Taking a patient point of view benefits all
Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, IL, has made dramatic strides in increasing patient satisfaction — garnering a national award in the process — through a newfound focus on service excellence, says Paul Lagomarcino, PT, MBA, director of therapy services. The 517-bed regional referral center, part of the Provena Health integrated delivery network, received the 2004 Compass Award from satisfaction measurement vendor Press Ganey Associates in South Bend, IN, for outstanding performance improvement in the Inpatient Behavioral Health category.
The hospital’s inpatient mental health unit went from a patient satisfaction score in the 8th percentile — compared to the hundreds of hospitals in the Press Ganey database — at the end of 2001, to scoring in the 89th percentile by 2004. The Press Ganey surveys allow patients to provide feedback on their hospital care, including the admission and discharge process, nursing care, friendliness of staff, parking, food, concern for privacy, cleanliness, adequacy of the facility, and quality of physicians.
On the surveys, patients are asked to rate the quality of service in each category on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being "very good."
Improving the entire organization
The improvement in customer satisfaction and service, Lagomarcino notes, extends beyond the impressive turnaround in the Behavioral health category to the entire organization. "We take a patient point of view," he says, including forming teams to look at services from the perspective of patients and families "every step of the way."
While waiting to be seen, for example, patients are now given beepers — such as those used in restaurants — that let them know it’s their turn, rather than having their names called out, says Lagomarcino.
A redesign of the registration department aimed at making it more patient-centered, he adds, lets more light into the space and features more private interview areas. Registration staff now wear professional-looking uniforms, Lagomarcino says, and valet parking has been instituted to reduce the amount of walking patients have to do. "Hospitals are very complex environments, and people can get lost," he notes. "We’re moving toward more one-stop shopping,’ with registration at the point of service."
In addition to these kinds of improvements, there is an increased focus on creating "an atmosphere of people connecting with each other," Lagomarcino adds. Employees are encouraged to say hello to patients, he says, and to talk to them as they make their way to the next process.
In 2003, Provena Saint Joseph aligned itself with the health care customer service model of the Gulf Breeze, FL-based Studer Group (www.studergroup.com), whose Road Map to Excellence is guided by five pillars: service, quality, people, finance, and growth, Lagomarcino notes.
Six ways to improvement
"We have found [that association] to be very helpful," he says. "There are six things they suggest [hospitals] follow to ensure improvement." Those include the following:
Rounding
Leaders in the organization, from the CEO, vice presidents, and directors on down, "round" on employees, developing personal relationships and asking for their input, particularly on "what’s going well," he points out. "In health care, we’re trained to look at what’s not going well, but human behavior says that to get the results you want, look for the positive."
Thank-you notes
"We look for ways to celebrate and to recognize people," Lagomarcino notes. That includes sending thank-you notes to employees when appropriate, he says, and setting aside time in meetings for what the hospital calls "mission moments," when people share experiences that exemplify Provena Saint Joseph’s mission.
Employee retention
"One of the first things you look at is employee satisfaction, because it has a direct correlation with patient satisfaction," he points out. "We try to keep our employees happy and to help them connect to why they got into health care, before [the focus became] rules and regulations. We want to get the heart back into it."
Leader alignment
"The goals of the organization — [having to do with] service, quality, people, finance, and growth — are translated to every leader," Lagomarcino explains. "So if I’m a manager in registration, reducing the amount of re-do registrations might be a quality goal, and a financial goal might be collecting copays at the point of service. A people goal might be employee satisfaction, which is measured every year."
Discharge phone calls
Anyone, from a hospital director to a nurse working on one of the patient floors, might be involved in calling people recently discharged from the hospital to ask about their experience at Provena Saint Joseph, he says. "[The caller] might ask, How was your stay? Is there anyone who did a good job who should be recognized?’"
Key words
Employees help come up with key words or phrases — scripting — that might be useful in certain situations, Lagomarcino says. When leaving a patient room, for example, a nurse might say, "Is there anything else you want?" And, he notes, that nurse might add, "I have the time," to underscore that no matter how busy staff appear to be, the desire to help is there.
These suggestions "bring people back to why they got into health care in the first place — it’s a service industry," he points out.
(Editor’s note: More information on Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center is available on its web site, www.provenasaintjoe.org.)
Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, IL, has made dramatic strides in increasing patient satisfaction garnering a national award in the process through a newfound focus on service excellence, says the director of therapy services.
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