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August 02, 2016

Innovating the Patient Experience

Understanding how to innovate the patient experience is no longer analogous to operating in the dark.  Originating out of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scoring process back in 2002, patient experience has evolved along with legislation through the Hospital Compare web portal introduced in 2008, onto becoming a major component of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement in 2012. 

It’s been learned that success in delivering a premier patient experience comes from a genuine mix of technology (innovation) and a more human component (empathy).  Delivering, managing and evolving the patient experience has become central to hospital achievement, as well as a frequent subject for webinars and conferences.  Along these lines, the Cleveland Clinic recently held their seventh annual conference, Patient Experience: Empathy and Innovation Summit.

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The Cleveland Clinic has successfully taken this summit to new heights creating a forum for exchanging thought leadership that focuses on transforming the healthcare industry through empathy and innovation.  As summarized by Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA, Chief Experience Officer, Cleveland Clinic, “we are embracing a healthcare system without walls, incentives are creating new programs and priorities, and technology continues to drive us all faster.”  The multi-day agenda included over 100 noteworthy presenters that engaged just under 2,000 attendees from across the country. 

 

With innovation as the framework for care and empathy, panels presented real life patient stories augmented by strategic thought, methodology and best practices.  A few conference points worth thinking about include:

  • “You are sitting on one of the largest repositories of health care innovation on earth… the patient!” Sherry L. Gevedon, PhD, MBA, MS, RN.

  • Not knowing what a patient is experiencing hurts the patient and the caregiver.

  • Improving the hospital experience and population health… “to do either well, you must understand the patient experience beyond the embrace of care.” Professor Elizabeth Teisberg & Professor Scott Wallace.

  • “People strategy is critical to success… personnel costs are the single largest expense in health services delivery.” National Center for Healthcare Leadership.

  • Leadership needs to take time to be innovative… be curious, collaborative and creative.

  • “Technology is a powerful vehicle to scale care.” Mark Hoplamazian, President & CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

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From every perspective that resonated at the conference, one can conclude that hospital teams need to: 1) listen to the patient, 2) quickly identify and overcome challenges, and 3) leverage technology to improve and innovate.  Barriers to a positive patient experience necessitate a dynamic approach to care that, at a minimum, incorporates these three elements.  Innovative leadership needs the flexibility to identify needs that are not fully articulated and listen for signs of uncommunicated patient concern.  Questions and issues left unsaid during the hospital stay not only fester, but are much more difficult to solve and overcome after discharge. 

 

­­­Hospital leadership and clinicians can become more knowledgeable about what a patient is experiencing by engaging innovative communication practices that track and leverage information.  Personnel must also be prepared to quickly refocus efforts based on best-available data.  This highlights the need for a system that is able to readily capture and report on patient experience information.  Notes attached to the patient file, should allow immediate access to communications from any mobile device. Additionally, the data should configurable, so it can be collected and accessed in the manner that meets current needs, as well as indicating meaningful trends in patient care.

 

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Lauren Walling

Lauren Walling is a graduate of Emory University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, as well as an MBA from the John Sykes School of Business from The University of Tampa. She currently sits on the Board of Fellows at the University of Tampa, and is a member of the Healthcare Business Women's Association, National Association of Professional Women, and the Morton Plant Skip Cline Society. Lauren works with large Healthcare Systems implementing Patient Experience Solutions that streamline processes, increase patient experience and improve quality and safety.

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