What patients know about saving money and improving care could provide your hospital with the answers it needs in relation to cost-cutting, improving operational efficiencies, and enhancing patient care. Accessing that information is achieved through the application of ethnography.

Ethnography is an innovative practice that studies the culture and habits of people in specific situations. In healthcare, it can be used to improve patient and family satisfaction and care coordination within a bundled payment model by gaining frontline insights from patients and their families.

Hospitals deliver enormous value to their communities with initiatives to promote health and well-being, prevent disease, and strengthen community partnerships. Building on these relationships with ethnographic techniques enhances that trust.

Your hospital will need a unique patient map and proven strategies to deliver robust and data-rich insights by:

• Targeting the true needs of your patients and their families.
• Revealing the frustrations for patients and families in their experience with your hospital.

These insights inform the implementation of an actionable roadmap with innovative ideas for improvement.

As CMS now reimburses hospitals based on the quality of their patient care, which incorporates the patient experience, I encourage all healthcare providers to carry out this process.

Here are three areas where patient insights can help to deliver cost-saving initiatives. These can be frequently overlooked in the pressured environment in which hospital leaders often find themselves.

The impact of silos in your hospital

The patient journey through your hospital is complex, often involving multiple departments. When teams work in silos, or communication breaks down, the patient experience suffers. Patients also express concern over this process.

The breaking down of silos improves patient flow through your hospital, especially in critical areas, such as the ER. This is a concern for physicians as well as patients, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians:[1]

• 60% said overcrowding forces the diversion of patients with urgent needs elsewhere.
• 28% stated this occurs more than 20 times every year.

Hospital-wide resources management can save your hospital money and improve care. Our comprehensive Patient Journey Mapping™ survey can help to reveal the vulnerable points in your hospital which are increasing costs and impacting patient care.

The patient discharge process

Clear communication at the time of patient discharge means that patients are less likely to be readmitted to your hospital. The average readmission cost per diagnosis back in 2016 was $14,400. Furthermore, it is estimated that one in six patients are now readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge.

Patients want to know what to expect when leaving the hospital after treatment or surgery. Research shows that when patients clearly understand guidance around their medications and care when arriving home, readmissions fall. Frontline insights from your patients will reinforce the need for hospital staff to ensure they fully comprehend all instructions and guidance relating to their discharge.

It should also be noted that we strongly recommend confirming the patient’s social circumstances prior to the time of discharge. Social determinants of health can often cause patients to return to the ER with the same symptoms that resulted in their initial admission.

The overlooked patient billing experience

As I highlighted above, CMS reimbursement is becoming increasingly dependent on patient satisfaction and that satisfaction includes the billing process.

Their experience with billing is often both the initial and final interaction your patients have with your organization. If they believe they are overcharged or their expectations are not met, patient satisfaction suffers.
The extent of the impact on your operating margins is revealed in a study published in October 2019 which found that US healthcare consumers will change their providers over a poor digital experience — which includes online bill payment and e-mailed billing processes[2].

• 41% of consumers would choose another healthcare provider over a poor digital experience.
• Furthermore, 60% of consumers find healthcare bills confusing, which often results in delayed payment and less money to invest in your hospital.
• In addition, that poor experience can lead to lower patient satisfaction scores and lower reimbursements.

Gaining invaluable patient insights into this often overlooked area can help to transform your overall patient experience and save your hospital money, particularly in administrative costs involved in billing.

[1]http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/ImprovementStories/BetterPatientFlowMeansBreakingDowntheSilos.aspx
[2] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-finds-us-healthcare-consumers-will-switch-providers-over-poor-digital-experiences-300934851.html

The post What Patients Know About Saving Money and Improving Care appeared first on Medika Life.

Healthcare ethnography can help your hospital to discover front-line insights to transform patient care and the patient experience and save money.

In some places, outdated industry standards have become ritualized. A proactive approach to innovation and improvement is not always possible for hospital staff immersed in their daily routines.

Ethnography offers your hospital a solution to achieve and maintain operational efficiency in what is often a disruptive healthcare environment.

What is Ethnography?

Ethnography studies the culture and habits of people in specific situations. In healthcare, it can be applied to:

• Explain discrepancies between what patients say and what they do.
• Identify needs that people can’t articulate explicitly.
• Describe both usage and meaning of healthcare services.
• Put a human face on market data through real-life stories.
• Evaluate current products or services or create brand new ones.
• Help collect and organize multiple viewpoints and represent patients in an unbiased manner.
• Directly provide patient models that can quickly generate many good ideas.

Gaining front line insights from the viewpoint of patients, their families, and carers is essential to improve the quality of patient care. Our ethnographers use this qualitative research methodology to understand how to improve individual departments within your hospital, leading to greater patient and family satisfaction. The care coordination within a bundled payment model is also enhanced.

Our holistic approach involves gathering subjective insights to accompany data analytics and equip your hospital with the tools it needs for continuous innovation and improvement.

Our Process

The first part of the process is to illustrate a Patient Journey Map™ to identify existing challenges within your hospital. Our experienced ethnographers then collaborate with your team to create sustainable solutions.

One pathway to this process (VIE Healthcare), is to adopt a holistic approach that engages employees, patients, and their families by examining and analyzing their behaviors, attitudes and emotions.

The result is the discovery of valuable front line insights to empower your organization with opportunities that innovate and improve products and services to meet those needs.

Our team of ethnographers can uncover and solve hidden, complex issues in the delivery of your care and operational performances across your hospital, which can result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.
Our process involves:

• Engagement with, and interviewing your employees, allowing them to contribute individual insights and ideas. This helps us to recommend improvements and enhance patient care.
• Shadowing surgical cases from the front line to observe the decision-making process and staff performance. This gives us the insight to identify inefficiencies or areas where shortcuts are made often due to a lack of effective training or awareness of regulations.

Benefits of Ethnography in Healthcare

In summary, ethnography offers numerous benefits in your hospital, including:

• Target the actual needs of patients and families, saving valuable time and resources.
• Identify process improvements that have a tangible effect on your staff’s daily activities.
• Improve staff satisfaction by allowing them to be heard and addressing their needs.
• Redesign care through a collaborative approach for patients, families and staff.
• Multi-disciplinary care coordination throughout the care continuum.
• Improve patient satisfaction scores that directly impact bundle payments and reimbursement.
• Transform the patient experience.
• Reduce your hospital purchased costs.

Ethnography for Exceptional Patient Care

The insights we discover during our analysis reveal the unspoken needs of your patients and families to transform the patient experience and deliver a smoother patient journey through your organizational boundaries.

Our insights reduce errors, duplications and delays often experienced during processes such as “hand-offs.”

The result is improved health outcomes and a more enriching experience for patients and their families, positioning your hospital as a thought leader in the healthcare sector. As value-based care comes to the forefront, it becomes an essential part of driving margin improvement for the survival of your hospital.

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