SkillSource Audits Help Hospitals Establish Healthy Corporate Cultures, Increase HCAHPS Scores-- and Increase Federal Reimbursements
Cincinnati, OHIO (PRWEB) April 03, 2014 -- SkillSource Business Builders® of Cincinnati has announced a new program to help hospitals establish healthy corporate cultures, score higher on healthcare HCAHPS scores—and increase federal reimbursement dollars.
Danise DiStasi, who has 27 years in the medical industry as a nuclear product specialist, sales vice president and management consultant, has teamed with Lynne Ruhl of Perfect 10 Corporate Cultures, a SkillSource division, to conduct hospital cultural audits and recommend ways to improve healthcare and customer service within hospitals in the greater Cincinnati region. SkillSource offices are in Mason and Blue Ash, Ohio.
“While we know hospitals have always focused on excellent care, things changed in July 2007, when they had to begin collecting and submitting HCAHPS data in order to receive their full annual payment update,” said DiStasi. “Hospitals are leaving a lot of money on the table because of a few percentage points-- mostly due to culture.”
Hospitals with low HCAHPS scores can receive annual federal payments reduced by as much as two percentage points.
“Most hospitals struggle with HCAHPS scores,” admitted DiStasi. “Even an 85 percent satisfaction score means 15 percent of patients are dissatisfied—and most hospital administrators find that unacceptable. Also, the gap between the current and future reimbursement system provides an opportunity to start changing a hospital’s culture.”
The federal Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey is given to all recently-discharged patients from hospitals. Patients are asked to rate their hospital stays and quality of care.
A low HCAHPS score may not mean a hospital provides substandard healthcare, but it may signal that healthcare providers are not engaged with their work, their patients or coworkers, said DiStasi.
“Questions on the HCAHPS Survey often pertain to the quality of healthcare and patient experience,” she said. “Were you treated with courtesy and respect? Were you listened to with your concerns? Did staff explain things well? As the need to improve HCAHPS scores increases—and healthcare delivery seems to grow more complex each year—more and more hospitals seem to struggle with deep-rooted cultural issues. Simple ‘customer care’ programs cannot address these issues.”
Ruhl, an expert on corporate cultures, conducts a cultural audit within a hospital by surveying and interviewing staff and administrators about their work, their relationships with fellow workers and satisfaction with their work. Each customized audit will also check the levels of respect and trust within an organization.
Once underlying issues in the workplace are identified, DiStasi and Ruhl will suggest a strategy to assist in addressing issues and help the hospital team build a healthy corporate culture.
“Whether you actively promote a specific culture, or allow one to establish by default, the effect a corporate culture has on productivity and ultimately profits is phenomenal,” said Ruhl. “Corporate culture is the silent partner in every company’s organization. And the best cultures operate in an atmosphere of respect and trust. Cultures established by default rarely do.”
Industry research bears her out. Business school professors from the University of Minnesota, London Business School, University of Cambridge, and the University of Southern California collaborated in 2009 on research to identify key drivers of successful innovation in successful companies. They looked at 759 businesses across 17 countries and measured 30 business factors, discovering that company culture is the single biggest factor in the success of these companies.
Ruhl is known for the 18 years she spent training, mentoring and coaching athletes and staff at Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy in relationship and quality-of-life skills. She worked on mental training with some of the finest athletes in gymnastics, including 1996 Olympic Gold Medalists Amanda Borden, Jaycie Phelps and three-time World Champion and 1992 Olympian Kim Zmeskal.
One of her roles was executive coach for Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy owner and two-time Olympic coach Mary Lee Tracy.
SkillSource helps small and medium-sized businesses develop and implement strategies and tactics to improve marketing; develop leaders; improve corporate cultures; and define a compelling purpose for organizations and people within them.
Its marketing division helps clients with scalable, affordable marketing projects. The business consultancy has served more than 450 clients since 1995.
For more information about SkillSource’s healthy corporate cultures program for hospitals, contact DiStasi at (513) 477-7624 or danise(at)di-advsiors(dot)com.
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Contact:
Laura Jackson
Business Development Director
Email: ljackson(at)skillsource(dot)com
Phone: (513) 477-2652
SkillSource Business Builders helps small and medium-sized businesses build, develop and implement strategies and tactics to improve marketing; develop leaders; establish healthy corporate cultures within an organization; and define a compelling purpose for organizations and the people within them.
Laura Jackson, SkillSource Business Builders, http://www.skillsource.com, +1 513-477-2652, [email protected]
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