May 4, 2007

When good is just not good enough

In April 25, MGHers dedicated to improving the service culture at the hospital attended the latest session of the MGH/MGPO's Service Learning Series, "Stage II: Planning for Change; Part II: Learning from Data." Hosted by the MGH Service Improvement Department, the workshop aimed to teach department and practice leaders how patient satisfaction survey data can help them better understand their current level of service, learn ways to take action to improve service and use tools to monitor service improvement progress. Joan Strauss, senior project manager for the Service Improvement Department, led the session.

Strauss explained that patient satisfaction data can be particularly useful for health care leaders, as it is directly linked to customer needs. She then outlined the best practices for using data — including studying it in the proper context, visually presenting it when sharing it with staff, understanding that it is subject to normal variation and using it in a spirit of inquiry to solve problems. Strauss also emphasized that service problems are due to processes, not people, as individual employees can control fewer than 15 percent of problems in a practice.

According to Strauss, patient satisfaction data can be especially challenging to interpret, with more than 80 percent of respondents rating their care as "good" or "very good" on surveys. Because these average scores seem relatively high, departments can fall into the trap of assuming there are no opportunities for improvement. She explained that best performers avoid this trap and share a common characteristic, receiving the most "fives" — the highest possible score — on their surveys. "Only patients that give a five rating are considered completely satisfied and loyal," said Strauss. "Because our organization strives for excellence in all that we do, 'good' is just not good enough."

For more information about service at the MGH, contact Mary Cunningham, director of the Service Improvement Department, at mccunningham@partners.org or (617) 724-1004.