Case Studies

Brigham and Women's Hospital is a 777-bed nonprofit, teaching hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. Scores on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey show that it is a leading hospital nationally on measures of patient satisfaction. Since 2002, the hospital has followed three strategies to improve patient satisfaction: allocating significant new funding for quality measurement and process improvement work, including establishing a Center for Clinical Excellence; developing a management information system for hospital leaders that tracks patient and family experiences, along with other hospital performance indicators; and seeking to enhance patients' experiences by working with frontline staff, including implementing new recruitment, training, management, and improvement strategies.  — View Case Study

Duke University Hospital is a 924-bed academic medical center in Durham, North Carolina. Scores on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey show that it is a leading hospital nationally on measures of patient satisfaction. Duke University Hospital leaders say that ensuring patient satisfaction requires both organizational and tactical strategies. Particular strategies include: commitment to improving customer service and work culture, and to leadership training; use of a Balanced Scorecard management tool; use of Six Sigma improvement methodology to address underperformance; and recognition of staff members and units demonstrating outstanding customer service.  — View Case Study

Hutcheson Medical Center is a 179-bed community hospital located in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, eight miles southeast of Chattanooga, Tennessee. By focusing intently on patient-staff interactions and patients' needs, Hutcheson Medical Center has turned around its quality and financial indicators in the last two-and-a-half years. Scores on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey show that Hutcheson is now a leading hospital nationally on measures of patient satisfaction. Five components of the hospital's strategy may be behind their success: fostering a culture of customer service; empowering nurses through shared governance; collecting and tracking data to chart progress; visibility of leaders; and implementing evidence-based practice.  — View Case Study

Munson Medical Center is a 391-bed, nonprofit hospital located in Traverse City, Michigan. By focusing on patient satisfaction and engaging frontline staff in improving care, it has become one of the better large hospitals in the United States in terms of overall patient satisfaction, as measured by Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. The following strategies appear to contribute to the hospital's success: ongoing measurement and feedback; high nurse-to-patient ratios, greater nurse authority under the "shared governance" model; acuity-adaptable patient rooms; mandated quiet time and staff relaxation rooms; and shift-to-shift bedside reports.  — View Case Study

Since 2002, Oklahoma Heart Hospital has consistently demonstrated high adherence to process-of-care or "core" measures and high patient satisfaction. Key strategies behind their excellent scores include: physician leaders' commitment to quality; physician offices housed within the hospital, providing greater access to nurses and patients; flat organizational structure that allows quick implementation of operational changes; highly experienced nurses and high nurse-to-patient ratios; and more.  — View Case Study

Eighty-seven percent of patients recently discharged from Parkwest Medical Center said they would recommend the hospital to a family member or friend-a patient satisfaction level 19 percentage points higher than the national average. Parkwest has focused on hiring and supporting staff who subscribe to its vision of providing excellent patient care and sharing responsibility for doing so. The hospital's goals for quality care and patient satisfaction are spread through the Leadership Evaluation Module, through which the performance goals and standards for administrators, managers, and staff are aligned and managers are held responsible for the performance of the staff who report to them. Performance-based rewards and recognition help to reinforce the standards.  — View Case Study

At The Valley Hospital, hospital leaders exemplify on a daily basis the hospitals dedication to patient service. Each morning, the chief executive officer and chief financial officer visit patients. Valley closely tracks patient satisfaction data on a hospital-wide and unit basis, with each unit given a performance target. Leadership Institutes for frontline supervisors through top executives emphasize accountability for reaching and maintaining high standards. In addition, nurses and other staff members solicit feedback from patients through rounding and post-discharge calls. Valley rewards extraordinary staff behavior through recognition and reward programs.  — View Case Study