Improving Service Quality Within University Hospitals

Customer service levels should be the highest priority of any health-care organization. Trying to balance between the increasing demand and supply of health care arenas,

Healthcare is in a constant state of change with movements that impact rates, access and quality of care. Hospitals have become more competitive due to the rising cost of care delivery and the reduction in reimbursement from payers. This causes difficulty in delivering quality care to all patients, which is being measured by mandated patient perception surveys, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). HCAHPS scores are part of value

West Florida Regional Medical center (WFRMC) is located on the north side of Pensacola, Florida. It is associated with Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), and “the West Florida Healthcare campus includes the all private room acute care hospital, the area’s only comprehensive physical rehabilitation hospital, and a mental health facility” (West Florida Hospital, 2010). When looking at the decision to invest heavily into total quality management (TQM), you must look at its history and hospital statistics of the Pensacola area. In 1992, there was intense competition between WFRMC and the other two hospitals within the area, Sacred Heart and Baptist Hospitals (McLaughlin & Kaluzny, 2006). “The 130 doctors practicing

This paper will describe current quality outcome measures and the significance for improving medical care. Organizational accountability and transparency has improved with the emergence of Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) programs and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPs). This article will review the role of the nurse manager in creating a culture for quality care as well as the nurse for meeting organizational and patient expectations. Organizations like The Joint Commission (JC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and The American Nurses Association (ANA) have been critical in establishing standards for quality. This paper will also report on the most recent hospital statistics and steps taken to improve HCAHP scores and reduce readmission rates at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville (UTMCK). Statistics at UTMCK will also be compared to the Tennessee and National averages found on the Medicare website Hospital Compare. The aim of this paper is to explore if healthcare system initiatives are improving quality and enhancing patient outcomes.

| Customer Satisfaction * Complete the customer satisfaction every quarter; addressing over 50% of all negative statements * Build a strong family base * Set up a nurse hot line * Reduce patient utilize the emergency departments

Upgrading our documentation to information and informatics comes with many advantages for the health care team to improve quality and safe ty improvement. Also, the use of technology such as telehealth, telenursing and videoconferencing are on the rise, and will be embedded into our communities and nursing organizations so that we can reach people around the country who do not have accessibility quality health care. Using technology to educate patients and families about credible websites, and how to search for pertinent information that is relevant to his or her health is a priority. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary emergency rooms visits. These actions foster communication and minimize anxiety

The way we practice healthcare and healthcare organizations are changing due to the pressure to reduce costs, improve the quality of care and to meet rigorous guidelines. This change has forced health care professionals to examine we evaluate our overall performance. Paradise Hospital, Inc. has not had any service improvements since 1995. A physician named Avedis Donabedian (2005) proposed a model for assessing health care quality based on structures, processes, and outcomes. He defined structure as the environment in which health care is provided. This is known as the organizational characteristics such as the measurement of staffing ratios and the number of hospital beds. The process is described as the method by which health care is provided. This represents the communication and interaction seen between doctor and patient. The necessity for the tests and procedures performed. The outcome is defined as the consequence of the health care provided, was there a desirable or undesirable effect.

According to Fred Lee (2004) hospitals use clinical results and process improvement as a gauge of quality as this data can be readily measured and objective. Conversely, patients judge the quality of care by individual perception. Therein a gap of what the patient’s perception of quality care and how the healthcare providers perceive quality of care is created. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Gaps Model of Service Quality while comparing the findings of the work done by Fred Lee in the book, If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 91/2 Things You would Do Differently.

Florida VA hospitals are among the busiest in the nation. Access can be an issue for non-emergency care, and in some cases, these delays have reportedly resulted in harm to patients. In 2012, West Palm Beach VA Medical Center served 64,358 veterans since they have opened the medical center in 1995 in which it was projected to serve 30,000. Outpatient visits totaled a record of 689,662 and 7,417 inpatient discharges. Since WPB VAMC opening, it has had a 66 percent increase in staffing to help meet the needs of Veterans. During my time at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, I have spent seven months assisting in the director’s office as a program support. I helped with patient advocacy issues on as a needed basis and also helped with pulling data collection, tracking, analysis and reporting. In fiscal year 2013, there was an 11% increase in the number of Veterans served by Telehealth. VA Telehealth services use health informatics, disease management and telehealth technologies to target care and case management to improve access to care with the intent to providing the right care in the right place at the right time. Further, as the numbers of veterans served by Telehealth grown so did the amount of complaints to access or timeliness in which there was a 12% increase. For example, in medical administrative services, phone calls were not returned or letters were not

The 1st Lesson: Hospital values must be in line with what patients want. The key driver for patient satisfaction is the courtesy, not efficiency of the hospital. Patients judge the service received by courtesy, but employees are managed according to efficiency and safety. Although provide safe care is paramount, the hospitals do not learn any credit for providing safe clinical practice and environmental safety.

Healthcare has become a consumer driven industry with patient satisfaction equating to good customer service. Effective communication has been shown to be a key factor in both patient outcomes and satisfaction. Additionally, patient satisfaction has become a tool used by insurers to evaluate medical facilities and may impact reimbursement to hospitals for patient care. In this paper, I will discuss the issue of ineffective communication in the waiting area of the surgical services department at Mount Carmel East Hospital. The impact of ineffective communication effects patients and members of the perioperative team. Results of patient surveys

Quality is one of the most essential elements of healthcare. As stated by the Agency of Health Research and Quality, “Everyday, millions of Americans receive high-quality health care that helps to maintain or restore their health and ability to function” (Agency of Health Research and Quality, 2014). Improvements have become vital to the success of health care organizations and in the Healthcare Quality Book, it is explained that quality in the U.S. healthcare system is not at the standard that it should be (Ransom, Joshi, Nash & Ransom, 2008). Although this has been a reoccurring issue, attempts to fix the insufficiency have been less successful than expected.

The call centre of the Eastern Medical Faculty Foundation, hereafter referred to as EMFF, provides a competitive advantage to the Internal Medicine Department of the Chicago School of Medicine through the delivery of efficient and high quality service to patients. Treating patients generates revenue the Internal Medicine Department and contributes to investments in research in the highly competitive healthcare sector. Unfortunately, declining customer satisfaction, as evidenced in a growing number of customer complaints, suggests the quality of service is deteriorating and threatens the very competitive advantage of the EMFF.

-Examine at least three (3) examples of quality initiatives that could increase patient satisfaction and potentially reduce healthcare cost. Support your response with examples of the successful application your chosen quality initiatives.

Customer service is developed by the patient’s satisfaction and the effect it has on the health care system. Customer service is the face of every business and specially the health care system which it provides leaders with an idea of how the business should look or act. The healthcare systems benefit from the opportunities made by patients. Patients should be the instrument to provide guidance while the physician advocates for the patient’s health. Customer service is a support system between the patient and the physician and without that support system then there is not guidance for a better lifestyle for patients. This is a competitive market that have a few limitations and those limitations start with customer service in healthcare and how to provide the best care for patients. These challenges that the healthcare system face will overcome those obstacles and bring out their best principles to make the system better. Patient centered care relates to customer service and should be recognized as the central focus. High- quality healthcare systems provide satisfaction to patients to show that their experience will be well worth it because their physicians care about their patient’s health.