F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 3
Low Patient Satisfaction Scores Will Cost You
Medicare will withhold part of your reimbursement if patient surveys sag.
W
hether you work in an
ambulatory surgical center
or hospital, reimburse-
ments are based on what patients
think about the care they received. If
enough of your patients are dissatis-
fied with their treatment, Medicare is
going to penalize your facility by with-
holding part of your reimbursement.
Here are a few gestures, both big and
small, you can make to calm and com-
fort your patients before surgery.
• Narrate the care. Sure, inserting
an IV or prepping the surgical site may
be old-hat to your staff, but it's likely
your patient is curious (and maybe a
little freaked out) about everything they're stuck with/attached
to/prodded by in the run-up to surgery — even if they don't ask. This is
why it's so important to explain every step of the process in layman's
terms as it's happening, and in a calm, confident voice.
"This is especially true when it comes to changeover of care," says
Jeffra Kinniard, BSN, RN, CNOR, ONC, director of operations at
Parkview SurgeryONE in Fort Wayne, Ind. "White Coat Syndrome is
real — a patient's blood pressure goes up when they see a new physi-
cian. It helps to talk one another up, saying something like: 'Michelle
is coming to relieve me — she's just the best.'"
Research shows that, even if they're made aware, many patients are
Business Advisor
Diane Stopyra
• HEALTHCARE CONSUMERS Medicare's vision of value-based care takes
patient satisfaction and customer service into account.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
