Patient engagement programs deliver a better experience and may drive revenues, but some professionals have found that changing how they interact with patients may have the biggest impact, according to an article in Healthcare Finance News.
Maureen Harding, R.N., is leading efforts at Barnabas Health System in New Jersey, and she told HFN that one of the system's major goals is to help patients better trust their providers. "One of things that we do to help with improving the patient experience is to really coach our employees to engage with the patient, and make sure they're connecting with them on a personal level," Harding said.
Greeting patients with a smile and trying not to overwhelm them with too much information are potential techniques to consider. Harding told HFN that what is a seemingly small measure has made a significant difference in how patients perceive their experiences with the health system. She said they began with having nurses practice the approach before extending it to everyone employed by the system, even those in the C-suite.
Barnabas employees are trained in mock scenarios, Harding told HFN, where nurses are recorded as if they are treating a patient and the footage is then reviewed by other staff members. The system's ultimate goal is to reach the 90th percentile in the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey ratings.
To learn more:
- read the Healthcare Finance News article