Capítulo 6 The Culture of Quality at Arnold Palmer Hospital

Summary

The Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida, prioritizes delivering quality healthcare to women and children. With a focus on continuous improvement and total quality management, the hospital employs process improvement teams, empowers employees, and uses tools like Pareto and flowcharts for benchmarking. They measure patient satisfaction through detailed surveys and a 24-hour bedside call service, ensuring prompt resolution of issues. This dedication to quality has led to top national rankings in patient satisfaction and survival rates for critically ill babies.

Takeaways

• 🏥 Quality in a hospital is defined by the ability to meet customer needs, including the care for patients and their families, as well as effective communication.
• 🌟 Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida, is a top priority for delivering quality healthcare, being one of the largest hospitals for women and children in the U.S.
• 🔍 The hospital focuses on continuous improvement and total quality management, involving employees at all levels and using process improvement teams.
• 📊 Benchmarking is key, with the hospital comparing its performance against national standards and consistently scoring in the top 10% in overall patient satisfaction.
• 📝 Patient feedback is crucial, with in-depth surveys sent out two weeks post-discharge to gauge patient expectations and the quality of care received.
• 🤝 The hospital places significant emphasis on the question of whether patients would recommend the hospital to family and friends, viewing it as a key indicator of quality.
• 📊 Various tools like Pareto charts and flowcharts are used for visual representation of performance against internal goals and external norms.
• 💪 Employee empowerment is a core part of the hospital's culture, allowing staff to take initiative and respond quickly to patient concerns, even providing gifts up to $200 for complaints.
• 📞 A 24-hour bedside call service was implemented, allowing for immediate response to patient issues, aiming to resolve them before the patient leaves.
• 🏆 The hospital's efforts have resulted in high survival rates for critically ill babies and a top national ranking in patient satisfaction.
• 🛡️ Service quality is determined by tangible outcomes, process effectiveness, meeting expectations, and handling of problems, with Arnold Palmer Hospital excelling in all four areas.

Q & A

What is the definition of quality in the context of a hospital as described in the script?

In the script, quality in a hospital is defined as the ability to meet customer needs, encompassing not just the medical treatment received but also the care for the patients and their families, effective communication, and the professionalism of the staff.

What is the significance of the name 'Arnold Palmer Hospital'?

The Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida is named after the golfing legend Arnold Palmer, reflecting its commitment to excellence in healthcare, much like Palmer's excellence in golf.

How does the Arnold Palmer Hospital measure patient satisfaction?

The hospital measures patient satisfaction by mailing an in-depth survey to patients two weeks after discharge, asking for feedback on various aspects of their care and experience.

What is the key question that the Arnold Palmer Hospital focuses on in patient surveys?

The key question the hospital focuses on is whether the patient would recommend Arnold Palmer Hospital to their family and friends, which is considered a strong indicator of patient satisfaction.

How does the hospital involve its staff in the process of continuous improvement?

The hospital involves its staff by forming process improvement teams across different services, empowering employees, and moving authority down to the lowest levels possible, encouraging everyone to take ownership of process improvement.

What is the role of benchmarking in the hospital's quality management?

Benchmarking helps the hospital to select and compare against demonstrated standards of products, services, costs, or practices that represent the best performance, allowing them to identify opportunities for improvement.

What tools does the Arnold Palmer Hospital use to measure its total quality management efforts?

The hospital uses tools such as Pareto charts, flowcharts, and an executive dashboard to provide a visual overview of performance against internal goals and external norms.

How does the hospital respond to patient complaints?

The hospital empowers its employees to address complaints quickly, even allowing them to provide gifts of up to two hundred dollars to patients who have complaints about services like food, courtesy, or cleanliness.

What is the 'At Your Service' initiative implemented by the Arnold Palmer Hospital?

The 'At Your Service' initiative is a 24-hour bedside call service where patients can directly communicate their questions, concerns, or issues to the hospital administrators, aiming to resolve problems immediately.

How does the Arnold Palmer Hospital ensure a culture of employee empowerment?

The hospital ensures a culture of employee empowerment through extensive orientation on quality and customer satisfaction, giving staff the freedom and ability to respond quickly to issues, and involving them in the continuous improvement process.

What are the four components of service quality that the Arnold Palmer Hospital focuses on?

The four components of service quality the hospital focuses on are: 1) Tangibility - the success of the medical treatment; 2) Reliability - the competence and effectiveness of the medical staff; 3) Responsiveness - the hospital's ability to meet service quality promises and handle problems; and 4) Assurance - the communication and professionalism of the staff.