2023 HCAHPS Scores Leave Much to be Desired
The stark reality of patient satisfaction among US hospitals is simply that it’s not where it should be. From HCAHPS’s 2023 national results, the average overall hospital rating in terms of patient satisfaction was 70%. That is a C- in school terms. As an industry, we know we need to do better.
The Positives
The good news is that as a whole, patients are mostly satisfied with the communication with their care team (79%), and their discharge information (79%).
The Negatives
Where there is much room for improvement is in the responsiveness of hospital staff (65% average HCAHPS score), communication about medications (61%), the quietness of the hospital environment (62%), and the patient’s care transitions (51%).
But How Do We Do Better
If you’re reading this, chances are you already know your hospital struggles with some aspects of the patient’s experience. So the question becomes, “How do we do better if we’re already doing our best with the limited resources and staff shortages?”
We’ve Got 16 Ideas You Can Try for Free
Because our clients are hospitals just like yours, we’ve seen their patient experience struggles, and through working with them for over 15 years, we’ve identified 16 small areas that can make a huge difference in the patient’s experience. And we’ve compiled all 16 into a free guide in the hopes that it can help other hospitals without having to spend a dime.
Why Trust Us?
Our mission here at Readiness Rounds is built on the deep desire to improve healthcare from the patients point of view. The number one reason we do what we do is the patient.
In the beginning, we began as a team of healthcare industry veterans, with the mission and vision to improve the systems that impacted patient safety and experience.
Readiness Rounds currently processes more than 20,000,000 quality observations annually (over 25,000 daily) providing a depth of resource and insight not previously imaginable to hospitals.
Our Client Roster Speaks for Itself
We’re honored to support more than 90 small hospitals and large systems around the US, and the world. Our clients range from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the Huntsville Hospital system, Mount Sinai, and even the Cleveland Clinic of Abu Dhabi.
The Ebook: 16 Proven Strategies to Improve Patient Satisfaction & Experience
From our very first iteration of this ebook, to the updated pages we’ve incorporated this year, it continues to be the #1 most visited and downloaded piece of free content on our website for the past 8 years.
Goal #1: No Gate-Keeping
Even though the strategies in this ebook are the very things we help our clients achieve with their patient experience improvements, we felt it necessary to share the information with any hospital looking for solutions.
Goal #2: Strategies that Could be Implemented Today for Free
Our second objective with this patient satisfaction improvement guidebook was to offer recommendations that any hospital could make today, without huge efforts. There are always incremental improvements that can be achieved with simple tweaks to current processes.
The 16 Patient Satisfaction Strategies
At a top-level view, inside the guide you'll find insights on strategies like "Don't Stop at Yes" – an approach that goes beyond conventional care, ensuring that every patient receives a personalized touch. We delve into Patient Care Checks across various healthcare settings, encompassing Inpatient, Emergency Department, Outpatient, and Discharge Calling.
A Peek Inside
Here are few of the many recommendations found inside:
Teach-Back & Discharge Calling–when following-up with a patient, the use of teach-back can improve the patient’s post-care success and reduce readmissions.
Communication Boards–the honest truth is, if you are not completing your patient communication board all of the time, take them down. Incomplete communication boards create confusion, anxiety and decreased satisfaction for the patient. We’ll offer a visual communication board mock-up with the information we recommend.
Executive Leadership Rounding–when leaders spend an hour a month with the nursing staff, morale improves, improvement opportunities are addressed much quicker, and showcases the hospital’s commitment to patient satisfaction and safety.
We also address Competency Coaching, the Hospital Environment, and ways to improve the lowest scoring HCAHPS item–care transitions (51%)–with the most effective shift reporting techniques. Plus many more strategies.
We deliver the 16 Strategies to Improve Patient Satisfaction & Experience ebook as a PDF document that can be downloaded and/or printed.
Inside the ebook we’ll present all 16 strategies, with a 3-point explanation for each:
- Why It Works
- How It Works
- The Benefits
The Benefits to Your Hospital
By implementing these patient satisfaction and experience strategies, you can expect not only improved patient satisfaction but also enhanced communication with the use of Communication Boards, more efficient care through Hourly Rounding, and even a profound impact on staff morale with Executive Leadership Rounding and Leadership Scouting.
Additional Concrete Benefits:
For the Patient:
- Improves patient safety
- Improves patient experience
- Increased perception of care
- Improves patient communication
- Reduces in post-discharge medication errors
- Reduces patient’s length of stay
- Improves environment cleanliness and noise level
For the Staff & Care Team:
- Service recovery for improved patient experience
- Staff morale increases with executive leadership engagement
- Eliminates manual tracking, decreasing use of admin time
- Improves Hospitalists skills
- Improves staff’s confidence and competence
- Improves teamwork
- Improves nurse satisfaction
For the Hospital & Leadership:
- Allows for Department-based accountability for results
- Improves ED and inpatient revenue
- Improves HCAHPS outcomes
- Allows for transparency of task completion
- Increases process sustainability
- Improves process consistency
- Increases interdisciplinary communication
Get Your Free Copy Now
Since 2015, we’ve helped over 1,700 through this free resource, making it our most downloaded resource of all time.
Reviewers have praised the ebook for its practicality and actionable strategies that can be immediately applied to achieve real results in their hospitals.
Dive into the ebook now to discover all 16 strategies that will redefine patient satisfaction in your healthcare institution. Uncover the transformative insights and start your journey to improving your hospital’s patient care.