Beryl Institute releases White Paper on patient experience

In a 2010 survey of its members, The Beryl Institute asked healthcare leaders to list their top strategic focus area. Quality/safety ranked number one, followed closely by financial performance and then patient experience.  Jason Wolf, Ph.D., executive director of The Beryl Institute, believes, "The rising importance of the patient experience in recent surveys seems to suggest the increased recognition in executive thinking of a strong link between financial performance, quality and a positive patient experience."

Acknowledging that the patient experience is a part of every job, The Beryl Institute probed further to find out where ultimate organizational accountability lies for this critical function. Although there is not an industry-wide consensus on who should lead this increasingly important initiative, the role of a leader is key to providing the focus, accountability, engagement and commitment which are central to establishing the successful patient experience.

The second study, undertaken with Avatar International, helped clarify and identify the common components necessary to create a successful culture of service which supports the patient experience. The findings from this study include:

1. Top-performing organizations had an individual dedicated to leading the service initiative.
2. Top-performing organizations had a more realistic self-assessment of their service excellence performance, often rating themselves below "lower performers."
3. Top-performing organizations reported a significantly higher percentage of employees (17%) "on board" with creating consistently positive patient experiences.  
4. Top-performing organizations had service teams comprised of senior leaders from across the organization.  

Kristin Baird, RN, BSN, MHA, The Baird Group, states, "In other words, a focus on overall 'organizational culture' versus trying to simply address 'patient experience' as an initiative led to higher overall patient experience scores."

The research shows that there is not a single pathway to develop a culture of service. But there are several elements which are critical to creating a successful service culture.

According to these new studies, organizations that build an effective culture of service have mastered the art and science of putting patients first, which is the essential ingredient of a successful patient experience.

To access this White Paper and other Institute resources, visit www.theberylinstitute.org.