Can the Medical Experience be Improved
Ratings systems and online review sites have hospitals under the magnifying glass more than ever. Healthcare organizations must worry about their reputation with the government’s Hospital Compare data and organizations like Leapfrog.
As Leapfrog recently explained to The Sentinel, every rating system has differences by design. Reviews and ratings judge hospitals not only on outcomes and safety, but also on more subjective matters like employee responsiveness and patient satisfaction.
Across the variety of review systems, the key factors are:
- Safety: Leapfrog places a special emphasis on safety scores, aggregated from various surveys.
- Patient Experience: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) relies heavily on critical aspects of patient experience (as opposed to “satisfaction,” which is more subjective).
- Communications and Responsiveness: How quickly and effectively staff responds to questions and problems greatly affects customer satisfaction.
- Discharge Experience: Communications upon discharge and follow-up protocols also matter heavily.
How Can My Hospital Get Better Ratings and Reviews?
Hospitals should respond to surveys and provide data whenever possible. Transparency always helps.
Be proactive and ask patients about their experience during and after care. It’s easier to solve problems before negative reviews are left online.
Focus on communication and meeting patient expectations:
- User-friendly inpatient forms
- Educate staff on communication skills
- Emphasize a comfortable and clean environment
- Use modern equipment, software, and apps as applicable
Powered hospital carts can help improve patient care and satisfaction. Employees can respond to patient calls more quickly and effectively, and janitorial staff can perform their duties most efficiently.
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