By Kevin Klauer, DO, EJD, TeamHealth Chief Medical Officer for Hospital-Based Services, Chief Risk Officer
Patient experience of care, historically referred to as patient satisfaction, is critically important to the success of any healthcare institution, organization and individual clinician. While healthcare organizations appropriately focus on important quality metrics reflecting clinical outcomes, the patient’s experience is equally important. Clinical outcomes are undoubtedly improved by patient engagement, and patients become more engaged when their experience is good. Caring for the “person” is what positively moves the needle in quality. Patients who believe in the care being provided, and have confidence in those caring for them, have been shown to enjoy better outcomes. The foundation of good medical care is not only built on the quality of the care itself, but also on the pillars of excellent communication, empathy and compassion.
Through TeamHealth’s organizational philosophy of “Practice made perfect,” we assist our 20,000 clinicians with achieving clinical excellence through our commitment to clinical education, as an ACCME accredited CME provider, our focus on quality as an AHRQ-listed Patient Safety Organization and supporting our clinicians with a wide-array of professional development resources.
Working collaboratively with our clients to define and implement meaningful innovation, we recognize the importance of optimizing care and patient experience throughout the healthcare continuum. We are committed to the pursuit of excellence making certain we are better tomorrow than we were yesterday.
At TeamHealth, we are proud to recognize National Patient Experience Week, emphasizing that the focus of healthcare belongs on our patients, and creating awareness for improved patient experience will undoubtedly improve the value and quality of healthcare delivery.