Veteran Patient Experience Academy: Putting Veterans First

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience Improvement
• Organizational Training Programs

Background:

• The Veteran Health Administration (VA) prioritized enhancing customer service and patient-centric care for veterans.
• The Wilmington VA Medical Center (W VAMC) collaborated with the University of Delaware to create the VA Patient Experience Academy.
• The program aimed to equip healthcare employees with tools to improve the veteran patient experience.

Observation:

• The VA Patient Experience Academy trained 25 managers initially, followed by five additional cohorts.
• Participants included a diverse range of healthcare professionals from the W VAMC and associated Community-Based Outpatient Clinics.
• Training focused on the VA Way (Core Values, Service Behaviors, Service Recovery) and 'Own the Moment' principles.

Findings:

• The program demonstrated significant improvements across three key measurement levels.
• Learning outcomes for participants showed marked increases.
• Application of training to clinical practice and veteran satisfaction scores also improved significantly.

Implications:

• The VA Patient Experience Academy model offers a scalable solution for enhancing patient care within the VA system.
• Improved employee training directly correlates with better patient satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• This initiative highlights the value of inter-institutional collaboration in healthcare quality improvement.