The Patient Care Experience: Insight from a Practicing EM Physician
The patient care experience. Why is it so important? Why do physicians hate it so much? And, what can be done to improve it?
Justin Bright, MD, a senior staff physician at Henry Ford Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, in Detroit, Michigan, recently tackled these questions in an informative piece posted on emdocs.net. He defines the patient care experience as:
A more inclusive term that describes our technical expertise while also including everything else, such as communication, department ambiance, throughput, and the behavior of everyone a patient comes into contact with while in the department.
In his piece, Bright set out to tackle five goals regarding the patient care experience:
- Get the crux of why providers dislike patient satisfaction
- Review the literature out there
- Debunk those articles which are used as a rally cry against patient satisfaction surveys
- Discuss the key variables associated with survey scores
- Suggest some very simple tips that could help improve scores tremendously
While many physicians would probably agree that they wish the emphasis on patient satisfaction would disappear, it is not something that is going to go away. Bright suggests that the focus be put on proactively becoming part of the solution, as the tie between group / hospital reimbursement and patient satisfaction continues to increase.
Bright's insight into the topic is not only well thought-out, but also well researched and organized. A truly unique blend of personal experience and fact that is a great read for anyone interested in the topic of patient care experience.
CLICK HERE to read Bright's post in it's entirety. Be sure to leave a comment for him and let him know your thoughts on this topic as well.
