by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | July 30, 2019
From the July 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
We did daily work observations as well to see how teammates were interacting with their patients. We use a survey to get patient feedback and comments from patients. We review metrics that are sent to us from our survey each week at our Patient Experience team meetings and compare our modalities and departments to others in our system.
HCB News: We know that we're moving toward a value-based paradigm in healthcare, but why should patient experience be a special focus in the imaging department?
MJ: It's the right thing to do. That is why patient experience should always be not a special focus, but the main focus of any imaging department. We can discuss the intricacy of value-based models, but the bottom line remains that the best patient experience is the right thing to do. We have a saying here in the south: Treat every patient like they are your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, brother or sister. Treat them like they are family, especially family that you like. As providers in healthcare, no matter what your title, we are entrusted with patients’ lives. We have an obligation not just to treat the illness, but care for the entire patient.
CP: Our patients are why we are here doing what we do. If it wasn’t for our patients, we wouldn’t have a job and what we love to do, which is taking care of them. We treat each patient as if they were our family member and give them the care that we would like to receive.
HCB News: What are some of the most common mistakes providers make concerning their approach to patient experience?
CP: Some providers do not spend the time needed to explain and go over things with the patient, (this is where our team has made great strides to inform our patients of what to expect). Also, some providers do not think that the patient understands them, so it doesn’t matter.
We often forget that even though we are in a healthcare setting, we are caring for people who are not healthcare providers. Our patients may or may not have received high school diplomas or post-secondary degrees. Even if they did, the anxiety that can come with a radiology procedure might throw all education out the window. Taking the time to explain step by step what will happen, without the use of medical jargon and doing so in plain “living room” language, is a must.
