Patient Complaints?
You have just found a recent negative Facebook or Twitter post about the poor customer service and unknowledgeable staff from your place of employment, what do you do now? As an employer, you immediately question how well-trained or educated your employees are and wonder if it is time to intervene for the well being of your healthcare facility. With one long-term goal of 100% patient satisfaction in mind, you have two options.
Training vs. Education, there is a difference?
Training implies specificity. One trains to become experienced in specific topics of interest including processes or similar to a step-by-step learning.
Education implies foundation. One gains a foundation for a subject area(s) and can gain qualifications. Education can include training.
What is right for my employees?
Keeping the long-term goal of 100% patient satisfaction in mind, you have to think in terms of what is best for your facility and employees to reduce complaints and improve measures to meet the goal. Think about your patient service initiatives and your employee development budget… are you getting the results you are seeking? Are your employee training sessions or seminars improving customer feedback or the overall healthcare initiative for your office? Chances are, you are seeing improvement in overall EHR skills after an EHR training session, or improvements in Patient Portal access and use through special Patient Portal seminars. However, these training skills may not be helping your employees meet all patients’ needs. Proficiencies needed for patient satisfaction are not limited to EHR and patient portal skills. A broadened scope that includes IT support efficiencies, workflow analysis evaluations, policy improvement, customer service/ professionalism, and many other subject areas can also have a positive effect on patient satisfaction. Education can include all of these topics and more, providing rounded skills and knowledge.
When establishing your training budget this year it may be beneficial to consider new and alternative measures to meet employee education needs along with training.
Health IT Program
With rising federal mandates and increasing technology use in the healthcare setting, employees need all the education they can get. Meeting 100% patient satisfaction is now harder than ever and we, at NeKY RHIO, can help ensure you’re working your way towards this goal. NeKY RHIO is offering a chance for its members to send one employee through our Health IT Program each year to obtain 1 of 8 certifications we have to offer.
Interested?
Learn more under the Education section.
By: Abigail Thornsberry
Workforce Project Director