A great culture is awesome. When it truly exists, you can feel it. Walk into any surgery center, hospital or doctor’s office and within seconds the culture of the place (good or bad) should hit you like a ton of bricks. The top patient care organizations are warm and inviting. From the moment you get out of your car, you are hit with a consistent welcoming and caring atmosphere. Despite the fact that you might be going in to receive some bad news, or have a procedure, the culture overshadows all that in a very positive way. Even a misstep by a staff member who says the wrong thing or some litter in the parking lot is not enough to override this powerful ethos. So what is your culture like? You hopefully are doing some mystery shopping and getting feedback on the patient experience you are providing. If you are not, you should start. It is always a good idea to get an objective perspective. Ask lots of open-ended questions, and be ready for some unexpected answers. I was recently at a Health System which prides itself on the patient experience. The Doctors and Nurses were very engaged – in fact outstanding at putting the patient first. The issue was everybody else. Anyone could clearly tell that patients are nowhere close to their priority. When you looked at the total culture, it really was quite unremarkable. If pressed, a patient would probably say, ‘I like my doctor, but … ’ Building a great patient care culture needs to be a top priority for any organization that wants to succeed. It is something that needs to permeate to every person that interacts with a patient. Even smaller organizations with excellent cultures struggle tremendously to maintain it as they grow. Key is to decide what type of environment you want your patient experience to be and then constantly train and communicate it at all levels until you are satisfied. Mind you it will take discipline, patience and years to get there – but it is worth it!
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