Health care providers have one of the most difficult jobs in the country, with many of their daily responsibilities changing with each passing day. On top of complex procedures, they must also deal with a range of patients and their families while attempting to administer quality care for better health outcomes.
Care centers, hospitals and other medical facilities are not commonly associated with positive experiences, as everything from the food being served to the coordination of care could affect overall patient satisfaction. Advance Healthcare Network Executive Insight explained that providing effective medical treatment should not be viewed as exclusive from a positive experience, but rather mutually dependent on one another. The less stressed or emotional that patients are, the faster they can heal.
What is the patient experience?
According to The Beryl Institute, an international leader on the topic, patient experience is defined as the “sum of all interactions shaped by an organization’s culture that affect a person’s overall perception of that organization.” With numerous factors at work, health care facilities have to be cognizant of prioritizing satisfaction among their customers. While innovations in fields like Medical Imaging have pushed treatments and services forward, more medical staff members are focusing on the details surrounding an individual’s comfort and gratification.
Back in 2008, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey was introduced for hospitals to evaluate patients’ experiences while being treated at their facilities. The information and data collected from the HCAHPS are used internally by staff in order to take a proactive approach to improving their satisfaction efforts. It has been instrumental in notifying health centers about particular shortcomings that occur throughout the experience, including pain management and communicating with medical staff.
Why is it important in radiology?
While originally not a part of reimbursement strategies, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decided to include the HCAHPS in its efforts to reform health care services in the U.S., Diagnostic Imaging reported. As one of the first national efforts to collect and measure the patient experience, the survey has three goals: provide hospitals with the information needed to improve care quality; increase hospital care transparency; and produce usable data on how patients perceive their care.
Yet, while physicians specializing in diagnostic radiology make have little direct contact with patients, a satisfactory experience is still of the utmost importance to radiologists.
“For any patient coming into a hospital setting or an imaging center, they already expect our competency. That is not what they are mainly concerned about; they are looking for the warm fuzzies. And, if you are in a competitive market, patient satisfaction is critical because word-of-mouth drives a lot of health care business. Someone has a bad experience with you, they will tell 10 people. If they have a good one, they will tell three or four,” said James Lipcamon, an outpatient imaging services manager in South Carolina, quoted by Diagnostic Imaging.
While the HCAHPS is integral to most hospitals, most digital imaging departments can improve satisfaction through effective engagement and education of patients. Staff members can introduce themselves, describe their roles and discuss their level of experience as it can help relieve any anxiety that patients may feel before procedures. When overall satisfaction can impact the reimbursements that facilities receive for their services, it becomes increasingly important that staff are keeping patient needs and responses in mind at all times. Additionally, referring physicians and insurance providers may be reviewing HCAHPS scores and utilizing them in determining the efficacy of sending patients to certain facilities and covering specific health services, respectively.
Contact Viztek for More Information
Ronny Bachrach
Latest posts by Ronny Bachrach (see all)
- Konica Minolta Debuts First-of-Its-Kind Digital U-Arm System at AHRA - July 27, 2016
- Researchers Detect Signs Of Stroke Risk Using MRI - June 27, 2016
- Imaging Biz: Q&A with David S. Channin MD: How to Make PACS Patient Centered - June 22, 2016
0
0
0
