This is part two in a series of articles highlighting new research that demonstrates the relationship between patient satisfaction and avoidable readmissions, as well as the role of technology in transforming the patient experience across the continuum of care.
To continue our discussion of the recent study linking higher patient satisfaction to lower readmissions, we explore how healthcare systems can deliver the best care experience for patients by replacing pen and paper rounding with patient rounding technology. More specifically, patient satisfaction can be greatly improved with the proper utilization of digital rounding solutions. By collecting and analyzing data in real-time, digital rounding tools can inform patient safety and quality improvement with actionable insights. CipherRounds, CipherHealth’s best-in-class digital rounding solution, streamlines processes to enhance the patient experience by proactively identifying and resolving patient concerns at the point of care.
Change the Trajectory of Patient Experience
Enhance Service Recovery
Defined as the process of making things right after something has gone wrong with the healthcare experience, operational efficiency can transform the patient experience. Assessing communication quality, unmet needs, concerns, and the overall patient experience during the patient encounter can identify issues that may not be fully captured in standard post-discharge surveys, in which the opportunity to engage in quality improvement interventions has already passed. By leveraging a digital rounding solution, healthcare systems can change the trajectory of patient care in real time through proactive service recovery. When a service failure is addressed with immediate attention, health systems can build even greater customer loyalty than if there was no service failure to begin with. If communicated with sincerity and authenticity, effective service recovery shows that the organization cares about the individual needs and experiences of the patient. As a recognition of our shared humanity, empathy must extend beyond the diagnosis of the patient.
Shorten Issue Resolution Times
Digital rounding software provides the opportunity to automatically alert other members of the patient care team to quickly resolve issues. Streamlining nurse communication and workflow improves patient satisfaction, as patient concerns are addressed more efficiently at the point of care.
In addition to immediate issue notification, a health system can leverage CipherRound’s in-depth dashboards and reports to track trends in issue resolution timeliness. By understanding insights and trends at the point of care, organizations pinpoint areas for improvement and can quickly take action to rectify any issues.
Close Gaps in Care
Digital rounding software can be leveraged to conduct transition of care rounds so that any potential gaps in care are addressed and resolved before they escalate into adverse events. According to Dr. Jocelyn Carter, the research study’s lead author and internal medicine physician at Massachusetts General, “It is possible that asking one or two additional questions near or at the time of discharge might help us to identify care gaps, and actually help tailor care plans so patients can be more successful when they leave.”
During discharge rounds, the patient and family members must be fully integrated as members of the healthcare team to ensure that the post-discharge plan of care is successful. Partnering with patients to identify and address gaps in care or care plan comprehension – and tailoring discharge planning accordingly – is an excellent opportunity to reduce the likelihood of future readmissions through improved patient engagement.
Identify Patients at Risk for Readmission to Improve Population Health
According to the research study, patients over the age of 45 were more likely to be readmitted relative to younger patients – a departure from previous studies showing greater likelihood of readmission for patients over age 65. In addition, patients with lower education levels have a greater likelihood of readmission, which underscores the role of the social determinants of health in impacting health outcomes. Due to these findings, healthcare organizations may consider developing targeted interventions to identify, triage and address issues for at-risk patient populations to optimize long-term health outcomes.
Provide Real-Time Staff Feedback
A digital rounding software can provide real-time, data-driven feedback to different members of the healthcare team. If the healthcare organization has implemented service behaviors or patient engagement and communication standards, the digital rounding solution can be utilized to create an observational assessment. This may be used as a coaching model to provide structured feedback for the healthcare team as part of ongoing efforts to redefine the patient experience.
With CipherRounds, organizations leverage recognition features to provide real-time feedback from staff members and patients. Through reports in CipherRounds, leadership can identify top performers for additional recognition, feedback, and rewards.
As the quality of the patient experience is directly correlated with healthcare outcomes such as patient experience and avoidable readmissions, digital rounding can serve as the catalyst for creating a culture of quality improvement. Digital rounding can empower organizations to increase patient satisfaction as measured by HCAHPS scores, drive improvement decisions utilizing real-time data, measure patient impact initiatives, and conduct cross-unit analyses to implement successful initiatives. Learn more about how to choose the best digital rounding solution to meet organizational priorities.
Why Your Facility Should Get Rid of Pen and Paper Rounding
1. Save Valuable Time
Using pen and paper to round can be extremely time-consuming. In addition, handwritten notes can be unreliable, illegible, and data can easily be misplaced. Digital rounding allows for ease of response and ability to save when interrupted.
2. Increase Accountability
Digital rounding technology increases staff accountability through documentation of every patient interaction. In addition, the ability to track issue resolution makes it easy to see the timeframe in which issues are resolved. Performing and monitoring rounds electronically gives leaders and executives visibility to stay informed and identify areas for improvement in real-time.
3. Measure Performance
Robust reporting allows organizations to analyze data and benchmark for success. Administrators can monitor quality of staff interactions with residents, identify departments and facilities where corrective action is needed, and drive targeted action plans for improvement.
4. Increase Efficiency
The purpose of rounding is to detect issues that need to be resolved. Introducing digital rounding to your workflow helps your staff optimize resources, increase efficiency, and ensure issues are consistently being resolved.
CipherHealth’s digital rounding solution adds transparency and accountability to your facility’s rounding process. Our best-in-class technology seamlessly integrates with your facility’s EMR, streamlining workflows and creating real-time reports. CipherRounds is entirely customizable, allowing your rounding programs to be tailored to meet your organizational needs.
Patient rounding is a critical function aimed to improve clinical outcomes and staff efficiency. Shifting to digital rounding streamlines communication and workflows while enhancing both the resident and staff experience. To learn more about how CipherRounds can help improve clinical outcomes, resident satisfaction, and staff efficiency, contact us today.
