SPECIAL SERIES
SHARING THE FOUR HABITS OF HIGH VALUE HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS
An article in the December 2011 publication of the New England Journal of Medicine highlighted the four habits of highvalue health care organizations, which include: specification and planning; infrastructure design; measurement and oversight and self-study. Bohmer, Richard M.J. "The Four Habits of High-Value Health Care Organizations." New England Journal of Medicine 365, no. 22 (December 1, 2011): 2045-2047. Organizations that have developed these habits seek to learn from their own care and outcomes, looking for better ways to treat their patients. The author notes - experience suggests that these habits may be portable. In this light, the Quality and Patient Safety Division (QPSD) asked health care facilities to submit articles demonstrating their experience with one of the habits of a high-value organization. The QPSD is pleased to share the following articles submitted by two hospitals, Baystate Franklin Medical Center and Boston Medical Center.
SERVICE EXCELLENCE
Baystate Franklin Medical Center and the Northern Region- Gina Campbell RN, MSN, Director, Quality and Risk Management
The Journey Begins
In mid - 2010, the senior leadership team for Baystate Franklin Medical Center (BFMC) and the Baystate Health Northern Region determined the need for significant focus on the patient experience and service excellence. An assessment of the current state of the patient experience and service excellence for BFMC and the northern region was completed. A review of patient satisfaction data reported by the hospital's vendor for internal use and HCAHPS showed that scores were average at best. The number and nature of patient complaints was unacceptable. Discussions with key constituents, including the Patient and Family Advisory Council, the hospital's Community Forum, employees, and performance improvement service line teams, provided clear feedback that there was room for improvement. To begin the turnaround, senior leadership cited the need for a common vision and understanding of what was meant by exceptional service, and creation of a roadmap to get there.
The hospital president developed a white paper clearly stating the case for a strategic focus on service excellence. The core thesis was that long term cultural change was needed to make lasting progress, short and long-term steps to be considered were outlined, and a planning process proposed for the senior leadership team.
In the fall of 2010, the senior leadership team worked with Baystate Health's Department of Professional and Organizational Development to develop a series of structured meetings through which an assessment of the current state of the patient experience and service delivery for the hospital/region would be completed. This included a half day retreat for the senior leadership team dedicated to leading change in service excellence. The retreat concluded with members having a common understanding and commitment to making exceptional service a focus for the next year.
In February 2011, all members of the hospital's management team participated in a retreat to establish a common understanding of the importance of service excellence; determine what it would look like, sound like, and feel like in practice; and review the FY11 goal and metrics for the same. The retreat included presentations by key leaders and case study discussions based on real patient experiences in which the hospital had fallen short on service expectations. Activities at the retreat were designed to generate enthusiasm and a desire to improve current levels of service.
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