Keys to improving the patient experience, from the experts
Since the start of the pandemic, patient experience scores from Press Ganey, a company with more than 40 years of patient experience experience, have taken a dramatic plunge – with much of the data pointing to staff shortages and other challenges as key indicators of the decline in scores. However, since February 2023, the company has seen a steady increase in patient experience scores, which nearly reached pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023.
This includes the likelihood that a hospital will be recommended, plus several key indicators, such as doctors and nurses treating patients with courtesy and respect and discussing new medications and possible side effects.
In the new year, as healthcare organizations focus on getting back to basics and refocusing on patient care, Press Ganey believes the numbers will continue to rise, pushing the healthcare industry beyond past performance in patient experiences .
We interviewed Chrissy Daniels, Chief Experience Officer at Press Ganey, to get her perspective on what Press Ganey’s data shows about the relationship between employee experience and patient experience, results the company has noticed based on fundamental kindness, healthcare organizations that patient experiences have published data showing a downward trend, and how the patient experience begins before patients have any kind of healthcare interaction.
Q. What does your data show about healthcare organizations gaining insight into the employee experience, leading to a better patient experience?
A. Our data has shown for years that organizations with better employee engagement also achieve better patient experience results. From the employee perspective, a healthcare provider’s likelihood to remain in an organization is influenced by their ability to provide safe, patient-centered care.
From the patient’s perspective, the most important driver of loyalty is a team working together to care for them. Patients experienced good teamwork as an improvement in the quality of their care and the care they receive. The healthcare workforce is by nature mission-oriented and committed to caring for patients.
Organizations that promote a culture of safety, respect, quality and compassion ensure that their staff thrives and has the resources they need to do their jobs. This translates into better patient outcomes and a better experience for both staff and patients.
Q. Please talk about the very interesting results you have noticed through kindness.
A. This is a great space where comments encourage our understanding rather than just answers to questions. Using natural language processing, a form of artificial intelligence, we can connect respondents who are most likely to recommend our care and analyze the positive themes they raise in their comments.
When we look at what patients comment on, when we look at our more than 312 million patient voices, it is repeatedly the kindness of healthcare providers that delights patients. Patients experience friendliness as a combination of positivity, helpfulness and a gentle and reassuring approach. In addition to kindness, these patients consider compassion and empathy to be noteworthy.
Q. You’ve noticed that many healthcare organizations have published patient experience data with a downward trend. What does this mean in general?
A. It simply means they are looking at old data. The publicly available HCAHPS data is a year old and many organizations use it to describe industry trends. Press Ganey has a real-time national database that publishes trends as they happen.
We saw that during COVID, and we can now show that the patient experience continued to improve in 2023 in both emergency and inpatient care, where the largest declines occurred, as well as in medical clinics and outpatient surgery, which never declined during the pandemic. .
Q. You suggest that the patient experience begins before patients have any kind of healthcare interaction. Please share what provider organizations can do in this area.
A. I often say that their journey begins as soon as someone thinks they have a problem. And for most of us, that idea comes after hours. This means that many people’s first contact with healthcare systems happens online.
That’s why it’s so exciting that the healthcare industry has made developing digital front doors a top priority. Our safe, loving care starts with the findability of our services and providers. Ad management is a top priority for experience.
Consumers want to be able to find reliable information about you and your providers. They want to know what other patients have thought about you. And once they choose you, they want easy access and scheduling. The healthcare industry has largely embraced digital bill payments, but is lagging behind in offering digital scheduling.
Patient portals are widely used by patients, but providers are still inconsistent in their response. The voice of the patient is clear: healthcare needs to be easier to navigate, and digital channels are a great place to invest.
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