Mercy Hospital Anderson’s Patient Family Council Improves TCAB Team's Understanding of Patient Experience

Mercy Hospital Anderson’s Patient Family Council has heightened the TCAB team’s understanding of the patient experience, improved care, and increased patient satisfaction. The council meets once a month to engage in a roundtable discussion covering topics including issues of concern, recognition, TCAB successes, and patient satisfaction scores, among others. There are currently about 20 members, five of whom are either past patients or family members of patients. The remaining members consist of volunteers, leadership, and housekeeping. Membership has been increasing, most recently with a representative from the therapy department joining the team. Through the awareness and feedback gathered during council meetings, the TCAB unit has been able to knowledgably trial innovations that matter to patients. Patient satisfaction scores as measured by HCAHPS now are at an all-time high, with the most improvement in the following domains: communication with nurses, help from hospital staff, explanation about medications, and discharge instructions. Their Press Ganey scores remain in the top box as well. Domains with the most progress, more than 20 percent within a year, include “communication with nurses,” “help from hospital staff,” “pain control,” and “would definitely recommend.” One council member values the opportunity to participate because she can “relate [her] experiences, both the positive and the less-than-completely-satisfied, to hospital personnel and know that input will help improve the care and service the hospital is providing.” The team has presented their Patient Family Council successes to the leadership team at the hospital, the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, the Catholic Health Partners 7th Annual Patient Experience Forum, and on conference calls for regional TCAB for Minnesota and Wisconsin.