Hospitals find new ways to make patients happy

From pianos in the lobby to room service, to expanded cable TV, hospitals are looking for new ways to make their patients happy as well as healthy.

Recently we reported on a government program that penalizes hospitals for continually re-admitting the same patients, so-called “frequent fliers.” That program is part of a larger pay-for-performance effort to improve care. It links Medicare reimbursements to hospitals, in part, on the results of patient surveys.

Overlake Hospital’s chief operating officer David Schultz says his hospital in Bellevue is not intimidated by the survey. He welcomes the scrutiny.

“We’ve organizationally said we’re going to differentiate ourselves based on our customer experience and our quality so this fits right in with our strategic plan.”

The Wall Street Journal reports a hospital in Atlanta that added ESPN to its cable TV package believing that patients requested fewer pain medications during football games.

“We haven’t provided ESPN to patients as a specific strategy,” said Schultz. “But, we have a piano in our lobby and in our cafeteria to help welcome people, fish tanks at our admitting station just to help relieve the tension.”

The Washington State Hospital Association also embraces the patient surveys. It has a website where you can compare hospital ratings, side-by-side, on a large number of patient care issues. But association spokeswoman Cassie Sauer says the survey is not about amenities as much as it is about how patients feel they’re treated.

“How is the care experience and did you get the care you needed? Questions like, ‘How often did nurses and doctors listen carefully to you? Did they explain things in a way you can understand, and after you’ve punched your call button, how often did you get help as soon as you needed it?’ Those are really key things for the patient’s recovery,” said Sauer.

Overlake’s Schultz says patients respond better when doctors and nurses pull up a chair rather than stand over a patient’s bed.

“Whether it be a nurse or physician, [who] sits down with the patient and is on an eye level and speaks to them directly, it does wonders for a patient’s confidence and certainly enables them to feel better about their experience.”

Schultz says the hospital improvements are designed to give patients a sense of control.

“We actually just went to a room service menu, very similar to what you would find in a hotel. [We’ve] gone towards organic food, to give them more control over their experience, and I think that’s what patients are hoping for, some aspect of control while they’re in the hospital,” he said.

Like hotels, hospitals compete for business and now that patient surveys are published, Sauer says patient satisfaction is more important than ever.

“Clearly, word of mouth is hugely important for hospitals and if you’re not checking in with your customers, your patients, who’ve been in the hospital to find out, how was your experience there, and really paying attention to that, that’s a way that your hospital could go downhill pretty fast,” Sauer said.

Starting October 1, the federal government is giving a bonus or a deduction from about $1 billion in Medicare reimbursements to hospitals based, in part, on the patient survey results. So don’t be surprised when you see a Starbucks in the lobby and a premium cable channel in your hospital room.