Managing your post-discharge call program is essential if you’re looking to reduce readmission rates, improve staff recognition, and raise HCAHPS scores. Timely callbacks from trained professionals help patients feel comfortable enough to give honest and accurate reflections on their stay.
There are many cost-effective reasons for working with a partner, such as PREMEDEX, for extending communications after discharge. Partners eliminate staffing burdens, while providing economy of scale and advanced reporting.
In choosing a partner, keep in mind that their approach will become an extension of your care. Are they aligned with your organization’s focus? Are callers asking the right questions and reinforcing the patient experience you’ve worked hard to achieve?
Additional to helping your hospital reduce readmission rates and gain patient experience insights, PREMEDEX’s Post-DC Call Program helps patients have confidence after discharge. To exemplify our approach, please meet Nina Cantrell, Lead Care Coordinator for engagements with patients discharged from Inova Fair Oaks Hospital (IFOH).
IFOH is one of Inova Health System’s five hospitals and a top-ranked 182-bed acute care community hospital serving the rapidly growing suburbs of Northern Virginia. IFOH is committed to providing safe care, excellent service and is continuously striving to improve each patient’s unique experience.
Nina’s approach. Nina reaches out to about 80 patients per day, within days following their stay. Her focus is on identifying opportunities in areas such as communication, timeliness and discharge instructions. Additionally, she provides positive feedback and staff recognition based on each patient’s experience of care.
Nina will tell you she’s passionate about customer service – and providing a genuine encounter for patients. “It’s a vulnerable time for people,” Nina told me, “an especially critical time for exercising kindness and consideration. So, I’m purposeful in letting the patient know I’m with them, listening.”
Nina appreciates opportunities to be helpful, assuring, and encouraging with patients. She honors feelings, and she’s quick to remind a patient that their needs are important. Talking with Nina and working with her, I’ve gained a sure sense that she enjoys feeling useful and making a positive difference along each patient’s journey. And she sees herself as a vehicle for communicating staff recognition, by “giving patients an opportunity to express their gratitude in detail and passing this along.”
When you’re considering a professional partner for post-discharge calls, or if your reevaluating your current program, consider the impact on perceptions of care. At PREMEDEX, with Nina’s example, we are passionate about always explaining ourselves in ways your patients can understand, always treating your patients with courtesy and respect, and always making sure your patients feel heard.
Contact PREMEDEX to learn how we can help your team extend confidence for your patients after discharge.