Positive Influence Of Patients Loyalty In Healthcare Organizations

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPS) began in 2006 with a 27 question survey that is distributed to discharged patients. This survey process was originally designed to help patients compare hospitals in their area to be able to make an informed choice for their healthcare needs. In January 2013, five additional questions were added to the survey. Beginning this year, Medicare reimbursement rates to a hospital are tied to the hospital’s patient satisfaction scores. Therefore, hospitals are continually looking for ways to improve

“Patient satisfaction is undoubtedly on the minds of hospital administrators in an increasingly consumer-driven healthcare system. With patient

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

A major change is occurring in the healthcare system as the United States continues to move toward enhancing patient care quality and access while also decreasing cost. This significant transformation is driven by a variety of forces, including changes in managed care, a shift from pay for service to pay for quality, and ever-evolving client characteristics. This paper aims to discuss each of these factors and the ways in which they make this major transformation a difficult one for the nation to undergo.

Reimbursement under VBP involves both clinical and patient satisfaction targets. In order to measure the patient satisfaction aspect, the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is conducted by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare. This external report contains useful information regarding the patients’ perspectives of hospital care, and can be compared at a local, regional, and national level. Individual health care institutions can then use this data to determine quality areas in need of improvement. Overall, there is an emphasis on the healthcare institution’s ability to deliver “patient centered” care.

Hospitals and insurance providers alike as well as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are aiming to measure the value of health care (Morris, Jahangir, & Sethi, 2013). Improving patient satisfaction not only enhances the care a patient receives overall but it can have a major impact on a hospital’s reputation and financial results as well (Hall, 2008).

More times than not, a surgical patient will not know the cost for the procedure before undergoing the operation. With all the possible variables involved, the providers most likely do not know the associated costs either. Even if cost were available, providers do not want to use the Wal-Mart strategy of being the low cost leader. People associate lower cost with lower quality of care. Since cost of care is not a marketable factor, other areas become overstated including the satisfaction of the patients. It is healthcare provider’s obligation to ensure the patient is satisfied or market share will be compromised. There are many variables to patient satisfaction, but research has shown a direct correlation between high patient satisfaction levels and a highly engaged staff.

NRC has tools that measure how our marketing is assisting with consumers moving from general awareness and familiarity to distinction, value and image, preference and utilization, and finally loyalty. This tool is called "Brand Arc" and is useful because we can a follow a patients path through the UI Health system from awareness to loyalty. We can find the areas where we lose patients and address that problem. In doing so, we raise experience and satisfaction scores, both taken in consideration with HCAHPS and reimbursement.

In years past, the hospital experience has been a big issue when it comes to the quality of healthcare. Most hospitals that don’t meet national standards included lengthy stays, several misjudgments and holes in prevention control. In general they have lacked patient respect, according to medical historians and health care professionals. However, these issues have improved substantially over the years. Because of cultural shifts, policy adjustments, healthcare prices, and technological advances, hospitals have moved toward a more patient based approach that emphasizes the importance of prioritizing prevention in all cases. Patient satisfaction is now a priority in healthcare nationally.

I have worked for Denver Health for almost 15 years. During that time I have learned that the mission of the organization is to serve the community to the best of its ability. Employees are trained to go out of their way to tend to patients’ concerns and direct them above and beyond their expectations. I had not really considered how Denver Health markets its services until I began this course. Under its old name, “Denver General”, the organization was given a reputation of low quality as a government institution serving the public. However, while analyzing how it deals with internal and external business activities I have found it is true that the organization is driven toward the patient, to make their healthcare experience one to be remembered.

It can be difficult for a patient to find a health care provider that they trust. Once they find one, they tend to stick with them for the long haul. If the patient is satisfied with the organization they will spread the word and encourage others to seek the same organization. It is not unheard of complete families seeing the same physician for generations. According to Richard Blizzard, D.B.A. (2002) “People tend to equate the concept of physician… loyalty with repeat use and trust or confidence in the provider”. The reason why people are loyal to certain physicians is the quality of care they receive during the visit. That quality of care starts from the moment they step in the door and greeted by the receptionist and continues during

The 2nd Lesson: The concept of patient satisfaction is not equivalent to patient loyalty. The score of four on the Press Ganey means that the patient is six times more likely to use other hospital’s

In all industries, competition among businesses has long been encouraged as a mechanism to increase value for patients. In other words, competition ensures the provision of better products and services to satisfy the needs of customers (Glover & Rivers, 2009). In the health care industry, competition has an impact on many relational perspectives. There have been several studies examining the relationships between competition and quality of health care, competition and health care system costs, and competition and patient satisfaction. Some elements of competition in health care are price, quality, convenience, and superior products and

Hospitals and health systems in the U.S. are experiencing a remarkable transformation in their business models directed from numerous influences that are projected to ultimately turn the industry around. Pressures include providers troubled with the quantity of services they are responsible for, to providers who concentrate on presenting high-cost services that give emphasis to sustaining healthy populations (Dunn & Becker, 2013).

A healthcare organization’s reputation for its commitment to quality and patient-centered customer service stands as the main criteria for individuals in choosing a healthcare service provider (Stavins,2006). “Therefore, measurement of patient satisfaction and incorporating results to create a culturewhere service is deemed important should be a strategic goal for all healthcare organizations”(Stavins,