Patient Satisfaction in an ASC

The dilemma with ambulatory surgical service divisions, in regards to customer satisfaction, is their failure to consistently review, reflect, react and measure the results of their clients’ survey responses and verbal feedback. Multiple ambulatory surgical service businesses are being built across the nation and the opposition is fierce. Consumers now have many choices, and ambulatory facilities accept that they are no longer the only service in the area. Therefore, the centers market their services to include positive customer satisfaction.

Organizations such as ambulatory surgical centers examine their purpose on why they exist. They are asking themselves what their purpose is and what they stand for. Businesses that are noted for providing superb customer service have the values that inherit this notion. Surgical facilities achieve this by instilling trust, responsibility and consistency in the service that they provide. An organization succeeds in achieving high marks for customer service by making itself stand out and be different from its rivals. Having a strategic advantage over the competition is significant for any ambulatory services corporation to survive.

Customer satisfaction is imperative in all industries. In order for a business to survive, it must listen to its customers. Customers can make or break a service-related business. It is the customer that makes the demands about the quality of service they receive from a business. A positive experience is what a patient is looking for from a company. Patient satisfaction creates more profits for the business.

Customers who are not happy with their experience rarely report the incident. Research reports that only one out of four people report to a business that they have had a negative experience. However, these same patients may tell their friends or family about their negative experience, and that could be fatal for a service-related business. Those in the healthcare industries must be aware of this.

In years past, surgical divisions did not think of the patient as a vital aspect to the future of their business. However, in today’s society, these centers need to consider the patient as unique. For the average ambulatory surgical center (ASC), just thinking of patients as consumers represents a significant shift from the traditional model of treating them as individuals whose bills are paid by someone else. Successful consumer relations are nearly as important as the quality and value of care that an ambulatory surgery center provides. Administrators and employees who work in healthcare settings note the importance of customer satisfaction and do all they can to improve upon it to ensure survival of their surgical center. Those who do not review their patient surveys or react to any negative feedback are setting themselves up for assured failure. If centers that do not even have a solid patient survey, how are they measuring their success?

Patient satisfaction is a subjective judgment of the quality of care, but it is a driving force when patients have a choice of providers or the opportunity to recommend a provider to others.

Some patients will research on their own and learn about hospitals and their ambulatory divisions or even ambulatory centers that are a joint venture between physicians and a hospital. Consumers will also discuss their options with other consumers to determine where the best place for them to have the surgery will be. Consumers will ask their physicians where they like to practice and why. There are times in which the patient does leave it up to the attending physician to tell them where they are going for their surgical procedure. In any event, the patient ultimately makes the decision. And where they choose to go is important to them. In order for an ambulatory surgical center to survive, it must recognize that consumers are now more informed and are able to make choices on their own. The more that a surgical center caters to a customer, be it a patient or physician, the more likely that they will continue to come back for more treatment or to perform surgery.

Every customer should receive a survey about their experience at the ambulatory surgery center. Patients will write about their likes or dislikes of their experience at the surgical center. Patients note their experience on everything from the pre-operative phone call from a registered nurse to their experience upon departure at the facility. They will note the helpfulness of the person or persons at the reception desk. Patients will also rate their care with the pre- and post-nursing, anesthesia and physician care. It has been noted that patient satisfaction does not appear to be influenced by the health of the patient when discharged but more about their people-related experience. A survey that is filled out and returned to the facility is then reviewed by management. Management’s actions in regards to the surveys play an important role at the facility. Leaders review the survey to show the rest of the staff they care and to make any necessary improvements to increase customer satisfaction and profits.

To recognize the customers’ needs, the facility must get everyone involved. It is recommended that the process include the physicians who work in the facility and the staff from all departments, both clinical and clerical. Medicine and management must live with each other differently than they have in the past. The key lies in the willingness and ability of hospitals and physicians to give up old ways of thinking and behaving and to build a new kind of social contract — a social contract based on paradox, ambiguity and change, risk and the pursuit of responsible excellence. Once management has reviewed the surveys, formed teams are suggested to follow the facility’s ideals, making adjustments along the way. Re-evaluation is ongoing. Improving quality service is expected. It is also important that the facility hold everyone accountable for their actions and deal with issues right away as they occur. During interviews, it is also important for employers to seek out prospective personnel who are driven by customer service. Staff should realize that it is not about what their needs are, but how they can accommodate the customer.

Training should occur on an ongoing basis. Studies suggest that first impressions count, patients are anxious, and because patient’s medical technical knowledge is limited, then they will begin to rely solely on kindness and attention.

In summary, ambulatory surgical centers have been shown to be very successful. Surgical centers of this type are a choice that consumers have been taking advantage of. Ambulatory services provide one-day surgical care that gives the patients and their families convenience compared that of a mainstream hospital. Customer satisfaction is required in all businesses, and most ASCs have noted the importance of this. Centers realize that only a small percentage of patients report unsatisfactory results. Therefore, what results they do receive should be reviewed and reflected upon with significance. ASCs cannot ignore or avoid customer feedback. Credible patient surveys need to be created and monitored. An outstanding customer service program has many benefits, including an increase in patient satisfaction and the improvement of overall functional quality of how service is delivered. Without surveys, how can an ASC measure its success on patient satisfaction and make any changes to improve?

Laura Grigor, MSM, has been in the healthcare field for more than 22 years with a special focus on ambulatory surgery centers. She is currently a healthcare advisor in Connecticut and can be reached at LJISLANDS@aol.com.