Posted by Kristin Baird on January 24th, 2017 • No Comments »

Say the name Pavlov and most of us recall the famous research he conducted with dogs, a bell and food. In his work with classic conditioning, Pavlov proved that he could evoke a predictable response (salivation) when an otherwise neutral stimulus (bell) was repeatedly paired with a positive stimulus of food. Read more...

When Patients Experience Staff Discord

Posted by Kristin Baird on January 19th, 2017 • No Comments »

Collaboration and teamwork are as essential to the patient experience as they are to the employee experience. No one wants to go to work with people they don’t like or with whom they don’t get along. Working in discord is difficult for employees, but may be even worse for patients who are already in a vulnerable position.

What happens when patients sense that their care team doesn’t get along? In both our mystery shopping experiences and my own personal observations, I’ve come to appreciate just how damaging discord is to the patient experience. Patients lose confidence in their care and often feel uncomfortable just being in the presence of staff that doesn’t get along. Read more...

Comfort Always

Posted by Kristin Baird on January 17th, 2017 • No Comments »

There’s an expression in medicine that I’ve always loved. It is, “To cure sometimes, relieve often and comfort always.” This simple adage is as grounding as it is inspirational.

As I sit by my sister’s bedside following a twelve hour, complex surgery, I have an even greater appreciation for the importance of comfort for both her and me. Like many family members, it’s difficult to see a loved one in pain, and it leaves us feeling helpless. Read more...

Communication Delivers Both Information and Reassurance

Posted by Kristin Baird on January 12th, 2017 • 1 Comment »

Today is one of the days when I’m hunkered down in a hospital for the long haul. As the sister of a complex, chronically ill woman, I am no stranger to long waits in surgical waiting rooms. Elizabeth’s last few surgeries ranged from four to fourteen hours in length, so I know to expect a full day of waiting. But the nice thing is that I’m kept well informed. Read more...

Don’t be Fooled by “Fine”

Posted by Kristin Baird on January 10th, 2017 • No Comments »

Have you ever noticed how often people respond “fine” when asked about service? The waitress in a restaurant asks, “How is everything?” and chances are, nearly everyone responds “Fine,” even when it’s not. The same thing happens when healthcare leaders ask patients how everything is. If you accept “fine” as good enough, then you’re missing the opportunity to learn more.

I recently heard someone say that fine is just an acronym for Feelings Inside Not Expressed. When someone tells you everything is fine, take the opportunity to ask them to name at least one thing that could be better. Chances are, you’ll learn something worthwhile.

Become a Patient Experience Influencer

Posted by Kristin Baird on January 3rd, 2017 • No Comments »

In my line of work I have the pleasure of speaking with numerous patient experience champions. These are people with a passion for service excellence and strong commitment to improving the patient experience. One of their most common challenges they face is feeling like there is too much to do, not enough time and not enough resources to get it all done. They are absolutely right – if they are trying to do it all alone. This is the most common mistake of all. One single person cannot do everything that needs to be done in order to build an organization of service awareness and unwavering accountability. Read more...

What’s Your Patient Experience Strategy for 2017?

Posted by Kristin Baird on December 27th, 2016 • No Comments »

This week between Christmas and New Year’s is a great time to bring 2016 to a close, and gear up for success in 2017. It tends to be quieter than other weeks, creating a lull that is ideal for reflection and planning. As you look back at your patient experience goals for 2016, consider both the organization’s progress as well as your own. Did you hit the goals you had for patient satisfaction scores and employee engagement? How about goals you had for your own personal or professional development? If you find yourself looking back at 2016 with some disappointment over unmet goals, don’t be too hard on yourself. Many of you are in uncharted territory trying to navigate a new role with increasing importance to the organization. Read more...

The Mid-Level Provider is In

Posted by Kristin Baird on December 22nd, 2016 • No Comments »

There is no shortage of jargon in healthcare. Using common language is essential to a great patient experience. It’s bad enough that much of our vernacular sounds like alphabet soup, but there are some terms that are absolutely unnecessary for patients to hear. Ever. Like the term mid-level provider.

We recently had a mystery shopper call for an appointment at a medical practice. He was told that he couldn’t see a doctor, but they’d be glad to schedule him with a mid-level provider. Did they really expect the caller to know what that meant? He didn’t. So he asked, “What is a mid-level provider?” The scheduler explained that it was a nurse practitioner. He immediately understood what a nurse practitioner was, and accepted the next available appointment with her. Read more...

Is Wait Time a Deal Breaker in the Patient Experience?

Posted by Kristin Baird on December 20th, 2016 • 1 Comment »

Wait time is an important element in the patient experience, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Waiting is an inconvenience, but not being informed makes it worse. When our mystery shoppers make patient visits, they track not only the actual wait time in minutes, but they also document the waiting experience and how they felt about it.

We find that most of our mystery patients will tolerate waiting much better when they are kept informed about the anticipated time, and the reason for the delay. Unfortunately this simple action is not done nearly as often as it should be. Based on our data, I’d say that for every situation where staff does a good job of keeping patients informed, there are ten that don’t. Read more...

Privacy or Peepshow?

Posted by Kristin Baird on December 13th, 2016 • No Comments »

I always enjoy reading about new healthcare facilities and how the latest designs enhance the patient experience. Not long ago, I was at a conference where one of these designs was being lauded for improving efficiency and convenience. The problem is that it looked good on paper, but the actual patient experience turned out to be short on privacy. Read more...

Blog Home

Categories

Pavlov and the Patient Experience