Targeting Patient Satisfaction

Patient Satisfaction is not a trend. Hospitality initiatives must be an integral part of any hospital’s support services program.

Patient Satisfaction Is Not Optional

While financial challenges continue to top hospital CEOs' lists of "greatest challenges" for 2008, the ability to drive patient satisfaction scores is now 8th, according to American College of Healthcare Executives. According to Gallup and The Studer Group, more than 1220 hospitals (22% of all US Hospitals) now have patient satisfaction scores set as the required minimum threshold for eligibility for any senior executive team bonus or incentive compensation.

There are powerful forces driving the need for a sophisticated plan to increase patient satisfaction scores. The push for greater accountability through public reporting of HCAHPS and their tie to reimbursements is just the beginning of a "pay for performance" model in healthcare. Consumers are far more informed of clinical outcomes, care requirements, and hospital performance. "The informed, educated consumer causes the greatest 'stretch' challenge for us in terms of providing quality care," says George Koller, president and CEO of Noble Hospital in Massachusetts. Koller continues, "Quality care is a given today; it's expected, not a differentiator, and patients and family members have greater access to medical information via the web and other sources. The patient is asking tougher questions and not settling for general answers or vague explanations."

Hospitality Focus

“The informed, educated consumer causes the greatest ‘stretch’ challenge for us in terms of providing quality care.”

Crothall Services Group has taken this challenge to heart. Several Crothall client hospitals have achieved 96th percentile ranking or higher in cleanliness and courtesy for the housekeeping department. Crothall currently serves 53 Studer Group client hospitals and two Malcolm Baldridge Award winners that have maintained 97th percentile ranking or higher in cleanliness and courtesy. Crothall "walks the talk" of patient satisfaction, working with the survey tool of every major third-party patient satisfaction survey company.

Six of the best practice examples shared from the Studer Conference main stage were from Crothall client hospitals.

Crothall has a history of success with improving patient satisfaction scores. In the early 1990s, Crothall was the first in healthcare to provide turndown service, fresh flowers delivered to the patient's beside, and Crothall's trademarked "Picture Perfect" process for consistently staging patient rooms. Crothall is currently releasing three new standardized approaches to Environmental Services hospitality programs. These proprietary tools allow the housekeeper to become a part of the patient care model by engaging them in meaningful ways with patients and their family members during the housekeeper's routine tasks.

Get With the Program

Just ten years ago, there were no Patient Satisfaction Institutes in healthcare, nor were there any major consulting firms that focused on driving patient satisfaction. Today, a boutique industry exists just for this purpose. According to Disney, the most attended Disney Institute Professional Program for seven years running is Disney's "Approach to Quality Service in Healthcare."

One of the largest specialized firms, The Studer Group, has created annual events, including one focused solely on Environmental Services and Dining Services' ability to drive satisfaction scores. When this event took place in November 2007, six of the best practice examples shared from the main stage were from Crothall client hospitals. This is evidence of how the basic principles of patient satisfaction are ingrained in the Crothall culture.

Happy Employees, Happy Patients

An organization's focus and investment in employee satisfaction creates opportunities to improve experiences with patients. In the fall of 2007, Press Ganey released the results of a multi-year study showing that employee satisfaction has a strong correlation with patient satisfaction. Content, satisfied workers, who believe their work fulfills a valued purpose, are far more likely to go the extra mile when it comes to delivering exceptional patient care.

Crothall is well-known for its ability to serve as a change agent and drive quality through the effective leadership and coaching of its people. Crothall has especially succeeded in the areas of employee engagement and involvement, daily focus on patient satisfaction, and urgency in response to patients' unique needs.

Content, satisfied workers, who believe their work fulfills a valued purpose, are far more likely to go the extra mile when it comes to delivering exceptional patient care.

Crothall is deploying several employee satisfaction strategies in 2008 that will further engage its staff to continue making a difference for patients and co-workers alike. Some initiatives for 2008 are:

• Enhance employee satisfaction surveys at all accounts
• Increase coaching of new hires
• Create employee action teams
• Standardize the daily posting of patient satisfaction scores for all staff members to see
• Increase accountability for relief workers
• Implement English as a Second Language (ESL) training

Investments in the front-line staff are expected to go a long way in improving morale and satisfaction while making significant advances in patient satisfaction. The coming year is sure to provide many challenges and many more successes as Crothall continues to innovate and implement best practices nationwide.