Increasingly, healthcare providers are trying to go above and beyond expectations to create a whole healing experience for their patients.
Kevin Bradford, CEO of Appleton, Wis.-based Fox Valley Hematology & Oncology and the Cancer Specialists of Northeast Wisconsin, presented eight ways to create a patient experience that is not just satisfactory, but remarkable, at the Becker's Hospital Review 6th Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 7.
"When creating the framework for a patient experience, each organization must determine what is important to their patient based on the service lines they provide," said Mr. Bradford.
Once an organization identifies patient priorities, they can begin transforming the patient experience by focusing on the following areas, according to Mr. Bradford.
1. Leadership. Organizational leaders should be visible and accessible to both patients and staff. They should also promote and support the needs of those working to improve the patient experience.
2. Culture. Improving the patient experience must be hardwired into the organization's culture and strategies.
3. Patient engagement. Truly engaging patients can be accomplished using feedback surveys and creating a patient and family advisory counsel to weigh in on organizational matters.
4. Staff engagement. Frontline workers and all members of the care continuum should be involved in the organization's strategy sessions. They should also feel empowered to make decisions about their own schedules and suggest ideas for new processes and improvements.
5. Measurement. Patient experience metrics should be created to keep track of progress and potential areas of improvement. The metrics should be reported regularly, like quality or financial updates, to managers, staff members and physician shareholders.
6. Community engagement. Partnering with individuals and groups in the community is revitalizing for both patients and organization staff members. For example, FVHO had a local Girl Scouts troop to visit the facilities to sell cookies in exchange for social media coverage.
7. Continuous improvement. According to Mr. Bradford, "If you aren't improving the care at your organization, it's dwindling." That said, organizations should always be reevaluating where they can improve the patient experience.
8. Financial assistance. Providing financial assistance can help improve patient access to care. One way FVHO works with patients is by only sending individuals who do not answer or return the organization's calls to collections. Implementing this strategy also increased monthly patient payments by 30 percent.