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Think about the last time you went to a restaurant and had a less than positive experience. The food might have tasted fine, but maybe you had to wait a long time for your food with no explanation. Afterward, did you tell any friends, family or coworkers about your negative experience, and vow never to go there again? Chances are, you forewarned more than one person not to eat at that restaurant and they likely took your advice. Word of mouth can be very powerful and no amount of advertising could match its impact on an organization's reputation.
Health care organizations also are subject to consumer scrutiny. Because patients assume hospitals are providing high-quality care in safe, secure environments, patients tend to shape their opinions of hospitals much more by how they are treated.
MedStar Health and MedStar Harbor Hospital are committed to developing a deeper understanding of patient expectations and measuring the quality of care our patients receive. In 2006, when the government announced plans to require hospitals to publicly report standardized clinical quality data, we proactively began reporting our data on our Web sites. This effort to provide transparency to our patients underscores that MedStar Harbor is a great place for patients to receive care, for physicians to practice and for associates to work.
Our SPIRIT value "Patient First" calls on each of us to deliver the very best to every patient every day, regardless of whether we are caregivers or those who support caregivers. The MedStar Patient Experience is our promise to patients-that we will do our very best to provide high-quality, safe care with excellent service. A sample of the patient survey will be posted on StarPort. I invite you to look at the survey and ask yourself those same questions we're asking our patients to answer. How would you rate the care we provide? Would you recommend MedStar Harbor Hospital to your family and friends?
The answers to these questions begin and end with you. Talk with your colleagues about what quality, safety, and service look like in your department, and opportunities for improvement. Help keep this promise by doing your part to create positive experiences for every patient, every time.
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