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

Text Only

Local News

Brownsburg holds inaugural town hall meeting
An estimated crowd of about 30 people attended the first of Brownsburg’s town hall meetings on Tuesday. The meetings were created to give an open forum to citizens who may not be able to attend evening council meetings. Council members Dwayne Sawyer and Rob Kendall said that goal was met.

February 10, 2012
Facebook page nets BPD a catch
Early returns on the Brownsburg Crime Tips Facebook page are positive as one of the suspects featured has already been identified.

February 10, 2012 1 Photo
Police investigate night time murder
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers responded to a report of a person shot at the 3100 block of N. Guilford Ave. just before 10 p.m. Wednesday.

February 9, 2012
Women of Influence conference to target cancer
One of life’s most ruthless opponents will be the focus of the third annual Women of Influence conference set for 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 1 at Five Star Catering at Primo West in Plainfield.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
SWAT team ends potential hostage situation
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department SWAT team took Zachary Pipes, 18, Indianapolis, into custody Wednesday morning, putting a non-violent cap on a contentious situation.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
Pence makes first official campaign stop in Plainfield
Mike Pence filed paperwork on Monday to officially run for governor of Indiana. Then the Republican made his first campaign stop here, at The Coachman restaurant.

February 8, 2012 2 Photos
Steuerwald leads effort to bolster human trafficking laws
Rep. Greg Steuerwald (R-Avon) co-sponsored a bill strengthening Indiana's anti-human trafficking laws that Gov. Mitch Daniels signed just in time for the Super Bowl.

February 8, 2012
First Lady kicks off state employee food drive
First Lady Cheri Daniels recently announced the start of the annual Hoosiers Helping Hoosiers state employee food drive. During the month of February, 60 agencies and 261 divisions throughout Indiana state government will coordinate efforts to collect non-perishable items for local food banks and pantries.

February 8, 2012
Shoe recycling event going on this week
The Hendricks County Solid Waste Management District says old shoes that are discarded can spend more than 200 years in a landfill before decomposing, and shoes are in great demand in third world countries.

February 8, 2012
Hanging with Madonna
With hundreds of millions of people throughout the world watching Super Bowl XLVI, Avon made a nice splash.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

HRH recognized for patient satisfaction

Has Indianapolis done a good job of hosting the Super Bowl?

Site Map