Dedicated to Patient Satisfaction- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
Dedicated to Patient Satisfaction- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women's Hospital
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January 12, 2001
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In This Issue:
Retirement Celebration for Betty Pitcher
RISE-ing To The Top
“I Have a Dream”
Dedicated to Patient Satisfaction
Feedback Needed for New Shuttle Plan
Bermas to Direct New Center
Flu Season Has Arrived
Are you ready for JCAHO?
Pike Notes
BWH Improves Patient Survey Process As part of BWH’s commitment to soliciting and implementing change based on patient feedback, the hospital has decided to contract with Press, Ganey Associates, Inc. to conduct inpatient satisfaction surveys. BWH formerly contracted with the Picker Institute for tracking patient satisfaction. Although the Picker-based survey provided valuable information, BWH has moved to PGA, to allow the hospital to: • Survey a greater number of inpatients; • Receive patient feedback in a more timely manner; and • Compare results with those of similar nationally recognized medical centers. This month, the first group of PGA surveys are being distributed to BWH patients to evaluate their perception of care received here. “Compared to our former patient satisfaction mechanism, PGA provides a greater number of patients the opportunity to express opinions about their care and allows the hospital to receive feedback in a more timely fashion,” said Paula Johnson, MD, director of Quality Management Services at BWH. Contracted by nearly 2,500 health care organizations nationwide, PGA offers many advantages to hospitals to monitor and then improve overall performance based on patient surveys. PGA mails surveys to patients within two weeks of discharge; results of which are immediately available to hospital officials upon receipt of returned survey via its on-line reporting tool. In addition, PGA provides the capability to survey nearly 30,000 patients—approximately 70 percent of BWH inpatients- annually. Further analysis is provided by PGA through quarterly reports, which will enable BWH to benchmark performance against national means and BWH-designated peer groups. The reports offer benchmarks by both clinical specialties and operational areas. “Unchanged is our commitment to seeking patient feedback. After considering many vendors, we chose PGA as we feel it is the company that will most effectively carry out our continued commitment,” said Anthony Whittemore, MD, chief medical officer. For questions on the new patient survey process, contact G. Troy Tomilonus in Quality Management Services at ext. 8956 or Michael Gustafson, MD, Director of Quality Measurement at ext. 8937.