There are many ways to improve patient experience like enhancing employee engagement and patient attentiveness - with MedSitter remote patient observation.
Patient satisfaction is defined as a subjective measure of whether a patient’s expectations about a health encounter were met. (Source: Guideway Care) In recent years, the healthcare industry has made significant moves towards prioritizing patient satisfaction—don’t forget, patient satisfaction scores have been linked to federal reimbursements and value-based incentive payments. Many things contribute to a good patient experience, from best-in-class treatment to technologically advanced facilities. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a multitude of ways to improve patient experience, including both employee engagement and overall patient attentiveness. So, how does a hospital improve in these areas? With the help of MedSitter, remote patient observation.
How Patient Satisfaction Surveys are Linked to Federal Reimbursement
It’s no surprise that patient satisfaction is important for hospitals. Hospitals want patients to get well, and they want them to feel cared for and be satisfied with their overall experience. However, studies have shown that these patient satisfaction surveys are not just for the hospital to see where they can improve, but for programs to also decide how much federal reimbursement or payment a hospital will get. According to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-148) included HCAHPS among the measures to be used to calculate value-based incentive payments in the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program, beginning with discharges in October 2012.” (Source: CMS)
In essence, if your patient satisfaction surveys do well, you will get more federal reimbursement and/or value-based incentive payments. So how can you raise patient satisfaction at your hospital to ensure you get that reimbursement? One way, studies have shown, is by improving employee engagement and prioritizing attentive treatments.
How Employee Engagement Links to Patient Satisfaction
No matter the industry, at a basic level, friendlier employees create a better environment and atmosphere for customers. And the same is true of hospital workers and patients. Think about it this way: if you were a patient, would you want an attentive, engaged nurse checking on you? Or one who is unengaged and inattentive? And how would you fill out your patient satisfaction survey at the end of your stay? When organization[s] such as those within the healthcare field directly service customers or patients, the employee’s level of engagement can potentially have an impact on the patient’s level of satisfaction and their overall experience within the organization. (Source: UKDiss)
So how can you improve employee engagement, to therefore provide better a patient experience? According to some studies, things like developing a rapport, making care personal, communicating consistently, and listening, are among the most important in improv[ing] employee engagement. (Source: Relias) And how does a hospital do that? One way—is with MedSitter.
How MedSitter Boosts Employee Engagement and Supports Attentive Care
MedSitter is a remote patient observation solution that allows one virtual patient sitter (your employee) to watch up to ten patients at one time. As previously stated above, some of the best ways to improve employee engagement is through attentiveness: developing a rapport with patients, communicating consistently to patients, and listening to patients. When a patient is under MedSitter observation, there is someone paying attention to them at all times. The idea is that the MedSitter observer can immediately address any needs or concerns the patient may have. The observer is there when the nurse is not – they are attentive and engaged.
MedSitter was originally designed to be a patient safety tool—one sitter able to watch ten patients at once. Initially conceptualized to help prevent patient falls, its impact has expanded beyond fall prevention, and has proven to provide vital support to improving employee engagement with patients, and therefore enhancing patient satisfaction.
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