Enhancing the Patient Experience of Care - The Difference Between Good and Great

What makes a really great physician? Is it their vast medical knowledge, technical skill, reputation or years of experience? Is it the medical school or residency program, the number of certifications received or the number of patients cared for?

Although these tangible things are important and help patients define basic standards for choosing a physician, they are only partial ingredients in determining what makes a physician great.

Both the beauty and the challenge for physicians in perfecting the art of medicine lies in learning how to combine our tangible medical assets and accomplishments with the intangible. That intangible part of care revolves around creating a relationship and environment where a patient feels a true sense of being cared for.

It is clear why this intangible component is so important. A patient’s recovery depends on both the medical skill of the physician-led medical team, as well as the role the patient plays in recovery. If patients are not compliant and motivated to be on the same team as caregivers, the outcome of care will certainly be suboptimal. What motivates patients to be a compliant part of their care team depends heavily on how well they relate to their physician, and how well their physician communicates an understandable game plan.

Certain factors are essential for establishing the kind of critical collaboration key to ensuring a patient feels well cared for. Physicians must make the time to stop, to listen and to hear their patients’ concerns. Studies and surveys show that physicians are most effective when they sit down at the bedside to answer questions, express their own concerns for the best outcome and convey how they will facilitate a clear coordinated plan. These simple actions will greatly enhance patient compliance and magnify, 6the physician’s healing power. In addition, these actions derail any adversarial tendencies and lead to a decrease in litigation, instead, increasing patient satisfaction, retention and referrals.

Many times patients convey a sense of relief and gratitude to their physician that promotes a healing environment more satisfying for all, including the physician. Physicians who foster these types of relationships with their patients report feeling a heightened sense of connection, recognition and purpose, which helps soften the harsh realities of healthcare today.

One of a medical staff leaderships' goals is often to improve patient satisfaction with physicians during the hospital stay. This is measured through the HCAPS (Health Care Consumer Assessment of Providers and System) survey reported to CMS that asks patients to rate their relationship with doctors in the following four areas:
Communication with doctors
•Doctors treat with courtesy and respect
•Doctors listen carefully to you
•Doctors explain in a way you understand
The desired answer is a positive answer of “Always” to all questions.

These questions may seem simple but getting an "Always" answer when multiple physicians are involved can be difficult. Regardless of this, when we truly treat patients from our hearts and remember that we went into medicine to have a genuine impact on our patient's health and well being we will get much closer to our ultimate success. Regards, Barb Loeb