T.J. Samson | Destination Health | December 2020

How was your hospital stay? Your experiences matter to us If you’ve recently stayed in one of our hospitals, we want to hear from you. In fact, your feedback helps us continually improve patient care. “We’re listening,” says Casey Franklin, RN, Patient Safety and Experience Coor- dinator at T.J. Regional Health. “Nothing is more important to us than what you have to say.” That’s why you might receive a patient survey in the mail or by email after a hospital stay at T.J. Samson Community Hospital or T.J. Health Columbia.We strongly encourage you to complete the survey, which you can do anonymously. It’s how we learn what we’re do- ing well and where we can do better. SURVEY DATA SHEDS LIGHT ON PATIENT EXPERIENCES The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a national survey that asks people about their hospital stay. A health care analytics company called Press Ganey sends a survey to a random sampling of recently discharged patients. The survey asks questions like these:    ● Did the physician communicate in a way that was easy to understand?    ● Was your hospital stay quiet?    ● Was your room comfortable?    ● Did the nurses listen carefully to you? There’s also a place to write a comment, if you choose. The vendor firm compiles the survey data and provides us with a score.The scores, along with any handwritten comments, are reviewed each week. We then use those responses to identify opportunities to continually improve. “We take that information and we turn it into action, with the goal of constantly improving and doing the next best thing for our patients,” Franklin says. Every comment is read and carefully considered, she says. For example, if someone has a suggestion about how to improve the hospital’s food menu, that idea could lead to an actual change. LISTENING TO NEIGHBORS’ VOICES As a community health system, T.J. Regional Health is committed to providing, safe excellent care for patients who are also neighbors and friends.That’s why the patient survey scores are never just numbers, Franklin says. “They are the collective voice of our community,” she says. “These are our patients from our own neighborhood telling us what we have excelled at and where we have opportunities to better our services and care.” And while most comments are positive, there’s always a way you can make the expe- rience better for the next patient who comes through the door, Franklin says. “We may have gotten 90% of our patients giving us the best possible response in a specific area,” she says. “But next year we’re going to hit 92%, and the next year 94%.” CHECK OUT RESULTS HCAHPS results are posted online, which allows consumers to compare hospitals. You can view survey selections at medicare.gov/hospitalcompare . COLD FLU ACHES/PAINS COUGH CHEST DISCOMFORT EXHAUSTION FATIGUE FEVER HEADACHE SNEEZING SORE THROAT STUFFY/RUNNY NOSE VOMITING/DIARRHEA Colds and the flu share some common symptoms. Colds are usually much milder than the flu. SYMPTOMS Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Food and Drug Administration Patient care 2 DESTINATION HEALTH OR