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in most healthcare delivery systems, but Mr. Spiegelman says the best way to
deliver positive results for patients (or customers in any industry) is to invest
heavily in your employees. You want great patient satisfaction survey scores?
Empower and develop good employees — not just nurses and physicians, but
techs, orderlies, coders and housekeepers — and get rid of the "whiners, losers
and jerks."
• Employee-focused workplace. Employees in most companies get treated
as second-class citizens. If that's the case, how can you expect them to treat
patients well? The best way to improve the patient experience is to build better
engagement with your employees, who will then provide better service and care
to patients. "Build great teams and create a culture of engagement where people
love what they do every day," says Mr. Spiegelman. A culture that encourages a
high level of engagement is essential to assuring the highest levels of patient
care quality, safety, productivity and patient satisfaction. By connecting employ-
ees' work with a higher purpose and equipping them with the tools to become
leaders themselves, you can dramatically transform patient care.
• Of course patients matter. It's not that patients aren't important. But there
is a direct correlation between employee engagement and customer loyalty.
Those who are esteemed will deliver outstanding care and service.
• The book title. "Patients Come Second" is a controversial and provocative
title, says Mr. Spiegelman, "but the idea is that we've got to shake up this indus-
try. We have to focus on what's most important: the people who are doing the
work, who are touching our patients every day."
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