HRH recognized for patient satisfaction

Local News

June 9, 2009

By Ryan Palencer The Hendricks County Flyer Tue Jun 09, 2009, 10:49 AM EDT

DANVILLE —

As part of its marketing campaign, Hendricks Regional Health is allowing potential patients to know that they “Treat People Better.”

This was validated by a recent survey that the hospital’s patients took based on their satisfaction.

“Our motto is ‘Treat People Better,’” said Dr. John Sparzo, vice president of medical affairs at the hospital. “It is good to see that is true. We always feel that we treat our patients well and have great visitor satisfaction. It is great to see the perception is true.”

Sparzo does not view patient satisfaction as a short-term aspect. He thinks it’s quite important for the hospital as a whole.

“We take (patient satisfaction) as a feather in our cap,” Sparzo said. “We want to keep it at the forefront. We don’t treat it as a flavor of the day. We want to keep a constant focus on it.”

The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey was given to randomly selected patients who had recently had an inpatient stay.

Of the five hospitals serving the most patients in the Hendricks County area, Hendricks Regional Health placed first in seven of the 10 categories. They also tied for first in another, while claiming second in the other two.

One of the areas in the hospital that worked to increase patient satisfaction was the Childbirth Center.

“One of the things that we did in the Childbirth Center was, I went to staff and we had open forums with staff,” said Deb Case, the center’s director. “We listed our strengths and areas for opportunity, assets, and threats. I really wanted input from the direct bedside caregivers about what we can do to be better.”

In response, they began a new type of care called relationship-based care.

“We want to form a relationship with the patient and their family,” Case said. “The nurses do hourly rounds, during wakeful hours, to let them know that we are here if they need us.”

Case thinks that this type of care allows patients to get more input and be better informed.

The success is not due to a small patient pool. Yearly, the Childbirth Center handles about 1,000 births.

With the survey containing a noise-related question, the Childbirth Center has a device to limit that at the nurse’s station. It is called a “yacker tracker” and it measures the amount of noise coming from the station.

In addition, the Childbirth Center offers classes and massages.

“Just little things like that have helped,” Case said. “Those are things that we felt like the patients are looking for.”

Case thinks that her staff’s passion has led to the success.

“I think that nursing is something that is a passion for most of my nurses,” Case said. “If you asked them how many would come in without a paycheck, I think people would be amazed. It’s what I am and who I am. It’s what I believe in.”

Questions on the survey were about physicians and nurses always communicating well, whether or not medications were explained, how well pain was managed, the cleanliness of the surroundings, use of discharge instructions, and whether the patient would recommend the hospital. The patients were also asked to rate the hospital from one to 10.

HCAHPS is a national, standardized survey that is publicly reported. HCAHPS results are available online at hcahpsonline.org.

ryan.palencer@flyergroup.com

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