Leaders and front-line staff team up to improve patient satisfaction

In an organization as large as Salem Health, creating change and building culture can be a challenge. But Salem Health has adopted a relentless and systematic approach to improving and fulfilling its mission: providing patients with exceptional care.

Press Ganey, an organization that measures health care satisfaction nationwide, recently awarded Salem Health the 2015 Press Ganey Success Story Award because of a specific and effective way that the organization has built culture and created positive change.

The award recognizes outstanding health care organizations with compelling stories of innovation and leadership that have measurably improved patient experience, clinical quality and caregiver engagement. Salem Health was one of only 15 organizations across the nation to receive this award.

Salem Health’s story focuses on building regular “check-ins” across the organization, from the highest levels of leadership to clinical staff and patients. This new system improved patient satisfaction and decreased patient falls.

The strategy was to implement rounding, and to set a new culture at Salem Health that involved leader presence at the place of work.

The hard work that went into connected checking began with the Executive Leadership Committee and extended through directors, managers and ultimately clinical staff rounding hourly on patients. This is a shining example of a cultural change and team effort to serve patients better.

Executives increased rounding from 56 percent to 98 percent. Directors and managers began rounding with a 90 percent success rate. Overall patient satisfaction scores increased from 86 to 86.8. In one unit, harmful falls decreased by 40 percent thanks to purposeful hourly rounding by clinical staff.

In other words, across the Salem Health organization, leaders and front-line staff worked together in a coordinated way, solved problems, and increased patient satisfaction and safety.

If you are interested in joining a unique organization with a great mission and proven commitment to improvement, look into Salem Health’s employment and volunteer opportunities.