Three Patient Satisfaction and Growth Priorities

Site-neutral reimbursement policies, price transparency and bundled payments are among the hot topics that cause confusion about the optimal site of care throughout the patient experience.

But, since patients still look primarily to their doctors for information and advice, addressing three key priorities will support patient satisfaction and profitable growth. Mid-America Healthcare Executives Forum invited Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies to outline the priorities that influence performance in the area of patient satisfaction.

1. Capacity/access – Commit to providing the path of least resistance for providers and patients by way of easy access to care. First, ensure that capacity exists within key service lines and practices. Lean value stream mapping is an effective, first step to analyze and improve access.

2. Data – Fully understand where strategic growth and alignment opportunities exist. You don't have to pay for expensive external data to begin putting data to work. Let timely, internal referral data tell you the story, determine the scope of the growth and guide your strategy.

3. Professional engagement – Ensure that physicians and advanced practice providers are fully aware of the value you deliver through a structured onboarding and outreach program with highly trained professionals. They will ensure that physicians are positioned for sustainable success and bring feedback from the field to leadership about opportunities and threats to growth and retention.

A final thought: Don’t forget your hospitalist team! Build engagement with your C-Suite, medical staff and hospitalists so that everyone is aligned to address the challenges and opportunities coming with alternative payment models. Lacking that alignment, high turnover becomes a threat that impacts the patient experience and performance metrics.

Read our case study to learn how Tiller-Hewitt HealthCare Strategies helped Drs. Mike Finley and Steen Trawick, leaders with CHRISTUS Health System, engage their medical staff and other leaders to partner with hospitalists in patient-centered care. The results sparked a dramatic turnaround and improvement in recruitment, retention and value-based operational performance.