Recently there has been a significant paradigm shift in perioperative care models, moving from the traditional reactive and sequential process to a more proactive, collaborative and team-based approach, with goals of improving quality, reducing costs and enhancing the patient experience. 1
This has given rise to the concept of the Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH), which has a positive impact on all perioperative practice settings, including hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.
For hospitals, high-performing perioperative services – where patients feel their care is individualized, safe and provided in a compassionate manner, coupled with practitioners having confidence in operational efficiency and quality professional and support services – significantly contribute to a facility’s operating margin. This provides straight dollars to the bottom line and offsets necessary, but at times, less profitable services.
On the other hand, the outpatient perioperative landscape, which is anticipated to grow by 23 percent by 2027, is facing a considerable shift with the launch of OAS CAHPS by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2018 and public reporting in 2019. 2 As choices for consumers expand, the need for surgery centers to distinguish themselves from their competitors becomes even more paramount.
Whether you’re a health system looking to advance your strategic position within the perioperative surgery space or an ambulatory surgery center wanting to differentiate your services from others, here are four of the most important factors related to the perioperative experience you should consider:
1. Reputation and Market Share
Although quality data is becoming increasingly accessible through public reporting, it is difficult for the average consumer to comprehend. Patients are rarely able to judge the technical quality of the care they receive and consequently place more emphasis on what they can appreciate: communication with the care team, understanding of what was happening and what to expect, and whether or not they felt “cared about” not just taken care of. In fact, patients rate their non-clinical experiences twice as important as clinical reputa¬tion when choosing a hospital facility for their care. 3
Patients share these perceptions widely with those they are close to and even more widely and more rapidly via social media. Research shows these two avenues – word of mouth and publicly reported perceptions – are what potential patients rely on when making decisions as to where to receive their care. 4
Patients who have a good experience in the perioperative suite are likely to return and refer friends and family. Some experts believe this referral piece has more impact on a hospital’s financial future than the reimbursement penalties imple¬mented by Medicare. 5 Likewise, referring physicians place considerable weight on the patient experience, not just the facility’s technology, clinical facilities and staff. 6
2. Staff Engagement
A disengaged staff not only affects performance and quality of care, it also impacts recruitment efforts. Highly-skilled professional staff prefer to practice and serve in a collegial and supportive environment, one in which they feel respected and valued. When it comes to recruiting and retaining high performers, exceptional individuals that have the desirable experience, work ethic and skills have choices and tend to select working environments that allow them to realize their potential and feel profes¬sionally fulfilled.
When employees are engaged and passionate about their mission, they provide better care, and in turn, patients become less anxious and more engaged in their care and experience improved clinical outcomes.
3. Efficiency
Operational efficiency, including ease of scheduling, on-time starts and case turnaround time, demonstrates a team’s level of respect for both the patient’s and proceduralist’s time in the perioperative environment. When patients and proceduralists perceive their time is valued, they are more likely to select that facility to receive or provide care.
Additionally, an efficient work environment reduces provider stress and burnout, both of which constitute a silent epidemic that exacts such a heavy toll on providers and adversely impacts the quality of the care they provide.
To create the optimal perioperative environ¬ment, efficiency must be coupled with compassion and cannot compromise safety. This is a delicate balance that requires experience, accountability, and recognition and sharing of best practices.
4. Quality
Quality care is a composite of hiring the right people, great leader¬ship and a culture that holds individuals accountable.
When a culture of high performance is missing, the consequences can be devastating – a lack of adherence to protocols, Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) workarounds, mislabeled specimens, wrong-site procedures, surgical site infections and an overall compromise in quality.
While there are many ways to differentiate your practice from others, focusing on these four areas will give your perioperative services a cutting edge. These changes are merely tweaks and do not demand a complete overhaul of a system and processes; they simply require you to do things differently.
Dr. Jeff Morris has 33 years of medical practice experience, 12 years of physician executive leadership experience and more than seven years of experience as a Studer Group coach and speaker. He works with physicians and medical staff leaders across the country to “connect the dots” between enhanced physician communication skills, greater patient engagement in their own care and better clinical outcomes, translating into a superior reputation, increased market share, reduced liability risk, improved reimbursement and greater personal and professional fulfillment with less burnout.
References:
1. Lee, Anna, Kerridge, Ross K, Chui, Po Tong, Chiu, Chun Hung, & Gin, Tony. (2011). Perioperative systems as a quality model of perioperative medicine and surgical care. Health Policy, 102(2), 214-222
2. OAS CAHPS At A Glance: (StuderGroup publication) Available at https://www.studergroup.com/resources/articles-and-industry-updates/articles-and-whitepapers/oas-cahps-at-a-glance
3. Grote KD, Newman JRS, Sutaria SS. A better hospital experience. The McKinsey Quarterly. 2007
4. Public Awareness, Perception & Use of Online Physician Rating Sites: JAMA 2014;311(7):734-735
5. Saver C. HCAHPS: How the OR’s scores affect your whole organization. OR Manager. 2011; 27(4). Available at:http://www.ormanager.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/ ORMVol27No4ORandHCAHPSScores.pdf
6. Grote KD, Newman JRS, Sutaria SS. A better hospital experience. The McKinsey Quarterly. 2007
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