Case Study #1
Client: Private Hospital
A hospital’s doctors and medical procedures received high scores while facilities and services received low scores on a third-party survey. Low scores directly affect Medicare reimbursements and patient referrals. The hospital owner brought in The Mithra Group to assess the situation and devise solutions.
Problems That Mithra Identified And Mithra Solutions:
- Having to complete pages of cumbersome paperwork on the morning of their procedure was problematic for patients and lowered the hospital’s satisfaction score. Mithra reorganized admissions procedures, allowing patients to fill out 90% of their documents electronically and submit them in advance. The new procedures worked well, since any questions or omissions on the paperwork could be addressed prior to the morning of the procedure. Additionally, patients were less anxious during check-in about bringing required documents and their pre-op time was more efficient and relaxed.
- Valet parking is a hospital amenity seven days a week, but Mithra discovered it was not available during the early-morning hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when patients were arriving for procedures. Patients and their companions were starting their hospital experience feeling confused and stressed instead of being greeted by a helpful parking attendant and having a positive first impression. Mithra advised the hospital to begin the valet service two hours earlier on patient procedure days — a minimal financial outlay for an immediate and quantifiable positive patient response.
- Companions arriving in the early morning with patients found a closed cafeteria and no place to purchase a drink or food. The hospital tried to fix this problem by offering coffee and snacks in the waiting rooms, but the service was not maintained properly. Cold coffee and messy waiting rooms soon caused poor reviews. Mithra did a cost analysis and showed the hospital how opening the cafeteria with minimum staff and offering a limited menu during mornings would result in positive review and increased revenues that would pay for the early opening.
- Patients residing overnight at the hospital found the scheduling of care unclear. To take the confusion and anxiety out of their experience, Mithra offered a re-organized plan for the nursing stations which assigned a primary caregiver to provide a personalized daily schedule for each patient, including times medications would be administered, when meals would be served, what time tests or procedures would occur, etc. Hospital-patient communications were improved, leading to greater customer satisfaction.
- To add a feeling of warmth to generic hospital rooms, Mithra recommended small changes like new curtains, pillows on guest chairs and throws at the foot of beds. In addition, Mithra suggested a cable TV service upgrade, including sports coverage for men and networks like Bravo and Lifetime for women. These minor improvements greatly improved customer satisfaction at a minimal expense.
- While the hospital’s in-room meal service received passing marks, Mithra suggested food presentation be elevated to a higher level. Upgrading china and silverware and adding personal touches like fresh-baked breads and a selection of nicely displayed condiments made mealtime more pleasant, and patient feedback improved immediately.
- Mithra worked with the hospital’s landscape and outdoor environment staff to make the exterior more inviting, creating private mini-park-like settings where patients could relax on their own or meet with guests.
- Another problem discovered by Mithra was the cumbersome check-out process at the hospital. When a patient is finally well enough to leave a hospital, they long for a speedy and efficient exit plan. To expedite the process, Mithra had one nurse who would handle all the paperwork for each exiting patient. This way, patients could make a timely exit, with prescriptions filled, follow-up appointments scheduled and have the nurse’s contact information for any questions. The new process imparted positive feelings about the hospital. In addition, Mithra instituted a follow-up call system from the same nurse who handled the discharge to make sure patients arrived home safely and could answer any questions they might have.
Mithra Overall Results: The Mithra Group identified solutions for key areas of scheduling and service that brought immediate positive feedback and benefits to the hospital’s bottom line.