Achieving And Achieving And Sustaining Sustaining Excellence In The Excellence In The Healthcare Healthcare IndustryIndustry

Keys Of Success...Keys Of Success...

Lessons Learned Lessons Learned From Industry From Industry LeadersLeaders

Athens Regional Medical Athens Regional Medical CenterCenter

AA Leadership Committed To Leadership Committed To ExcellenceExcellence

SatisQuest leader for 5 consecutive SatisQuest leader for 5 consecutive years:years:

• Overall qualityOverall quality

• Willingness of a patient to returnWillingness of a patient to return

• Willingness to recommend to a Willingness to recommend to a friendfriend

Why Is Excellence More Why Is Excellence More Important Than Ever?Important Than Ever?

Satisfied Patients AreSatisfied Patients Are::• More likely to return to a hospital or More likely to return to a hospital or

physicianphysician• More likely to improve the quality of the More likely to improve the quality of the

work experience for all providers reducing work experience for all providers reducing staff turnover, burnout, and disgruntled staff turnover, burnout, and disgruntled employeesemployees

• Less likely to to dis-enroll from health plansLess likely to to dis-enroll from health plans• Less likely to bring malpractice against the Less likely to bring malpractice against the

hospital or their physicianhospital or their physician

If you are successful at applying methods of achieving If you are successful at applying methods of achieving greatness, greatness, but then stop doing them:but then stop doing them:

• You will slide backwards, from great to good or You will slide backwards, from great to good or worseworse

• The only way to remain great is to keep applying The only way to remain great is to keep applying principles that make you great!principles that make you great!

There is no SINGLE DEFINING ACTION!There is no SINGLE DEFINING ACTION!• No grand program, no killer innovationNo grand program, no killer innovation• No solitary lucky breakNo solitary lucky break• No great revelationNo great revelation

Attitude – Culture - CommitmentAttitude – Culture - Commitment

Attributes Of ExcellenceAttributes Of Excellence

• PeoplePeople• How well they meet the need of their employeesHow well they meet the need of their employees

• ServiceService• How well they meet the needs of their customersHow well they meet the needs of their customers

• QualityQuality• How well they deliver careHow well they deliver care

• Growth (balanced)Growth (balanced)• How well they increase in selected areasHow well they increase in selected areas

• FinanceFinance• How well they generate moneyHow well they generate money

• CommunityCommunity• How well they meet the needs of the communities they How well they meet the needs of the communities they

serveserve

Excellence In Service, People, And Excellence In Service, People, And QualityQuality

• Leads to Leads to growthgrowth

• Leads to Leads to financial financial viabilityviability

• Leads to better Leads to better quality of life in quality of life in the communitythe community

““The good always want to get The good always want to get better”better”

-- -- From Good To GreatFrom Good To GreatJim CollinsJim Collins

““Always proud, never satisfied”Always proud, never satisfied”

--Gary Phelps, COO, ARMC--Gary Phelps, COO, ARMC

“A commitment to excellence is made by choice”

--Randy Sauls, COO, SGMC

The People Attribute: The People Attribute: More Important Than Ever More Important Than Ever

In Current StudyIn Current Study::• Hospitals with the lowest patient satisfaction Hospitals with the lowest patient satisfaction

had the lowest employee satisfactionhad the lowest employee satisfaction• Likewise those with highest employee Likewise those with highest employee

satisfaction had highest patient satisfactionsatisfaction had highest patient satisfaction

If employee satisfaction is at the heart of the issue, nursing is the “blood that runs through the veins”

Hiring The Right PeopleHiring The Right People

““Those who build great companies understand that Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets or technology…it is one company is not markets or technology…it is one thing above all others, the ability to get and keep thing above all others, the ability to get and keep enough of the “right people”. Jim Collins, From enough of the “right people”. Jim Collins, From Good To GreatGood To Great

Hiring the right people…be rigorous. Hiring the right people…be rigorous. When in doubt, don’t hire. Keep When in doubt, don’t hire. Keep looking.looking.

ComponentsOf ServiceExcellence

Process

Physical EnvironmentPeople

People – How customers are treatedProcess – The input-task-output sequence

Physical Environment – Does the building, equipment,temperature and sound create a positive image?

Internal Service Quality - Internal Service Quality - PeoplePeople

• Good, competent Good, competent peoplepeople

• Right pay and Right pay and benefitsbenefits

• Training to Training to sustain/gain skillssustain/gain skills

• Tools and Tools and equipment to excelequipment to excel

• Feedback and Feedback and recognitionrecognition

Sustaining Is More Difficult Than Sustaining Is More Difficult Than Achieving!Achieving!

It is important to put the “care” back in It is important to put the “care” back in healthcare! healthcare!

"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key tounlocking our potential."

Sir Winston Churchill

““We are what we repeatedly do. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a Excellence then, is not an act, but a

habit.” habit.” --Aristotle--Aristotle

~ SGMC Customer Service Absolutes ~

Customer Contact with

AccoUntability and

Immediate Service Recovery.

Pleasant Telephone Manners

while being PrOactive striving to

EliMinate noise

A positive Environment along with

Appropriate BehavioR promotes a

ProfeSsional Image

““With ordinary talent and With ordinary talent and extraordinary extraordinary perseverance, all things perseverance, all things are attainable.” are attainable.”

Thomas E. BuxtonThomas E. Buxton

Commitment And Commitment And Inpatient SatisQuest Inpatient SatisQuest

ImprovementImprovement• Each unit manager held responsible for Each unit manager held responsible for

developing a plan for their unitdeveloping a plan for their unit

• Meet with CustomerCare Team and review past Meet with CustomerCare Team and review past 2 quarters of SatisQuest data and verbatims2 quarters of SatisQuest data and verbatims

• Develop a plan for improving unit SatisQuest Develop a plan for improving unit SatisQuest scoresscores

• Utilize hospital developed customer service Utilize hospital developed customer service tools to train staff and develop plantools to train staff and develop plan

• Monitor next 2 quarter SatisQuest scores with Monitor next 2 quarter SatisQuest scores with CCT CCT

What Is SGMC Trying To What Is SGMC Trying To Achieve?Achieve?

It’s our Vision, our Mission, our It’s our Vision, our Mission, our ValuesValues

All the timeAll the time

It’s Consistent ExcellenceIt’s Consistent Excellence

It’s doing the right thing for our It’s doing the right thing for our patients!patients!