5. Send thank-
you cards
OK, having all staff
members who cared for
a patient sign a card
thanking them for
choosing your facility is
nothing new, but do you
personalize the greet-
ings or simply have
staff sign a boilerplate
greeting? Ms. Engle
believes sending thank-you cards to a patient can provide them with a
warm feeling about their experience, especially when you add person-
al details that make it more meaningful to them. "If a patient just
became a grandparent, for example, we'll write in the card, 'Thank
you for choosing us and congratulations on your new grandchild.'
That small gesture means a lot to patients," says Ms. Engle, who adds
that one patient was thrilled to receive the card because it was the
first piece of mail she had received after surgery that wasn't a bill.
6. Share feedback
Hold meetings with staff and providers from all areas of the facility to
go over the results of satisfaction surveys and make adjustments
based on the feedback, says Ms. Rainey. For example, her staff
learned some patients were frustrated by receiving too many calls
from the facility before their procedures. Now, they kill 2 birds with 1
stone: A member of the business office calls patients to review out-of-
pocket obligations, and then transfers the patient to a pre-op nurse
who reviews the clinical checklist. This simple change cut short the
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 4 9
• MEET AND GREET Patients appreciate when surgical leaders make the rounds
to introduce themselves and check in on how they're doing.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
