Abstract

This white paper looks at how greater emphasis is being placed on enhancing the patient experience in healthcare settings, and choosing smart technologies to support those efforts. Patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores have a direct impact on the bottom line in terms of retaining reimbursements and referrals. Targeted technology solutions such as touch-enabled digital whiteboards and tablets, enterprise software platforms and app-based patient televisions are available to help facilities increase patient engagement and manage to healthcare regulation metrics. While many community and mid-size healthcare facilities might believe such solutions are out of reach, the reality is the technology is scalable and can be implemented cost-effectively, with a high return on the investment.

There is no doubt that the focus on creating a positive impact on a patient’s experiences is greater than ever. This is due in large part to pay-for performance measures that tie patient satisfaction scores to Medicare reimbursements. The ability to create an environment in which patients and their families feel comfortable, where patients are receptive to understanding their medical conditions and where they feel empowered to take a proactive role in their own care can have a profound influence on whether they perceive their overall experience in a positive light. While the delivery of care by a healthcare organization is important, so is the patient’s perception of the experience. How a patient scores the healthcare facility on a number of metrics under HCAHPS requirements. Those range from friendliness of the medical staff to adequate communication and cleanliness of the facility, and make a significant impact on retaining millions in reimbursements or facing a reduction in those dollars.

As health facilities work to bring a more comprehensive approach to enhancing the patient experience, they are also searching for ways to track specific metrics that can influence patient satisfaction scores. Because patient satisfaction scores are typically conducted by a third party after a patient’s release from the hospital or healthcare facility, the ability to understand whether there are any potential issues that could negatively impact those scores while the patient still is under the facility’s care is valuable. Essentially, having access to this business intelligence can help facilities gain actionable knowledge to influence patient perceptions, address potential issues while the patient is still under its care and act on service recovery. Facilities can use digital whiteboards, in-room televisions and integrated software to conduct patient surveys in real time and aggregate the information for historical reporting. This knowledge can be used to take corrective action. Having the ability to gain business intelligence relative to patient perceptions early in the process can help increase post-care scoring with the added advantage of reducing readmissions.   

Smart integration supports quality initiatives

Hospitals, healthcare facilities and clinics can avail themselves of software platforms aimed at improving the patient experience. Some of this focus is on the survey methodology itself. Toolkits and processes can help facilities measure, evaluate and improve patient satisfaction through reporting to aggregate results.  There are solutions available to put facilities in a better position not only to improve the experience of patients, but to manage to metrics and KPIs. These technology solutions range from interactive whiteboards and app-based televisions to educational software that can be implemented on an enterprise scale from a single location. In other words, the power of delivering information to patients and making their experience an overall pleasant one can be leveraged throughout the organization while being driven from a Nurses’ station or a central desk. The organization achieves consistency throughout the enterprise and improved health literacy. An integrated patient engagement and monitoring system frees caregivers to focus more on that all-important patient care relationship and less on nonclinical work and paperwork. It’s a win-win. 

• Look for a scalable solution. 

Many digital, interactive solutions and software available today are scalable in that they can be implemented in a building block approach. Facilities can deploy the solutions in a variety of ways by instituting app-based patient televisions and bringing interactive whiteboards online later to accommodate staff workflows and changing patient demographics. This approach supports and enables time-pressed IT or project coordination staff to manage the implementation process more effectively and is easier on budget cycles. The solution you choose should enable you to obtain aggregated and specific reporting on your KPIs, safety initiatives, resource management, LoS and Turnover, EVS and BMS management, and retail fulfillment, like pharmacy and foodservice operations.

• Choose an option that brings a rapid return on investment. 

Solutions should contain pre-built content that can be easily distributed through a cloud or app-based platform, making apps available immediately without tedious software coding. Quick ROI is achievable with cloud and app-based solutions because there is less effort required by the organization to create or input content. Content can be pushed to patient televisions and in-room whiteboards, with response rates, educational viewing and usage data tracked to address any issues up front. The vendor should be adept at creating brand-specific, tailored content on behalf of the organization, saving valuable time and effort and extending the facility brand.

• Partner with a healthcare technology vendor that understands your unique processes and needs.

Vetting a technology provider can be a daunting task. The vendor should offer an extended, real-time demonstration of the solution in action in your facility, so you have an idea of exactly what the experience will be for patients and how the staff will use the technology. The vendor you choose should have deep industry experience and provide a complete implementation plan that addresses your specific processes, concerns and needs. It should offer an ROI analysis and provide a dedicated project manager and software engineer to be available throughout installation and implementation, familiar with your clinical environment to provide professional, on-demand support.

• Look for a solution that fits within the operational budget cycle.

Another barrier to implementing an enterprise-wide solution can be cost. Many facilities may be working with a budget that requires more of a departmental or cyclical approach rather than an “all-at-once” implementation fee. Cloud and app-based interactive devices, televisions and software can be implemented in small focus areas and budgeted accordingly. Individual departments or units can be brought online in a budget-conscious process over time as fiscal cycles and financial planning permits.

The bottom line

It’s clear that small to mid-size healthcare facilities must be more focused than ever on patient satisfaction and the patient experience. Enhance your internal patient engagement programs and quality/safety initiatives with enterprise-wide solutions that influence patient satisfaction in real time. These solutions can be implemented through a scalable approach that makes them affordable and practical for organizations working with limited budgets and limited staffing resources.