Spencer Tepper from Compirion Hospital Solutions LLC, a solution provider company at the marcus evans National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2012, on increasing patient satisfaction and operational efficiency within the healthcare environment. Interview with: Spencer Tepper, President, Compirion Hospital Solutions LLC

1. April 26-28, 2012 | The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa | Hollywood | FL
Compirion Hospital Solutions:
Targeting Patient Satisfaction and Operational Efficiency
Spencer Tepper from Compirion Hospital Solutions LLC, a solution provider company at the marcus evans National
Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2012, on increasing patient satisfaction and operational efficiency within the healthcare
environment.
Interview with: Spencer Tepper, President, Compirion Hospital Solutions LLC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE “solution” has, in some cases, made the situation worse. But the IOM
study concludes that training, development and management
Healthcare has become much more competitive and business supervision are the keys to making sure a “solution” such as EMR
oriented in the last 20 years, and part of that is the demand for better really helps, and does not make things worse. It is not just about
quality, service and cost metrics. The Accountable Care Organization getting the latest EMR software, the best Patient Satisfaction training,
(ACO) is really the next step, and will depend heavily on sound running Lean programs and making sure everyone washes their
performance and clinical information. Three metrics gathering intense hands. When improvements are pasted one on top of the other, you
public and healthcare leadership attention are patient satisfaction, can get the problems identified in the IOM study.
infection rates and re-admissions, says Spencer Tepper, President,
Compirion Hospital Solutions LLC. With the advent of Hospital Right now about 15 per cent of a hospital’s admissions need to be re-
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems admitted to the hospital within days of their initial discharge. So, the
(HCAHPS) and Value Based Purchasing, the Federal Government problem is significant. Did we do everything we were supposed to?
intends to tie reimbursement to these and other metrics, in addition Does the patient know what to expect and what they must do to
to Electronic Medical Record (EMR) implementation. This is becoming manage their post-hospital care? Do they feel that they were taken
a challenge for Healthcare Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). care of and that they do not have to return? All of these “fixes” must
be coordinated around a priority of patient involvement and
Ahead of the marcus evans National Healthcare CXO Summit understanding.
Spring 2012 in Hollywood, Florida, April 26-28, Tepper discusses the
importance of reducing re-admission rates and wait time, while What can Healthcare CEOs do to increase patient satisfaction?
increasing patient satisfaction.
Spencer Tepper: CEO rounding, eye-witnessing the relationship of
How can hospitals reduce re-admission rates? patients and their care-givers and acknowledging what they see is a
big first step. It sets the model for everyone else in the organization. It
Spencer Tepper: Healthcare CEOs can spend more time looking at says “I am interested in what patients are going through” and creates
actual patient outcomes, length of stay, re-admission rates and that value for the hospital. What the CEO attends to becomes the
satisfaction with their direct reports, every week. While it may appear values within the hospital, regardless of what they say or post on a
these are different, they are symptoms of management and wall. For many hospitals, doing just this will represent a huge culture
supervision issues that can improve all three almost immediately, and change.
a host of other measures as well.
When people are sick, they do not want to wait long to see a doctor;
The CEO can take a greater interest in witnessing the actual work of if they cannot get into a hospital, they will go elsewhere. We must
care. It makes a big difference and that scrutiny will do a world of look at what is making it difficult for patients to get in and get
good in cleaning up metrics. Many hospitals thought things were immediate access to care.
going just fine because their metrics said so, but when the metrics
were audited they revealed that patient satisfaction, infection rates, Hospitals are so afraid of un-reimbursed care that they often
throughput times, core and Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) inadvertently encourage a slow-down of patient processing. So then
measures were not doing as well as previously reported. The people the whole process becomes inefficient and much more expensive.
who knew it did not want to rock the boat. In fact the metrics had The dynamics begin with culture. It is not complicated, but somehow,
been systematically changed in stages to give the executives what seeing it for yourself puts it into perspective.
they wanted to see, not what was actually happening. It seems
impossible. It happens all the time. That is why the CEO has to do What would increase efficiency within the hospital environment?
this, to make it OK to uncover issues and straighten them out.
Spencer Tepper: We must keep the focus on patients. 30 minutes
Re-admissions happen for many reasons. In an Institute of Medicine of patient delay is 30 more minutes that patient requires care and
(IOM) study written up in Modern Healthcare Magazine, poor supervision. Every hospital should have a dashboard that includes a
implementation of the EMR led to higher mortality rates. Here a great daily reflection of patient satisfaction and quality. Looking at these
www.healthcare-summit.com

2. April 26-28, 2012 | The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa | Hollywood | FL
metrics on a regular basis will encourage brainstorming, action and What are your projections for the next few years?
sensitivity from staff and management at the frontline level.
Spencer Tepper: In the next few years, we will begin seeing hospitals
Hospitals have placed all of their energy on cost management and with larger outpatient facilities, smaller inpatient facilities, more home
documentation strategies, and these avenues have been exhausted. care and more “Walmart” care competitors, reflecting the new
As the IOM study alludes to, it can take the focus off the patient with direction of healthcare. This will resolve some long-standing quality
dire consequences. Looking into operational efficiencies and making and service issues as well as find ways to serve patients with less
sure the job is done right the first time, will help us avoid additional delay. Furthermore, as with the EMR, these changes will introduce
work, cost and unhappy patients. There are huge opportunities, not new challenges for coordination, communication and collaboration.
only to grow in volume but to handle that efficiently, simply by Hospitals are getting much closer to their patients and communities.
eliminating sources of time, energy and capital waste. It is an exciting time to be part of this dynamic environment.
Contact: Stacey Melvin, Journalist, marcus evans, Summits Division
Tel: + 357 22 849 400
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
About the National Healthcare CXO Summit Spring 2012
This unique forum will take place at The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida, April 26-28, 2012. Offering
much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry
thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes
presentations on continually finding ways to maximize budgets, developing an accountable care organization and
ensuring compliance for upcoming transformations of our healthcare system.
For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at
www.healthcare-summit.com
marcus evans group – healthcare sector portal
Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.
About Compirion Hospital Solutions LLC
Compirion Hospital Solutions is truly unique among hospital consulting firms - first, for our behavioral approach, second,
for our willingness to put our entire fee on the line by providing a money-back guarantee, and most importantly, for the
outstanding rate of improvement at our client-hospitals. Compirion works with hospitals to grow billable volume
through exceptional patient satisfaction, improved throughput and core measures, higher labor productivity and staff
retention.
www.compirion.com
About marcus evans Summits
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unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one
business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com
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