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In This Issue:
Q4 Press Ganey Statistics Demonstrate Growth and Progress
To meet the highest standard of quality patient care, BWH is committed to measuring patient satisfaction on a continual and timely basis. Since January 2001, Press Ganey Associates, Inc. (PGA), BWH’s new survey vendor, has administered patient surveys and provided four rounds of reports assessing quality and improvement at the hospital. Recently compiled fourth quarter results (Q4) reflect continued high marks for nursing and physician care, as well as significant progress across several other key areas. The Q4 feedback was collected from more than 2,000 patients whose hospital stay occurred from October to December 2001.
Increasing almost 20 percentile points from the first quarter, BWH’s overall mean score for Q4 placed the hospital in the 84th percentile when compared to other academic medical centers with more than 500 beds.
“We are very proud of the progress that has been achieved so far, especially as it relates to many innovative projects and initiatives BWH staff have developed,” said Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, executive director of the Center for Clinical Excellence at BWH.
With four quarters of data in hand, BWH’s Patient Satisfaction Steering Committee has been able to use PGA’s analysis to track whether targeted improvement efforts are having desired effects.
“Our data shows us that when a patient feels like they have had an adequate pre-admission experience, when they are clearly aware of who is leading their care team, and when they receive a post-discharge telephone call at home, they are likely to rate the quality of their overall BWH experience much higher,” described Gustafson. “This is significant, because these goals are very actionable, and because successful pilot projects are already underway for each.”
While the Patient Satisfaction Committee continues to identify areas of development, the overall rankings show progress across most categories. Percentile gains of more than ten points since Q1, reflecting a marked improvement, occurred in the dimensions of Admissions, Discharge and Personal Issues. In these areas, several key projects and initiatives have been implemented over the past year to meet patient needs and overcome past challenges.
Discharge ProcessIn the Discharge category efforts have focused on making the discharge process more organized, efficient and comfortable for patients. To meet these goals, the following specific measures have been instituted:
Personal IssuesFor the dimension of Personal Issues - an area that assesses how a patient is respected, emotionally supported, and involved in their care - BWH’s ranking reached the 84th percentile, up from the 67th percentile a year ago.
The following initiatives are just a few examples of how forums and projects throughout BWH have helped advance the hospital’s success rate in this section:
“While across the institution there is a commitment to enhancing patient satisfaction, every service has instituted specific improvement efforts unique to their patient population and staff’s needs,” said Robert Goldszer, MD, MBA, associate chief medical officer. One example of this is in the area of admissions in BWH’s Emergency Department (ED). The ED has adopted new customer service training and equipped receptionists with quick reference manuals and hands-free headsets to improve their work environment.
“Over the next year we will take a closer look at our highest level priority indicators to continue to propel our positive momentum forward,” said Goldszer. “This includes continuing to disseminate information, educating staff about the PGA survey and engaging all employees in survey follow-up initiatives,” he said.
The Center for Clinical Excellence is responsible for the oversight of survey administration and result reporting. The hospital-wide Patient Satisfaction Steering Committee, chaired by Goldszer, is responsible for overseeing the BWH patient satisfaction agenda, and prioritizing and supporting improvement initiatives.
For more information, contact either Gustafson or Goldszer.