Improve The Patient Experience At The Ground Level
HCAHPS survey scores are made public and can make or break a healthcare provider’s funding and reputation.
“Patients, with more choices and more of their own money at stake, are demanding a more customer-friendly experience, and payers are rewarding providers for keeping patients satisfied,” says Paul Barr. In order to boost patient satisfaction and reduce patient suffering, health system leaders need to improve the patient experience at the ground level.
WHAT IS THE HCAHPS SURVEY?
HCAHPS (the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) is a patient satisfaction survey, enforced by the CMS, for hospitals in the United States.
The FutureScan 2016-2021 survey revealed that up to 79% of healthcare practitioners expect the majority of patients will compare patient experiences ratings against other hospitals before deciding on which hospital is best suited for their care. With this information, HCAHPS scores are not to be taken lightly.
The HCAHPS survey is a questionnaire that brings light to the variables that influence the hospital experience:
- Care from nurses
- Care from doctors
- Cleanliness of the hospital environment
- Quietness of the hospital environment
- Overall experience of the hospital
High HCAHPS scores would qualify a hospital into earning more funding for their keeping their patients satisfied.
PUSHING AWAY THE NOISE
Restful sleep is critical to a patient’s recovery process. In an article written by Susan E. Mazer, Susan stated that healthcare providers should “focus on the auditory impact of each piece of equipment” and how it affects the environment and patient.
In the demonstration shown above, the cart's original caster wheels produce a clunky, knocking sound per rotation. Like many other types of mobile equipment in a hospital, the cart travels through the halls leading to patients' rooms.
Imagine a sleeping patient breaking out of their slumber every time a noisy cart passes by their door. The patient’s resentment and annoyance against the noise pollution can be justified.
Aiming to reduce the noise, a hospital worker made the proactive choice to reach out to one of our Regional Solutions Managers (RSM's) to solve the problem. Based on the provided cart specifications, the Caster Connection RSM suggested the hospital implement the 5” X 1-1/4” Gray CC Apex Swivel Caster (CCAPEX-525-S-G). The CC Apex has been cited to lower decibel levels by 5-15% or more, which can be validated in the video.
If you are interested in learning how one of our Regional Solutions Managers can help improve a hospital’s patient experience initiative, contact us today.