Florida Hospital Orlando Increases Patient Satisfaction2

Medical
Florida Hospital Orlando
Increases Patient Satisfaction
Situation
Patient Satisfaction has become increasingly important in today’s hospital environment, not only in the administration of care, but also from a reimbursement standpoint.
As Healthcare Reform changes to a “pay-for-performance” model, a significant portion
of the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement hospitals earn is now dependant on
the scores they achieve in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. With this shift in focus toward Patient Satisfaction,
consultants and healthcare organizations are now seeking out solutions to help improve
HCAHPS scores.
Rationale
After examining HCAHPS among 180 hospitals the Studer Group, a thought leader in
healthcare process improvement, stated “There is a very strong correlation between
[Emergency Department] ED performance and overall hospital performance. Highperforming EDs lead to better financials. Hospitals who want to improve HCAHPS results
will benefit if their ED patients have the best possible experience.”1
A study of 430 hospitals, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, found that the
caregiver work environment was significantly related to all HCAHPS Patient Satisfaction
measures, consequently concluding that Patient Satisfaction was higher in hospitals
where nurses practiced in a better work environment.2
In addition to enhancing patient satisfaction, other studies found that a positive work environment for nurses could be linked to reduced nurse turnover 3, higher job satisfaction,
lower nurse burnout4 and could ultimately save a hospital money by preventing adverse
events.5
As Hospital’s ED Percentile Ranking Increases,
So Does Its HCAHPS “Overall” Percentile Ranking
Methodology
Understanding the importance of the ED patient experience and the nurse working environment in this pay-for-performance era, Florida Hospital Orlando honed in on updating
their stretcher fleet to enhance patient satisfaction, and increase caregiver safety and
efficiency. The facility chose to partner with Stryker, adopting Stryker’s Prime™ Series
Stretcher as the standard of care in the ED and throughout the hospital.
As an industry leader for more than 70 years in patient handling equipment, Stryker understands that stretchers play a key role in enhancing the patient experience. With this in
mind, Stryker was first to market with Comfort Controls™ on the Prime Series Stretcher,
which allow patients to adjust their own position without relying on the caregiver, thus
helping to increase patient independence, promote progressive mobility and support the
healing process.
In addition to Comfort Controls, Florida Hospital implemented the advanced mobility of
the Stryker Big Wheel® and Zoom® Motorized Drive System to help make transporting
heavy patients safer and easier for caregivers, and a smoother ride for the patient. Additional exclusives such as an electric lift base, Recovery Chair Position, and Pioneer ®
Pressure Redistribution Mattress were implemented to enhance patient comfort.
Source: The graph above shows a comparison of the average percentile rank for Studer Group Partners that have received EBL coaching since Jul 2008 and
non-partners for each composite; updated 5.17.11 using 3Q09-2Q10 CMS data
Results
Over a two-year period, Florida Hospital’s strategy to increase its HCAHPS scores was
realized. They saw their ratings in the area of “Overall Satisfaction” in the hospital rise by
10%. In addition their scores for “Willingness to Recommend” the hospital increased by
10%.6, 7
Conclusion
A well-rounded and strategic approach to increasing Patient Satisfaction is needed to
maximize HCAHPS scores, and thus the financial reimbursement a hospital may receive.
One element which has been shown to increase HCAHPS scores is ensuring ED patients
have the best possible experience while in the department. Investing in stretchers that
include patient-centric features such as the Comfort Controls and Recovery Chair Position
found on the Prime Series Stretcher, can help realize this success.
Medical
3800 E. Centre Ave.
Portage, MI 49002 USA
t: 269 329 2100 f: 269 329 2311
toll free: 800 787 9537
www.stryker.com
References
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4.
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6.
7.
Summary Health Statistics for the U.S. Population: National Health, Interview Survey, 2010
Ann Kutney-Lee et al., “Nursing: A Key To Patient Satisfaction”
Vahey et al., “Nurse Burnout.”
Aiken et al., “Effects of Hospital Care Environment.”
L.H. Aiken, “Economics of Nursing,” Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice 9, no. 2 (2008): 73–79;
and R.L. Kane et al., “The Association of Registered Nurse Staffing Levels and Patient Outcomes:
Systematic Review and Meta Analysis,” Medical Care 45, no. 12 (2007): 1195–1204.
http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/Data/AboutData/Data-Download.aspx, viewed Decem ber 12, 2012
http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/profile.aspx#profTab=1&ID=100007&viewmap=1&loc=
ORLANDO%2C%20FL&lat=28.5383355&lng=-81.3792365. viewed December 12, 2012
Copyright © 2013 Stryker
Mkt Lit-824 16 JAN 2013 Rev A.1