In its simplest form, healthcare’s problem is this – costs are too high and value is too low.  Similarly, the healthcare industry has two basic options—it can cut care or improve it. 

Enter value-based purchasing.

The Affordable Care Act allowed Medicare to create value-based purchasing, potentially the biggest game-changer since managed care. Beginning in October 2012, hospitals will be paid for inpatient services based on the quality of the care, rather than the quantity of services.

The program’s initial rollout includes 13 measures. While the majority measure adherence to evidence-based practice guidelines, the remainder measure the patient experience.  The patient experience, once heralded by nurses, doctors and staff on the floor, will soon become the battle cry of the CFO.  The result?  As hospitals tighten their belts and focus their efforts, they will need to make smart investments to improve care from the patient perspective.

The hospital’s bottom line will be a direct reflection of the patients’ responses to their HCAHPS survey.  According to the HealthCare.gov website, the Patient Experience of Care Measure will count the following questions for or against reimbursement:
• How well nurses communicated with patients
• How well doctors communicated with patients
• How responsive hospital staff were to patients’ needs
• How well caregivers managed patients’ pain
• How well caregivers explained patients’ medications to them
• How clean and quiet the hospital was
• How well caregivers explained the steps patients and families need to take to care for themselves outside of the hospital (i.e., discharge instructions)

While it seems easy enough, nurses and doctors are so weighted down by heavy caseloads, regulatory paperwork and adapting to needed technological changes in the workplace that the care experience often falls below patient expectations.

It’s important for hospitals to begin understanding their patients’ disappointments in real time, before HCAHPS reports turn up ugly.  Beryl’s post-discharge services do just that, “closing the loop” to offer an immediate opportunity for patients to comment on a positive or negative experiences.  With this input, hospitals can be agile in identifying problems and improving their rapport with patients.  Beryl’s registered nurses can also review post-discharge instructions to ensure proper follow up.  Patients have a better experience, and the hospital improves patient compliance and reduces readmission rates.