Avera McKennan Home Care - Sioux Falls, SD
Compass Award Winner: Home Health Care
Avera McKennan Home Care began a performance improvement project to increase patient satisfaction on September 22, 2005. Press Ganey scores indicated that patients’ perception of the care the organization was providing was not a true reflection of its goal of providing “very good” patient care.
It was determined that the following factors contributed to the low Press Ganey scores:
- Patients were not educated regarding the survey.
- There was no scripting in place to provide consistent communication to the patients.
- There was poor communication between disciplines and between staff and patients.
- Patients were unclear of discharge goals.
- Staff did not clearly explain the plan of care and goals to the patient, which led to unrealistic expectations.
The team began making improvements by developing scripting that correlated with the questions on the Press Ganey survey (e.g., “I care about your privacy/dignity, personal needs,” “You are the most important member of our team. We want to include you and your family as we plan your care”). The CARE campaign was implemented to assist in improving Communication (be an effective communicator, keep customers informed, identify yourself appropriately), Attitude (demonstrate compassion, hospitality, stewardship; treat everyone as the most important person; take pride in personal and facility appearance), Responsiveness (follow-through and follow-up, own service recovery, anticipate and respond to people’s needs), and Engagement (own each situation; demonstrate commitment to co-workers; be innovative, find solutions; collaborate with others to deliver the highest quality care or service).
Staff began educating patients regarding the survey. On the second visit, patients are shown a blank copy of the Press Ganey survey and informed that they will be receiving a survey following discharge from home care services. It is also explained to the patient that the goal is to provide them with “very good” care. The patient is re-educated on the survey at discharge and again during a follow-up call one week after discharge. Patient are asked whether or not Avera McKennan Home Care was able to meet their expectations and what could have been done differently to improve the experience. All disciplines educate patients on the care plan goals and keep them informed on their progress towards achieving goals. Clinicians document “progress towards goals” to keep each other informed and to provide consistent communication from staff to patients. Since implementing these improvements, Avera McKennan Home Care experienced a consistent improvement in its Press Ganey scores. In the 1st Quarter 2005, the mean score was 84.3 and the organization was in the 6th percentile. As of the 2nd Quarter 2006, which is the most recent, the mean score was at 92.7 and the 81st percentile.