Hospital Mystery Shopping News & Notes

 

SPRING 2012

 

Are you ready for the proposed new “Value Based Purchasing Program” (VBPP) slated to become effective October, 2012?

If you’re an acute care hospital, VBPP will link payment to your clinical care and patient experience scores. Performance measures will include patients’ perceptions of their care as reported in HCAHPS. Initial performance is expected to be measured from 7/1/2011 to 3/31/2012.

Initially, 1% of DRGs will be tied to performance and quality measures. There will be a total of 25 performance measures — 17 clinical and 8 HCAPHS experience dimensions. Clinical measures will be weighted 70%; patient experience dimensions will be weighted 30%.

If your scores aren’t where you want them to be on your inpatient units, or in your ER or Outpatient areas, we’ll work with you to register and treat faux patients who will provide valuable feedback about what needs to be done to improve the patient experience. We can also help you identify safety or infection control infractions that may impact clinical outcomes. Call us for further information at +1-858-456-7800.
 


Patient Satisfaction Declines in Hospitals

According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, the overall patient satisfaction score for hospitals was 73 out of 100 for the first quarter of 2010. Patient satisfaction with outpatient care rose 1 percent to 81, but satisfaction with inpatient services fell 5% to 74, its lowest point in five years. Satisfaction with Emergency Room services dropped 12% to 64 out of 100.

Our Secret Patient evaluations have consistently identified communication problems as a key source of patient dissatisfaction, including the need for hospitals to standardize and monitor procedures for communicating with patients and families in the areas of greetings and acknowledgments; explanations of roles, expectations, treatment and discharge instructions; and keeping patients informed about waiting times and delays.

Speaking about waiting times and delays …
 


Entrepreneurs Design Innovative Online Systems to Help Hospital ERs, Offices and Clinics Cut Waiting Time

Online Reservation System Cuts Waiting Time in ERs, Urgent Care, Doctors’ Offices and Clinics

An innovative online reservation system has signed up hospitals in 10 states. InQuickER lets patients pay a fee of $14.99 to $24.99 to set up an appointment online for non-emergent hospital emergency care. Patients can wait in the comfort of their own homes rather than the ER or Urgent Care waiting room. If patients aren’t seen within 15 minutes, they get their money back. www.inquicker.com

New Online Service Lets Patients Check Waiting Times in Doctors’ Offices, Clinics, ERs and Urgent Care

Another new and innovative web and mobile service called MedWaitTime was launched in Chicago last May to help patients determine if their doctor is running late for an appointment. It has recently been expanded to offer emergency and urgent care wait room times, as well. A partnership between the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine (AAUCM) and MedWaitTime to provide the MedWaitTime system to AAUCM members may help this struggling service. One of its big challenges seems to be that the service is not automated so offices and hospitals have to update the waiting time information manually. www.medwaittime.com
 

 

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Devon Hill Associates provides Mystery Shopping for Hospitals, Healthcare and Senior Living & Long-term Care Organizations

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For information on mystery shopping and other services, call Barbara Gerber at +1-858-456-7800.

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