Background: Unconscious bias within the U.S. health care system has been linked with disparities in the treatment of patients by age, gender, and race (1). While many factors contribute to these disparities, implicit bias may play a significant role. Stigmatizing language often reflects the implicit bias that healthcare providers possess toward patients (2). Recent research […]

Background: Family members and caregivers serve valuable roles at the hospitalized patient’s bedside as emotional support systems, patient advocates, and decision makers (1). Hospital visitation restrictions (such as those implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic) may come at a cost to patient and caregiver perceptions of care quality and patient safety. Congruent with CDC guidelines during […]

Background: Patient experience is an important outcome for hospitals. These outcomes impact insurer payments, hospital ratings, and perceived quality of care (1). Like many hospitals, our patient experience is measured using Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) surveys administered by Press Ganey (PG). Response rates to PG surveys are low, especially from […]

Background: CMS launched the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program in 2010 as part of their initiatives to incorporate healthcare quality into Medicare payment structures. Participating hospitals are assessed according to four domains: Clinical Care, Person and Community Engagement, Safety, and Efficiency and Cost Reduction. Interventions to improve patient safety such as hand hygiene, contact precautions, […]

Background: Accountable Care Units (ACUs) with Structured Interdisciplinary Bedside Rounds (SIBR® rounds) have shown significant improvements in throughput, clinical outcomes, and satisfaction. Yet, prior studies have noted difficulties achieving such improvements or sustaining them. Interdisciplinary rounds are a predominantly physician-led teamwork process with efficacy vulnerable to inconsistent physician leadership and engagement. Our hospital had previously […]

Background: As members of the patient experience committee, we aimed to identify areas of opportunity to improve the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) scores. By analyzing the data through the utilization of our analytics tool provided by the patient and customer experience department, we noticed trends in the regional demographics in […]

Background: A patient’s inpatient experience often correlates with patient satisfaction scores. These scores are measured via the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which collects data on patient satisfaction and perception of their hospital experience using three questions.As a tertiary academic care center, we have seen a decline in the “Medicine […]

Background: Design thinking is a framework for creative problem solving. When the design thinking process (often leveraged in fields outside of healthcare delivery) is applied, it leads to a human-centered path to innovation. The infusion of deep empathy, holistic examination, inclusive collaboration, and effective iteration fosters sustainable solutions for complex human concerns. In traditional problem-solving, […]

Background: With COVID surge and staffing shortages, there is a significant strain on hospital systems. Emphasis is on throughput, an effective frontline team, and improved patient and provider communication. Interprofessional rounds are a cornerstone of aligning the care teams and formulating a safe discharge plan. Purpose: To achieve timely and effective inter-professional communication and close […]