When are we going to get it?" she concludes. n
Need More Information?
For more information, contact:
- Marilyn Head, Vice President, Patient Advocacy, Piedmont Hospital, 1968 Piedmont Road N.W., Atlanta, GA 30309. Phone: (404) 605-3375.
- Andrea Novakoski, President, 2 Places at 1 Time Inc., 512 Means St., Suite 350, Atlanta, GA 30318. Phone: 877-2PLACES or (877) 275-2237. Fax: (404) 572-2246. E-mail: [email protected].
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