The November 2016 Team Forums offered in in Cambridge, Chestertown and Easton were very well attended. What follows here is a summary of the information presented.
Introduction: Ken welcomed those in attendance and thanked everyone who took time to fill out the recent Employee Engagement Survey and stated that the intent of the survey is to receive feedback from the staff to learn what the organization is doing well and what opportunities we have to improve.
“Defining the Patient Experience” was the subject for this round of team forums. On hand to give presentations about patient experience initiatives now in progress were Jo Anne Thomson, director, Patient Experience; Jonathan Kelley, director, Environmental Services; and Matthew Tresansky, director, Food Services.
PATIENT EXPERIENCE OVERVIEW
Presented by Jo Ann Thomson, Director, Patient Experience
SRH Vision: To be the Region’s Leader in Patient Centered Health Care
Deliver a consistently memorable (and appropriate) experience for patients and their families
Purpose: Empower meaningful care relationships
Action Plan: Build a strong foundation
FY 2017 Priorities:
- Reorganize and enhance a centralized Patient Experience function
- Develop a comprehensive Patient Experience Program
Service Excellence Training – Communicate with H.E.A.R.T. ®
Rewards & Recognition - Create transparency
- Create a welcoming and healing physical and emotional environment
How to Contact Patient Experience Team Members:
Patient Experience Advocate: Elizabeth Flair – 410-822-1000, ext. 5828
Service Excellence Coach and Trainer: Christine Clarke, ext. 5866
Director, Patient Experience: Jo Anne Thomson – 410-822-1000, ext. 5724
Chief Experience Officer: Susan Coe – 443-804-5627
Over-Arching Imperatives: Excellent Operations and Care Relationships
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES: POSITIVE IMPRESSIONS PROGRAM
Presented by Jonathan Kelley, Director, Environmental Services
New, redesigned courtesy-based approach, including:
- Defining Moments – Staff is trained to speak key words to the patient. This is a consistent message across the organization so the patient hears the same message, which confirms uniform service standards.
- Team Member Engagement – Rewards and recognition – Establishing a direct correlation between tying team member reward and recognition to patient satisfaction goal achievement by unit.
Engaging nursing staff – Building a sense of community on each nursing unit is paramount to our success on that unit. - Tailored Fit – Instead of taking a cookie-cutter approach to enhancing the patient experience, we tailor our approach by facility and by unit. Each unit has a dedicated patient experience action plan that includes that unit’s top priorities, and takes into consideration the unit’s patient satisfaction performance.
- Expertise – Patient experience reminders that are delivered prior to every shift during our start meetings. These 3-5 minute brief conversations serve as a consistent reminder to all involved that our patient experience efforts are the most important thing we do.
E2: An innovative program that has been piloted over the past year, E squared refers to a flex staffing model that creates a “trifecta,” as follows:
- Patient experience is improved due to utilizing staff efficiently and effectively.
- Staff engagement is increase by allowing EVS team members to be in a role in which they feel comfortable and confident.
- Patient experience is greatly increased by allowing staff members who are customer service oriented to be placed in front of patients.
FOOD SERVICES
Presented by Matthew Tresansky,
High Performance Management Team: Highly motivated team that is……
- Innovative
- Goal and Results Orientated
- Program Driven
- Committed to excellence at all University of Maryland Shore Regional Health facilities
Executional Framework: Focus area: Patient First
- Implement patience menu cycle
- Conduct patient QA program
- Implement Service Excellence behaviors (WEST)
- Execute delivery program
- Conduct daily nurse and patient rounds
Inspired Training:
- W = Welcome, E = Engage, S = Smile, T = Thank you
- Training Tools: Coaching, videos, role playing, staff assessments, key words at key times, ongoing monitoring
Menu Innovation and Choice: Updating menus monthly to create variety and to give new options for patients with longer admissions.
Room Service Delivery:
- Nursing – Provides patient with proper menu according to diet order and explains room service to the patient.
- Call Center – Patient to place their order.
- Host/Hostess – Delivers tray to patient/picks up tray from patient.
- Management – Conducts rounds on inpatient units, provides patients with a business card, answers all calls left on hospitality hotline and provides service recovery.
Tray Management:
- Plate Presentation
- Test Tray Evaluation (per diet)
- Tray Accuracy Evaluation
- Temperature Compliance
- Tray Configuration
- Taste Testing
Adopt-A-Floor:
- Delivery of superior patient outcomes
- Foster collaboration between nursing and FNS
- Drive satisfaction by providing nourishing meals that meet the patient’s unique nutritional needs while influencing a healthier lifestyle
Rounding Innovation:
- Increase rounding at all facilities
- Evaluate Patient Connect at Dorchester and Chestertown facilities
- Use patient comments during rounds to develop an action plan for improving patient satisfaction
Patient Service Enhancements:
- Tray line realignment – resulting in faster delivery times
- Implemented hand held Spectra Link phones
- Daily huddles held at the “Patient Experience Board” highlighting opportunities for improvement
- Increased rounding by all management team using Patient Connect
- Scripting for patient contact – Management/Call Center/Host
- Introduction of smoothies in Birthing Center
UPDATE – ANNUAL OPERATING PLAN
Presented by Ken Kozel, President and CEO
Updates on initiatives within each of UM Shore Regional Health’s five goals were as follows:
Putting Patients First:
- Communicate with H.E.A.R.T. ®
- Reducing avoidable admission and readmissions
Innovation & Integrated Care:
- Telemedicine and its benefits
Access to Care:
- Assessment of medical staff in the region through provider survey. (What docs do we have? Where are they located? What are our immediate and future needs?)
- Looking into community transportation to our facilities
Team Strength:
- Increase executive and management rounding
- Continue team forums and surveys to learn more from our staff on how we can improve at Shore Regional Health
- New team member orientation
Financial Strength & Resources:
- 2% operating margin ($6.5 million profit on a $300+ million budget)
- Looking to reinvest into our facilities and team members