Posted by Kristin Baird on June 5th, 2018 • 1 Comment »

Service recovery is an essential in improving the patient experience. When people think of service recovery, it’s common to immediately recall the most difficult situations. For example, the caller who yelled profanities about his bill, the family member who says he’s going to consult an attorney, or the patient who threatened to leave AMA because no one answered her call light. The truth is, service recovery opportunities often slip by unnoticed, unless everyone is trained to spot the subtle signs that trouble is brewing, and intercede as quickly as possible. It’s often the little things that matter. Read more...

A New Understanding of Grief

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 22nd, 2018 • 1 Comment »

Grief is a lonely process. As a healthcare provider, I’ve seen grief throughout my career. I’ve been on the side of tragedy and loss where I was the one helping others walk through a crisis and bereavement. I’ve learned the stages of grief from Elizabeth Kubler Ross and have been able to apply those principles in both death and non-death loss. But this week I became acquainted with a type of grief I’ve never known when my 23-year-old granddaughter, Angelina was suddenly and tragically killed in a head on collision on her way to work. Read more...

Running from Service Recovery Opportunities?

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 17th, 2018 • No Comments »

It’s human nature to run from danger. When you are trained as a paramedic, firefighter, police officer you are taught to run toward the danger. They know that their role is to identify the problem and take immediate action. Rescue personnel run confidently toward danger. Service recovery opportunities are missed because we don’t help healthcare employees see service recovery opportunities and run toward them. Rather they avoid it. Read more...

Shadow Coaches Improve the Patient Experience

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 15th, 2018 • No Comments »

An aspiring athlete can read dozens of books and watch hundreds of videos on great basketball techniques, but chances are good that will have minimal effect. Unless they, 1) play an actual game with others, and 2) get feedback and coaching to apply the techniques. The same applies to physician shadow coaching. Many physicians have learned techniques for enhancing the patient experience but may still miss subtle opportunities that will reap huge rewards.

One of the best ways to gain insights into the patient experience is through shadowing and coaching. Shadow/coaching is effective in many training situations but I find it invaluable to clinicians, including physicians, who interact with patients. This process includes two key elements: Read more...

5 Tips for Celebrating & Supporting Nurses All Year

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 10th, 2018 • No Comments »

It’s Nurse’s Week and I am loving all the inspiring and heart-warming articles and ads giving recognition to this most trusted profession. It’s great that once a year we put nurses in the limelight and celebrate their many contributions. But what would it look like if we all made a conscious effort to honor, support and celebrate nurses on a consistent basis?

5 Tips

1. When you see something, say something! Just like the TSA, when you see a nurse doing something that shows great technical skill, empathy or compassion – speak up and tell her or him that you are impressed. Read more...

Let’s Get Real About Incentives

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 8th, 2018 • No Comments »

It’s pretty common for me to get calls from healthcare leaders who are struggling with physician HCAHPS scores. It’s also common for me to learn that there are little or no consequences for physicians who have poor patient satisfaction scores. They are not looking at the whole picture, including incentives.

Balance Volume with Satisfaction

Incentives for physicians are still centered on productivity. This is the case in both inpatient and ambulatory settings. Often without significant incentive for patient satisfaction. Contracted physicians sometimes dictate that they want high patient volume in order to reap the financial rewards. You will get what you reward, volume without regard for patient experience. Balance volume incentives with patient satisfaction. Read more...

Don’t make it easy for hecklers and naysayers

Posted by Kristin Baird on May 3rd, 2018 • No Comments »

The other day I was talking to a manager who was working hard to improve the patient experience in her department. She had done a wonderful job presenting the “why” and “how” to create a positive patient experience. She was committed and enthusiastic about what her team could accomplish. Then the hecklers got to her.

To remind her team of the commitment to always, she had a sign printed for the breakroom that said, “Committed to Always.” As she prepared to hang the sign, two of the staff members started laughing and teasing about feminine hygiene products by the same name. They joked about ways they would “decorate” the sign with said products. So what did this manager do? She chose to not hang the sign. The hecklers had basically bullied her into giving up on her message. Read more...

Add the Patient to the Care Team

Posted by Kristin Baird on April 26th, 2018 • No Comments »

How are you inviting patient engagement?

Patient engagement is a priority for many organizations. It seems that everywhere I look there is another piece of technology being release along with claims that it increases patient engagement. If you ask me, I think we frequently miss an obvious opportunity to engage patients. We forget to invite them to participate, and be part of the care team. Read more...

Asking This One Question Will Improve Your Patient Experience

Posted by Kristin Baird on April 24th, 2018 • No Comments »

We all judge our experiences differently. What is most important to me, may not be at the top of someone else’s list. And vice versa – what someone else sees as most important may not matter at all to me. The only way to find out what is most important to your patients is to ask. If you don’t ask the question, you won’t find out.

In spite of this simple logic, many patients go through both inpatient and outpatient encounters without ever being asked what is most important to them. And that is a missed opportunity. Read more...

Don’t Say That!

Posted by Kristin Baird on April 19th, 2018 • No Comments »

We’re understaffed – 3 words that shake patient confidence

I cannot think of one time in my career when I heard caregivers complain about being overstaffed. Being understaffed, however is a daily occurrence in hospitals and medical practices across the country. Staff are often running to keep up with the workload. Read more...

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3 Pitfalls to Service Recovery