Why the patient experience movement will continue

by Jason A. Wolf When I first heard the term patient experience used, it was bemoaned by some as the latest management fad and others as a marketing ploy created to attract healthcare clients for new products. While these reactions may have been deserved based on other healthcare precedents, these reactions did not represent what was truly taking place. What started with words and an idea grounded in a rich history of advocacy and service, has taken on a true life of its own. Now patient experience is nothing short of a powerful and growing movement. In my very first Hospital Impact blog post, I stressed that "while patient experience may be seen by some as a fad based on recent policy (i.e., a must do for now until the environment shifts), it is gaining greater traction as leaders now have the air cover needed to address patient experience as the right thing to do in a way they may not have been able to before." From those words in fall of 2011, I have seen unparalleled energy focused on the improvement of patient experience in all corners of the globe. One way this has manifested itself is in "I am the Patient Experience" videos so many healthcare organizations are creating. One chief nursing officer shared with me that creating her organization's video reinforced, more than any training, mandate or memo, the role everyone plays and the accountability they have in providing the best in experience. Perhaps as equally indicative has been the growth of the patient ex...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs