3 8 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E J U N E 2 0 1 7
ering the best possible patient experience.
• The stakes. No. 1, it's your reputation, plain and simple. No. 2, it's customer
loyalty, because a dissatisfied patient isn't likely to be a repeat customer. And
No. 3, your patient-satisfaction scores are going to have a measurable impact on
Medicare reimbursements in the very near future. We want pure, unsolicited
feedback from patients so we can know if we're living up to, if not exceeding,
their expectations, and how we can continue to get better.
• First impressions. We recently completed accreditation and state surveys,
and one of the surveyors offered some perspective on the importance of first
impressions. She told me, "We get a pretty good feel for how well a survey is
going to go based on the initial impression we get the moment we walk through
the door." The patient is going to feel the same way. That's why something as
simple as the cleanliness of your facility or the friendliness of your receptionist
sets the stage for a positive overall patient experience.
• The huddle. In the past year, we implemented daily huddles for every
department: pre-op, PACU, sterile processing and even our business office.
Because of these quick daily meetings, employees now feel more empowered,
they understand that they have a voice and they have a clear understanding of
their roles within the organization.
• The culture. Embrace a culture where the staff is professional and very per-
ceptive of patients' needs, but also focused on attention to detail and on deliver-
ing excellence in whatever they do. So whether you're the person who's manag-
ing a patient's pain and controlling PONV, working in SPD as a means of pre-
venting infections or following up with the patient post-operatively, every action
is about sustaining a high quality of care.
OSM
