Bridging the communication gap through implementation of a Patient Navigator program

All healthcare providers working in an acute setting need to be empowered to provide an optimal patient experience with quality outcomes. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is a national standardized survey instrument designed to assess the patient's perspective of hospital care for public reporting purposes. These results are posted on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website for consumers to access comparison data related to a hospital's performance, create new incentives for hospitals to improve quality outcomes and enhance accountability through transparency (1). HCAHPS has 10 measures that evaluate the patient's recent hospital experience. Six of these are summary measures. One key measure, "communication with nurses," can directly affect both the patient satisfaction and patient safety scores (2). Patients tend to rate this domain based on the caregivers, and this rating can have a financial impact upon the institution. The skills and art associated with service are neither innate nor automatic. Communication skills are acquired and refined only through practice. The Magnet recognition program was developed to recognize health care organizations that provide nursing excellence and a vehicle for disseminating successful nursing practices and strategies (3). To assist the nurse in the patient's perception to care, a Patient Navigator program was developed to provide patients with the best possible hospital experience. The Patient Navigator program compliments the direct patient care that is provided on the patient care unit. HCAHPS is a national standardized survey instrument designed to assess the patients' perspective of hospital care for public reporting purposes. There are a total of 27 survey items that are divided into six composite measures, two individual items and two global ratings. The six summary measures and two global ratings are listed below.