Beyond Patient Satisfaction: Optimizing the Patient Experience.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience Research
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Patient satisfaction is a key quality indicator and influences financial incentives and public reporting.
• Patient experience is often treated as a separate customer service function, disconnected from quality and safety initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore hospital processes and infrastructure for improving patient experience.
• To identify metrics used to assess patient experience quality beyond traditional satisfaction surveys.

Main Methods:

• Online survey administered to representatives from 52 US healthcare systems.
• Inquiry into current practices and metrics for patient experience assessment.

Main Results:

• Hospitals utilize metrics beyond satisfaction, including complaint rates and patient/family advisor feedback.
• A broader definition of patient experience quality is suggested, encompassing access, clinical processes, and safety outcomes.
• Most surveyed organizations link patient experience improvement to clinical quality and patient safety metrics.

Conclusions:

• Integrating patient experience with quality and safety initiatives is crucial for holistic healthcare improvement.
• Hospitals are increasingly recognizing the interconnectedness of patient experience with overall hospital performance.