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About A. Woodward & Associates

Our company’s primary focus is to help clients develop healthy patient and staff relationships. Our consulting services are customized to your organization, and your specific needs. Areas of expertise include customer service, organizational communications and employee relations.

A. Woodward & Associates was established in 1999 by Anita B. Woodward, MBA, CHE. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, we also have clients on both the West and East coasts. Anita has over 20 years of healthcare management, customer service, and human resource experience.

January 2007 Newsletter

How to Use Survey Results to Improve Patient Satisfaction

Many organizations have been measuring patient satisfaction for a long time. Despite the time and money that are invested in these surveys, we often hear from hospitals that haven’t successfully used the results to drive improvements. As public reporting of patient satisfaction becomes reality later this year, hospital leaders are looking for an approach that will lead to improved patient satisfaction.

This article outlines an approach that will help. There are no silver bullets, and success will take commitment and consistent effort over time, but it can be done. If you have questions about the ideas below, or would like more information or help, please contact us by email.

 

Commitment and Preliminary Work

Make an organizational commitment to improving the patient’s experience, then take the following steps to set the stage for improvement.

  • Decide whether to focus on a single issue, hospital-wide, (such as teamwork or noise reduction) or whether to have each department choose their own priorities.
  • Offer training to managers. Include topics such as understanding survey data, leading an improvement effort, interdepartmental change efforts, etc.
  • Require every department, even non patient-care areas, to have a 90-day service improvement plan that speaks to the needs of their specific customers.
  • Choose a specific goal and publicize it. (Use your survey vendor to help with your choice so it is realistic.)
  • Remember, if you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always gotten.
  • Stress that your focus is on improving the patient’s experience, not just the survey scores. (The former is more motivational, and prevents people from “gaming” the process.)
Action Steps

Now that the organization is aware of leadership’s goals and commitment, action should begin.

  • Have each department choose an improvement project. (Survey vendors can be helpful with this process for patient-care departments.)
  • Determine need for additional information to focus improvements. Use methods such as rounding, patient discharge phone calls, patient service mapping, or focus groups to better understand patient’s survey responses.
  • Use front line and management staff to plan improvements.
  • Pilot new approach, and measure change.
  • Implement successful change throughout department (or hospital).
  • Offer help and coaching to managers who are stuck.
Follow-Up Steps

Stay the course by keeping focused on service improvements. Try these steps.

  • Have service improvements on the agenda at every meeting.
  • Recognize and reward successful improvements and statistically significant survey increases.
  • Share goals and progress with all employees. Post trend charts prominently in hospital so everyone sees them.
  • As departments complete 90-day improvement plans, have them choose another project to keep the improvements coming.
  • Position these efforts as part of an overall attempt at creating a culture of service excellence.
  • Get help from your survey vendor as needed. Attend their client conferences for new ideas each year.
  • Create at least one in-house “expert” who can act as an internal consultant to all departments.
  • Create surveys for departments to assess their internal customers’ satisfaction.
  • Provide organizational support for inter-departmental changes and improvements. Many patient problems result from experiences involving more than one department.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Anita Woodward, CHE, will be speaking in the following locations in the next few months. Please stop by to visit, and let her know how we can make our
e-newsletter and our consulting services more useful to you.

American College of
Healthcare Executives
March 19 - 22

Congress on Healthcare Leadership, New Orleans, LA. Go to the ACHE web site for more information.

Society for Healthcare
Consumer Advocacy
April 11 - 14

American Hospital Association annual meeting, Tucson, AZ. Go to the SHCA web site for more information.

 


Real Life Customer Service Case

The following situation really occurred. Consider using it as a case for quick discussions in staff meetings.

It was Saturday morning and a woman came into an urgent care center for treatment for an infection. After filling out the forms, she waited only a few minutes to be taken back to the treatment area. The nurse taking her vital signs was friendly. The physician came in about 10 minutes later. He did not make eye contact with the patient, but was brisk and efficient, although rather impersonal. He gave her a prescription. She was on her way home less than 40 minutes after she arrived.

  • What would this patient’s experience look like at your ED, clinic, or urgent care center?
  • What was positive about this patient’s experience? What was negative?
  • Do you think the patient would go again for simple care? Would you?
  • If there is another urgent care center nearby, do you think the patient might try it next time she needs similar care?

We welcome your feedback!

Let us know if you find this newsletter helpful. If you have a case study you would like us to include, or if there are certain topics you would like to see addressed, please email us.

About This Newsletter

This newsletter is published for clients and colleagues of A. Woodward & Associates, and for others who are interested in customer service, employee relations, and organizational communication, especially in healthcare organizations.

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