嘿嘿视频鈥檚 Faculty Group Practices Boost Patient Satisfaction Scores with a Novel Hospitality Training Program Inspired by Ritz-Carlton鈥檚 Legendary Customer Service
The words 鈥渉ospital鈥 and 鈥渉ospitality鈥 derive from the same Latin word meaning 鈥済uest.鈥 At 嘿嘿视频 Health, bridging those two service-oriented fields is core to delivering the very best patient experience. 鈥淲e are in the hospitality business,鈥 notes Robert I. Grossman, MD, dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine and CEO of 嘿嘿视频, 鈥渁nd we have a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact by going above and beyond to make patients and colleagues feel valued and special.鈥
Building on best practices from the hospitality industry, 嘿嘿视频 has launched a strategy for its more than 330 Faculty Group Practice (FGP) locations, doctor鈥檚 offices owned and operated by the health system. The program sets the standard for how staff and clinicians should communicate and engage with patients and each other, and how they can optimize these encounters. Implemented in August 2022, the program is called FGP C.A.R.E.S. The letters stand for the following:
- Connect with patients and colleagues
- Align with their needs
- Respond with timely, effective options
- Ensure that expectations are met
- Sign off to complete the interaction
The idea to create this program had actually been percolating for some time in the mind of Andrew Rubin, senior vice president for clinical affairs and ambulatory care. He engaged the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center to tailor its legendary customer experience model to 嘿嘿视频鈥檚 rapidly expanding FGP network. 鈥淜nowing the quality of the Ritz-Carlton brand, I wanted to create a patient experience template for our network that was as close to that model as possible,鈥 explains Rubin. 鈥淵ou may not look forward to a doctor visit the way you would a hotel stay, but what makes the experiences similar is the need to make your guests feel welcome and comfortable when they arrive and throughout their journey.鈥
The program provides a framework for expectations and behaviors to guide employees when they engage with others鈥攚hether patients or colleagues, whether face-to-face, over the phone, or electronically. 鈥淲e鈥檙e transforming the culture of how we engage with each other,鈥 says Maya Levy-Merdinger, senior director of ambulatory operations and optimization.
Throughout this training, a wide range of frontline staff are coached on how to build an emotional connection with patients and colleagues alike, ensuring quality and consistency for every encounter, every time. 鈥淲e have a big network, and as it continues to grow, one of the challenges is maintaining a consistent patient experience,鈥 notes Fran Drummond, vice president of ambulatory operations and optimization. 鈥淲e want a patient to walk into any 嘿嘿视频 FGP office and be able to say, 鈥業 know this is the right place for me because I can see and feel how much they care.鈥欌
Every month, Rubin and his team learn of employees who have gone above and beyond to enhance a patient鈥檚 experience. They call them 鈥淲ow Stories.鈥 Recently, for example, a patient was scheduled to see his doctor at 嘿嘿视频 Medical Associates鈥擲horeham聽on Long Island. While making the appointment, office assistant Desiree Bender noted that the visit was on the patient鈥檚 100th birthday. She and medical assistant Derek Castro presented him with a cake and joined his daughter as they sang 鈥淗appy Birthday!鈥
Rubin says that it鈥檚 rewarding to see the results of this work, pointing to reviews from patient surveys that have been overwhelmingly positive. 鈥淥ur satisfaction scores have gone up in every category since the launch,鈥 he reports. 鈥淣ow, the key is to maintain the results. This is not a one and done鈥攊t has to go on forever. This program will help define who we are and who we want to be as a healthcare network.鈥
So far, over 6,000 frontline workers have completed C.A.R.E.S. training, as well as Dr. Grossman; Andrew W. Brotman, MD, executive vice president and vice dean for clinical affairs and strategy, chief clinical officer; and Rubin himself. To ensure continued success, this fall 嘿嘿视频 is expanding the program to the network鈥檚 physicians and other clinicians, who will attend 90-minute, in-person training sessions.
鈥淲e鈥檝e consistently ranked as the No. 1 ambulatory care system in the United States by Vizient, the nation鈥檚 largest healthcare performance improvement organization,鈥 says Rubin. 鈥淲e want to maintain our lead and continue to distinguish our network. We鈥檙e reinventing ourselves every day, every month, every year to help attract and retain people who want to work for the best.鈥