March 6, 2010
The emphasis on patient experience has not only improved patient care but it is also improving the health of healthcare organizations.
The past few years has seen an emphasis by hospitals on patient experience. There has been a concerted effort to improve patient satisfaction. And it appears to be working. According to a report from Press Ganey, patient satisfaction has been improving since 2003 with 85% of those surveyed in 2008 reported they were satisfied with the care they received.
The report also shows that hospitals are reaping the benefits of improved customer satisfaction. Some of the findings are:
1. There is a direct correlation between highly satisfied caregivers and satisfied patients. And that in return helps in recruitment and retention of doctors and staff.
2. Hospitals that deliver superior customer satisfaction are more likely to be recommended by patients thus increasing their market share, and this of course contributes to the hospital’s bottom line.
3. Staff buy-in to improved patient satisfaction leads to a more positive work environment, which contributes to better patient care.
4. Satisfied customers are less likely to file malpractice lawsuits.
But there is room for improvement. Glenna Shaw, in an article in Healthcare Leaders Media, cites five areas from the study where hospitals need improvement. In order of priority, they are:
1. Response to concerns and complaints during the patient’s stay.
2. Degree to which hospital staff addressed the patient’s emotional needs
3. Staff effort to include the patient in decisions about his or her treatment.
4. How well the nurses kept the patient informed.
5. How promptly staff responded to the call button.
The survey also noted that service recovery was a key component to patient satisfaction. One of the key factors is how the hospital responds when things go wrong or when a patient’s needs are not met.
We have known it all along in every other business category. Now we are beginning to realize that it’s also true for healthcare. It’s just common sense. It IS all about the customer…patient!
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Patient Experience | Tagged: all about the customer, all about the patient, areas of improvement in hospital, Glenna Shaw, Healthcare Leaders Media, improving patient experience, improving patient satisfaction, Jimmy Warren, Lori Moore, Nancy Siniard, Patient Experience, patient satisfaction, Press Ganey, satisfied caregivers and satisfied patients | 
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Posted by Jimmy Warren
February 24, 2010
At least one hospital is now using Twitter to improve communications from the surgical suite to family members. 
Fawcett Memorial Hospital in Port Charlotte, Florida has begun using Twitter to send updates from the surgical suite to family and friends. Instead of the family waiting, sometimes for hours, with little or no information about the surgery, Fawcett Memorial has someone in the surgical room sending tweets updating the status of the surgery. Even family and friends who can’t be at the hospital can follow the status.
In most causes there is little information about the surgery until well after the surgery is completed. Sometimes a nurse will call the OR for an update for the family but the information is usually fairly sketchy. Tweeting renders an extra level of service to family and friends. They can know exactly what is going on in surgery and that provides a greater level of comfort and emotional connection to the patient.
Referring to the patient as “a patient of” and their doctor’s name and never mentioning the actual name of the patient prevent HIPAA violations. Both patient and surgeon have to give approval for the tweets. The tweets are sent only to persons who are given the appropriate Twitter information and approval to receive the updates.
Many hospitals would react to this by arguing that they do not have personnel to send tweets and the nurses in surgery are all concentrated on the patient. These are valid arguments. But for hospitals that are trying to get an edge in the marketplace, this could be a competitive advantage. It certainly has the potential to create positive buzz and build loyalty to the hospital.
And it’s just one creative example how social networking can be used to improve service and enhance communication. There are countless other ways it can be utilized. Fawcett Memorial is next considering using twitter in the ER for the same purpose. The availability and acceptance of social media and some creative thinking can truly break new ground in patient service.
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2 Comments | Marketing Ideas, Patient Experience, Social Media | Tagged: better communication between hospital and patient, Fawcett Memorial Hospital, HCA, HIPAA rules and twitter, Jimmy Warren, Lori Moore, Nancy Siniard, patient loyalty, TotalCom Marketing, twitter in operating room, twitter in or, twitter in surgical suite | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
February 24, 2010
The brands that top the charts in customer experience are also winning the loyalty battle.
Forrester Research recently released its list of top brands for customer service. Surveying over 4600 U.S. consumers about their customer experiences, Barnes and Noble topped the list. Others making the top five were Marriott Hotels, Hampton Inn, Amazon and Holiday Inn Express. At the bottom of the list were Charter Communications, United Healthcare and Citigroup. (A complete list can be seen here).
It’s always interesting to see how consumers rate businesses in regard to their customer service experiences. And to examine what businesses do to improve their customer service. It’s also interesting to see the correlation between customer service and other brand attributes.
One thing we know is there is a strong correlation between customer experience and brand loyalty. Those companies that deliver superior customer service also build strong brand loyalty. The brand image and perception are largely determined at the point it interacts with the customer. Brand loyalty is determined at the point of customer contact.
As hospital marketers, this is invaluable information. We often put our emphasis on technology, convenience, services and a host of other things. But how much emphasis are we putting on that point of customer contact? What is happening when our brand interacts with the patient and the patient’s family? Brand loyalty is being determined at those random points of contact. The future of our brand is determined during these interactions.
This is undoubtedly the most difficult thing to control. There are so many within our organization that have contact with the patient and each one of them can make or break the experience. It’s very difficult to control all of these contacts. But it is imperative that we create a culture, an environment, where there is consistent attention and a strong emphasis on positive customer service. Yes technology, convenience, services and a host of other things are important, but in a consumer-directed economy, customer service is at the top. The customer experience will determine how our brand is viewed and if there is any brand loyalty.
Barnes and Noble and the other companies at the top of the list make great effort to create a customer-friendly atmosphere and attempt to deliver the highest level of customer service. They make it their corporate culture. The future of our own brand largely depends on how well we create that culture within our organizations.
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1 Comment | Branding, Internal Marketing, Patient Experience | Tagged: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, brand loyalty, brand perception, Citigroup, customer experience, customer service, Forrester Research, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Jimmy Warren, Lori Moore, Marriott, Nancy Siniard, Patient Experience, United Healthcare | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
October 22, 2009
Many hospitals use testimonial advertising, and rightfully so. They can be very compelling and very effective. But more care must be given to the type of testimonial used.
The Federal Trade Commission has changed the rules regarding use of endorsements and testimonial advertising. Since 1980, advertisers could use testimonials which describe “unusual” results as long as “results not typical” was disclosed. Now the FTC says testimonial ads must clearly disclose typical results of consumers using the product or service
One area of particular concern for hospitals is using testimonials for weight loss services. “Typical results” can be very difficult to determine due to many patient variables. Other ads where patient testimonials reflect a result that is better than the typical patient would be unacceptable unless the typical results are clearly disclosed.
And the guidelines are not only for traditional advertising, but includes social media, the internet, and television/ radio talk shows.
Traditionally bloggers must disclose if they are compensated by an advertiser. And celebrity testimonials must disclose if they are being compensated for their endorsement.
Testimonial advertising can still be very effective for hospitals but should be used with care when a patient talks about results and outcomes. The results and outcomes cannot be better than the typical patient without proper and clear disclosure.
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4 Comments | Hospital Advertising, Hospital Marketing, Internet, Patient Experience, Uncategorized | Tagged: endorsement advertising, endorsement advertising rules, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Jimmy Warren, patient testimonials, results not typical, testimonial advertising, testimonial advertising rules, testimonials in social media, weight loss testimonials | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
October 13, 2009
Posting prices and outcomes on hospital website is a gutsy move yet one that has been beneficial for one hospital system – to both the patient and the hospital.
Geisinger Healthcare System in Pennsylvania posts their prices and outcomes on their website so patients can compare outcomes on different procedures as well as costs to other hospitals in the state and nationwide.
The hospital website links to a U.S Government site that allows comparisons of hospitals on several fronts including:
1. Hospital Process of Care
2. Hospital Outcome of Care
3. Survey of patient’s hospital experience
4. Medicare payment to hospital
5. Number of Medicare patients treated
While most hospitals post some of these numbers, few actually post the “Outcomes of Care” and likely with reason. The comparisons are a great tool for the consumer when deciding on a healthcare provider. In addition, it’s an excellent way to promote and improve the hospital’s performance. This transparency is admirable and Geisinger obviously values performance results.
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6 Comments | Hospital Marketing, Internet, Marketing Ideas, Patient Experience | Tagged: Geisenger Healthcare System, Geisinger Hospital, hospital comparisons, Hospital Marketing, hospital pricing, Jimmy Warren, Nancy Siniard, prices posted on website, transparency of hospital | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
October 12, 2009
Art can speed a patient’s healing process 
Hospitals spend millions on the latest technology to help heal patients. Great emphasis is placed on best practices to improve outcomes, and rightfully so. Hospitals should provide the best technology possible and strictly allow best practice guidelines to help patients get well as soon as possible.
But recent research shows that the right art on hospital walls can speed up the healing process. Upali Nanda, who has a doctorate in architecture with a specialization in healthcare systems states, “Scientific studies show that art can aid in the recovery of patients, shorten hospital staffs, and help manage pain.”
Nanda conducted a study at Houston’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital using two types of art. They compared images, which had been proven to calm patients, including green landscapes, water scenes, architecture, and emotionally expressive pictures of people. In the second group, abstract art was used. The results showed that art depicting familiar, calming scenes were effective helping patients, but abstract art was not nearly as effective.
Nanda says, “One theory is that abstract art allows patients to project their own anxieties onto the image, and thus pictures that clearly portray pleasant images are more soothing.”
Based on these findings, hospitals should take great care in using art on the hospital wall and in hospital rooms. And they should take care determining the type of art displayed. . Rather than modern or abstract art, realistic, familiar and appealing art scenes should be used because they help the healing process.
Healing is a science, but now we know it is also art.
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1 Comment | Hospital Advertising, Marketing Ideas, Patient Experience, Uncategorized | Tagged: art and healing, healthcare marketing, Hospital Advertising, hospital art, Hospital Marketing, Nancy Siniard | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
October 12, 2009
Texas non-profit Scott & White Hospital is a success story on changing the focus on outcomes, patient satisfaction and cost efficiency.
The Scott & White Healthcare System based in Temple, Texas is holding the line on healthcare costs through collaboration and cooperation. This amazing program has different incentives than the “fee for service” type of compensation.
Some of the things they are doing worthy of study are:
1. Scott & White Doctors are employed by the hospital and do not feel pressure to use multi-million dollar machines because they don’t own any.
2. Doctors are on salary but are paid bonuses linked to patients being “happy and healthy” and not on how many office visits and procedures the patients generate.
3. Hospital interiors are “more Hampton Inn than Hilton.”
4. Frontline doctors at their 31 primary care outpatient clinics work closely with specialists at the main campus —sharing test results and scans in computer assisted huddles. This sometimes saves an unnecessary appointment with the specialist.
5. State of the art electronic records are shared throughout the system-something a physician in private practice couldn’t run.
6. The administrator must be a doctor and the 800+ doctor system uses a strong peer review system to stop overuse and improve fiscal discipline.
7. Self-improvement is encouraged with doctors getting 15 paid days off for educational activity and service to the group.
8. Patient surveys and outcomes records are used to evaluate performance.
While this system has some shortcomings, it is certainly doing a lot of things very well and patient outcomes paired with the cost savings in healthcare should be a model for all to study.
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Leave a Comment » | Hospital Marketing, Marketing Ideas, Patient Experience | Tagged: healthcare costs, hospital cost efficiency, Jimmy Warren, Scott and White Hospital, Temple Tx | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
October 11, 2009
Marketing is about building relationships… not selling a product
As marketers, we spend a tremendous amount of time fashioning and developing a brand. We work on clever ads, analyze the placement of media, diligently work every PR angle, plan super events, build a product website, and always look for new innovative ways to present our message to the consumer. And by doing all of this we think we can affect the brand, and we can. But all of this marketing activity is secondary to building positive relationships with the consumer. And positive relationships are based on trust. Do you have a brand that is trusted?
There is much talk currently about social media and how it is indicative of “pull marketing”. Social media requires authenticity and transparency and credibility. But this should be true about all of our marketing efforts, traditional and nontraditional. It’s true about developing and maintaining a strong brand.
Consumers are skeptical these days. They don’t want to be “sold”. They want a relationship with a brand. They want to trust the brand. Believe in it.
So do we earn their trust? Trust is earned by being sincere and truthful, by doing what is right, by truly earning the consumer, and by being consistent. When we deliver on those items, marketing is much easier. Marketing won’t be about shouting and screaming with shameless promotions.
Branding is about trust, being honest, delivering what we say and always keeping the well being of the customers as the top priority. When we do that we connect, we build relationships.
Marketing is essentially about building relationships. And relationships are built on trust. When we are successful building relationships, the rewards will be great.
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Leave a Comment » | Branding, Hospital Advertising, Hospital Marketing, Patient Experience | Tagged: authenticity, Branding, consistent, Hospital Advertising, Hospital Marketing, Jimmy Warren, relationship with patient, relationships, sincere, trust | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
September 9, 2009
It’s been said to never get in a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. Now it must be said “never get in a fight with a consumer who knows about social media.”
United Airlines broke Dave Carroll’s guitar. He was a member of the Canadian band, Son’s of Maxwell, and was traveling from Canada to Nebraska for a week of touring. At a change-over in Chicago, baggage handlers damaged his $3,500 guitar. Carroll repeatedly reported the problem and sought $1,200 payment for repairs. United stonewalled and refused to accept any responsibility. Why not? Carroll was just a two-bit musician and United was a very large corporation. Why should United care? He couldn’t hurt them. So why pay the $1,200?
Getting no satisfaction, Carroll wrote a song, “United Breaks Guitars” and placed it on youtube.com. Now the video has been played over 3.5 million times on the website.
It used to be argued that you never get in a fight with a newspaper because they buy ink by the barrel and therefore there’s no way you can win. Now in this consumer-based economy, never get in a fight with anyone who knows how to use social media.
What does this have to do with hospitals? It’s clear. No patient complaint can just be shrugged off and ignored. The consumer has power and if they feel they are being ignored, can and will, use “free” media to seek revenge. Customer satisfaction now must be given a much higher proximity (Shouldn’t it have always been a top priority?). Each dissatisfied customer has the ability to wreak havoc and cause great PR harm.
No longer can big corporations think the consumer is a little guy without the necessary resources to fight a big corporation. With access to social media, the little guy is now only limited by his creativity.
Yeah, some customers (patients) are impossible to please but they can never be taken lightly. Every complaint, every concern should be addressed. The disgruntled patient has many options to speak to the world about his/her dissatisfactions.
The London Times reported that United Airlines stock has dropped since Carroll’s song began airing costing stockholders $180 million. Maybe your hospital doesn’t have public stock traded in the market, but ignoring and denying customer complaints can cost a hospital a handsome sum.
Don’t get caught singing that tune.
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Leave a Comment » | Internet, Patient Experience, Social Media | Tagged: customer complaints, Dave Carroll, Hospital Marketing, Jimmy Warren, London Times, patient complaints, Social Media, Sons of Maxwell, United Airlines | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
September 5, 2009
Research indicates that highly satisfied employees deliver higher levels of patient satisfaction.
How do you create a successful marketing strategy to improve patient satisfaction?
1. The latest technology.
2. Remind employees to provide a high level of service.
3. Having patient reps check with patients to address any needs or concerns.
4. Solicit feedback from patients and provide a process for dealing with issues of concern.
5. Implement quality initiatives throughout the hospital.
All of these are extremely important.
But a recent study indicates that maybe the largest factor in patient satisfaction is employees who are highly satisfied with their job and work environment. A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin and Northwestern University at a New York Hospital and commissioned by Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement indicated that patients have a higher level of satisfaction when their care is delivered by highly satisfied employees. Forum President, Michelle Smith, stated, “In the healthcare industry, as in other service-related businesses, having engaged, empowered, loyal employees can lead to increased retention, lower costs, enhanced reputations and a profitable business picture.”
Regardless, of all the quality initiatives imposed on employees, unless they are happy and satisfied with their job, patient experiences will not be good. Happy employees deliver superior service. In fact, the research indicated that patients are more likely to recommend a hospital to others if happy, satisfied employees treat them.
It’s obvious isn’t it? A satisfied employee delivers better care. We really don’t need research to tell us that do we? Even though it’s intellectually obvious, hospitals spend so much time and effort imposing guidelines and mandates and quality initiatives without investing in employee job satisfaction. Certainly the emphasis should be on the patient. But there must also be a strong emphasis on employee satisfaction.
- Creating the right environment
- Encouraging and empowering employees
- Honoring and recognizing outstanding employee service
- Demonstrating genuine concern and interest in employees
These things pay huge dividends!
Competitive salaries are important but ALL the components that create employee satisfaction must be emphasized.
Want to provide a high level of patient care and better patient experience? Do everything possible to make employees happy. It will be an investment that will pay rich dividends for the patient and the hospital.
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Leave a Comment » | Hospital Marketing, Internal Marketing, Patient Experience | Tagged: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement, happy employees, Hospital Marketing, Internal Marketing, Jimmy Warren, Michelle Smith, patient satisfaction | Permalink
Posted by Jimmy Warren
