Patient Affairs Advocacy services Complaint management At AUBMC

Outline  Why Patient Affairs?!?!?!  Advocacy Services  Aim  Functions  Outcome  Complaint management  Policy  Process

Age of manufacturing Age of Distribution Age of Information Customer Age of the Customer ? Source: June 6, 2011, “Competitive Strategy In The Age Of The Customer” Forrester Report

Why Patient Affairs?  Inline with AUBMC mission and vision ….. in meeting patient satisfaction and achieving service excellence ….  In line with 2020 vision that was set by Dean Sayegh  The Patient Affairs Unit was established in September 2010 Our mission is to promote and ensure patient satisfaction at all times and guarantee that the patient’s stay at AUBMC is the very best by following a patient-centered care approach while maintaining service excellence.

Note: As per JCI and MOPH accreditation standards, patients should be educated about their Patient Rights and Responsibilities. AND PFR.4: Staff members are educated about their role in identifying patients’ values and beliefs and protecting patients’ rights.

Advocacy Services  The Patient Advocates are health care Professionals.  Their main responsibility is to advocate in the name of patients and their families. proactively identify and manage  Patient Advocates proactively identify and manage patient related issues in a timely manner through conducting daily rounds on inpatient units.  Patient Advocacy data are collected from the various services, and findings are shared with concerned departments as part of the quality improvement process.  The advocacy service is available 24 hours / 7 days a week.

Advocacy Services cont’d  Functions  Be proactive in identifying service delivery problems  Serve as a formal grievance mechanism for patient/family  Analyze the grievance/complaint and communicate with concerned department/unit  Initiate corrective action for resolution of actual complaint or prevention of potential problem in coordination with unit/department concerned

Advocacy Services cont’d  Respond back to patient/family on the strategies taken. Follow up on the actions taken to prevent similar complaints  Document all complaints received. Gather data of trending complaints. Submit periodic progress reports to track outcomes.

Advocacy Services cont’d  Outcome

Outcome cont’d  Visited Departments  All inpatient units  Outpatients: PC, FM, ED, Basile Outpatient  Patient Satisfaction projects  Assist the administration in projects that impact patient satisfaction.

Coding of Patient concerns AUBMC core Values :  Respect  Integrity  Teamwork and Collaboration  Accountability  Stewardship  Diversity

AUBMC Goals:  Patient-centered care  Quality and Safety  Service Excellence  Operational Efficiency  Financial Performance to support our Mission

Patient Affairs’ Coding Matrix:  Access to care  Finance  Accommodation - Physical structure  Accommodation - Laundry  Accommodation - Housekeeping  Accommodation - Food: quality and choice  Accommodation – Parking  Accommodation - Transport services  Accommodation - Noise  Attitude: Respect and Caring  Communication and Coordination of Care  Equipment failure / malfunction  Patients’ rights - Information and Engagement  Patients’ rights - Confidentiality and privacy

Patient Affairs’ Coding Matrix: cont’d  Quality - Delay in treatment  Quality - Pain management  Quality - Skills and competency  Quality - Treatment and plan of care  Quality - Discharge planning  Safety - Patient identification  Safety - Medications and treatment  Safety – Infection  Safety - Adverse Events and incidents  Patient Education  Timely responsiveness  Waiting time

Complaint Management  At AUBMC, we have many policies that protect patients and their families.  One important policy for patient affairs is: Complaints and Compliments Management (GLD-ADM-003)

Complaints and Compliments Policy  The process includes: receiving, investigating and resolving complaint in an effective and efficient manner.  Complaints are handled in a strictly confidential manner as per the Patient Confidentiality, Security, Privacy and Release of Patient Information Policy (MCI-MUL- 002)  Every complaint is answered in an attempt to ensure service recovery in a timely manner.  An apology is made where a problem clearly lies in a service or level of care.

Process of handling a complaint

How???  Ensuring prompt and efficient communication  Identifying the cause of the complaint  Responding sympathetically  Taking the appropriate remedial action  Communicating the outcome of the complaint with the complainant  Conforming that the complaint is satisfied with the outcome

Complaints that are not resolved at the POINT OF SERVICE??? Direct them to the Patient Relations Office, Phase II, first floor Ext:

Process  The Patient Relations’ manager role:  Acknowledge the receipt of complaint within 2 days  Give the complaint a processing number  Analyze the complaint and code it as per the coding matrix of patient affairs and link it to AUBMC values and goals.  Communicate the complaint with the departments or services involved  Collect replies and close the complaint after responding to the complainant.

At the end, remember….. Stressful Anxiety Fear Uncertainty Confusion Sickness Helpless … What about the FAMILY

Treat your patient with Empathy Place yourself in the shoes of your patient!

Thank you