 shown that patient satisfaction is higher when nurses have a better work environment, greater collaboration with physicians and more favorable staffing ratios. Hospitals haven’t always taken note of this data, but now they may have to – and nurses are poised to benefit when they do.
In addition, HCAHPS is the opportunity for which nurses have waited to demonstrate that what they do does make a difference in health care.
“I think HCAHPS is just a step, but nurses need to be on the frontline of opening communications with the upper level of management in their health care organization,” says Dr. Townsley.
Dr. Townsley points out that health care organizations will worry about their bottom line and they are going to shift their thoughts to increasing quality of care while receiving a different reimbursement for a while. If health care organizations can see that nurses are there to work with them and increase the overall quality of care, payment for services will also increase.
“Quality of care, patient care, patient satisfaction and reimbursement should be viewed together and not as separate entities,” says Dr. Townsley.
It looks like the stars are finally aligning for nursing to be seen as a revenue-producing department as nurses will be measured by their contribution to the solvency of the nation’s hospitals. Nurses now have the opportunity to demonstrate that what they do indeed makes a difference.
How Nurses Can Make Difference
Every patient interaction with which a nurse is involved now has the ability to affect hospital revenue. View the actual HCAHPS questionnaire here and become familiar with the topics patients will be asked about.
It’s the patients’ perception of care that will matter and nurses can sometimes influence that perception in positive ways through their dialogue.
“It’s critical that nurses practice communication, continuity and compassion,” says Dr. Townsley. She offers the following tips for improving patient satisfaction.
-Listen to the patient – don’t just hear them. Listening takes many avenues, but if the patient knows that the nurse is listening and that he or she will act on their concern and then follow up with the patient – this is the first step to increasing patient satisfaction.
-Think like a patient. Reflect about how it would feel to be complaining about something and nothing was being done because a nurse chooses not to communicate.
-Be responsive. Don’t tell the patient something is going to be done to help them in specific timeframe and not meet that timeframe.
-Practice communication skills. If a patient is complaining, don’t think the patient is just a complainer: use your critical-thinking skills to assess their complaint. It is important to keep in constant contact with the person making the complaint and letting them know that their issue is being investigated.
-Show compassion. Refer to a patient by real names, not by the names that they are often given during their hospital stay (e.g. “the complainer,” “the person who stays on the call light,” “the person who falls”). Remember that they are not only a patient, but also a member of a family who should receive the best quality of care while maintaining their dignity.
Reviewing HCAHPS Scores
When your hospital’s HCAHPS scores are released, be sure to review the data and compare it to other hospitals in the area as well as to national averages. Share ideas for changes that might improve the patient experience and discuss them with the nursing supervisor.
Education and acquired skills put nurses in a better position to able to persuade, influence and advance nursing interests. If HCAHPS is the opportunity nurses have waited for to demonstrate that what they do does make a difference in health care, then now is a great time for nurses to become empowered with knowledge through an online RN to BSN or RN to MSN degree.
American Sentinel University is an innovative, accredited provider of online nursing degrees, including programs that prepare nurses for a specialty in case management, infection control, and executive leadership.
Learn 