3 Reasons Patient Experience is Changing the Way You Receive Healthcare
After launching a pilot in June 2015 at its Bethesda North location, TriHealth implemented a Patient Concierge service designed to enhance the inpatient customer stay. In just a few short months, the Patient Experience team found enough positive evidence to expand its presence throughout both the Bethesda North and Good Samaritan hospitals and has since embedded staff across all patient care floors.
Why is it Important for You?
While other hospitals may have a concierge service available, they typically come in the form of a third part lobby concierge – providing assistance on surface-level tasks like running errands and wayfinding.
Jason Phibbs, Director of Patient Experience at TriHealth, however, says this particular concierge service is much more comprehensive. The program’s implementation has placed emphasis on patient experience overall, breaking the mold for the way you can expect to receive healthcare in the Tristate.
How is it Changing the Way You Receive Healthcare?
1. Redefining Patient Care
The TriHealth Patient Concierge service has shifted its focus to concentrate on the patient experience overall, which means it is putting strategies in place to embrace each patient. No longer are the days of considering patient care as a simple clinical interaction. Phibbs says the patient concierge program is, instead, focused on touching the hearts of patients and building quality interactions. Improving patient experience means improving the journey a patient has - from the time they check-in to the hospital, until the time they check-out.
2. Bridging the Gaps
With a dedicated staff specializing in customer service and hospitality, the Concierge team members act as liaison between patients and resources across the hospital. While the team is happy to assist in everyday errands, like fetching a newspaper or grabbing coffee, they are thoroughly invested in addressing any gaps a patient may experience throughout their hospital stay to ensure treatment of the whole person by addressing patient and family needs and expectations. This type of assistance includes emotional support to patients and their families, engagement and support of clinical teams so more time can be spent by the patient bedside, and help in preventing service concerns.
3. Shaping the Future
Customer service and patient experience in the healthcare industry may have been addressed on a surface-level, but there is undoubtedly work to be done. Ali Willis, manager of Patient Experience at TriHealth, says the team has many ideas on ways to enhance the value of the concierge moving forward. Whether it’s in the form of coaching for clinical staff to enhance patient experience, or going beyond the care process to follow-up with a patient after their hospital journey, expect to see more emphasis on your experience as a healthcare consumer on the road ahead.