A new trend has emerged at many hospitals around the country: Asking patient panels what they want from their patient experience.
While this may seem like an obvious strategy, it has appeared slowly over the past decade and less than half of the nation's hospitals use it, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report cites data from BMJ that about 38 percent of hospitals surveyed earlier this year have installed patient advisory panels. Additionally, the survey showed hospitals with patient advisory panels had higher rates of patient satisfaction than those that did not have them.
Seattle-based University of Washington Medical Center is one such hospital that has successfully used the panels. At University of Washington, patient panels have helped make the intensive care unit more welcoming to families and visitors, rewrite patient handbooks and reconsider communications with the billing department, among other changes, according to the report. Patients on the panels can even "secret shop" rounds with patients to check up on how the care team is communicating with patients, according to the report.
Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health has taken the trend to a national level, with a national council of family members and staff, according to the report. The national board works on issues that likely apply to all of the system's 70 hospitals. Individual hospitals have local councils as well, according to the report.
Besides helping the hospital improve, the panels also create an opportunity to engage the community and help patients give back, according to the report.
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