In Their Own Words: What patients, staff, and physicians have to tell us about their experience at Windber

Windber Medical Center: The Patient Experience In Their Own Words: What patients, staff, and physicians have to tell us about their experience at Windber www.WindberCare.com

Inpatient impressions of their most recent care experience
“ I have been with Windber for years, I am so proud, every time I have company I bring them to the hospital to show it off, all the buildings, I tell them about when there was a ward with 10 people and 2 nurses and now they have private rooms.”
“ I had such a perfect time the last time I was here, I can happily say, everything was just great.”

“ When I was admitted you could tell they really care that you are comfortable. They care that you have what you need. They are a special breed of people here.”
“ Well, I would say when I come in they make me feel like I’m in my living room. The rooms are hospitable and friendly. They are truly concerned about your health and they check in with you about your needs. I know they will take great care of me.”

“ Not only are the nurses caring, but so is the transport staff. They talk to you and joke with you. When they bring you to x-ray they make sure the staff know you are there; and they make sure you are comfortable, covered and warm before they leave. People are scared when they are having tests and transporters help to put you at ease.”

Outpatient impressions of their most recent care experience
“ I had my hernia repaired at 9 am and went home at 2 pm, it was so perfect I could never have imagined it. I went home and got my mail and that’s the way my whole day was, I wasn’t incapacitated whatsoever.”

Outpatient impressions of their most recent care experience
“She invited me to bring my coffee back with me to the exam room. They found a nodule and I had to come back. I was nervous but after a couple minutes I relaxed, she showed me right away the x-ray and explained the whole thing and what she was going to do and reassured me that everything was fine before I left.”

Patient impressions of their recent emergency department experience
“ We switched hospitals and were treated like gold at Windber. The technicians were excellent. I have never been in a facility like this. I am overcautious with her I know but they didn’t judge me, they listened to me. Down in the therapy department they treated her like royalty. There hasn’t been an employee that hasn’t said ‘hi’ to us ever. I love the care. I’m not afraid to come to a hospital now.”

“ Excellent care, in the ER the nurses were so kind, the other hospital looked at me like duh, why are you here.”
“ They took her right back to be examined and they brought me coffee. I could stay with her in the ER.”
“ I was just a friend and they never asked me to leave. He had a broken arm and was out before the game was over.”
Patient impressions of their recent emergency department experience

Do you feel that staff cared for you as a person while you were under their care?
“ My twin grandchildren were up from Virginia. Megan dropped her doll in the snow bank and she thought the doll was going to be really cold. The nurse got an afghan and wrapped the doll up. When they were leaving, Megan gave the afghan back and they said keep it. Now if the children have any stress, like going to the dentist, they take the afghan with them.”

Do you feel that staff cared for you as a person while you were under their care?
“ She called me and said it was wonderful in the Cancer Center, bread baking, real coffee cups, real relaxing atmosphere, and a fireplace.”
“ I was waiting for blood work and my back was killing me and someone walked down the hall asking if anyone wanted a backrub and I said YES.”

Did you receive enough information in a way you could understand?
“ This is the best place to come for a mammogram, and I’ve been to several places. At Windber, they tell you what they are doing and why. When you come out you know they are telling you the truth.”
“ I was given her head injury instructions in writing last week. Even though the CT scan came back negative, they told me I still need to wake her every two hours. Everything was explained thoroughly.”

Did you receive enough information in a way you could understand?
“With my husband’s medicines, the nurse gave me a print out of the medications he was on.”

Would you consider this hospital to be a relaxing, healing environment?
“ It feels good, they have a harpist that comes around, Rachel, and the music is very relaxing.”
They have homemade bread baking machines and it smells so good. I have been on the receiving end of the clowns and the dogs that came in to see me.”

Do you feel your privacy was respected while you were a patient?
“ They usually call us up by our first name softly. What is amazing, is once you register on the 3rd floor the girls remember you when you come back. We had outpatient blood work and the girls down there are fantastic. I was amazed.”
“ They give you two gowns – one in the front and one for the back so you are covered.”

Were you offered any special amenities?
“ They have pet therapy and a lady with 2 big dogs. I bring two elderly ladies, aged 91 and 92, here and they will come and get you with a wheelchair. They will do labs where we were instead of making us go to the lab.”
“ The harp that comes to your room – that is really special.”
“ The fish tanks are really nice.”

Were your spiritual needs met while you were a patient?
“ I’m Roman Catholic and they brought communion, the Chaplain came all the time. We have two ministers employed by the hospital. All you need to do is ask, it is there.”
“ I get three or four chaplains because they know how much trouble I’m in.”
“ Chaplain comes every day.”

Were complementary therapies offered to you at the hospital?
“ The drum sessions are really neat. One day, Jeanne and Rachel came out on the patio and they brought their drums out and we all played. I didn’t know how to beat a drum, but we all had fun. I really like that here. I have gotten exposed to things that I didn’t know about, like the drumming and reike and aromatherapy.”
“ The smell is a big thing, it smells clean.”

Windber Medical Center: The Employee Experience www.WindberCare.com

What are the greatest strengths of Windber Medical Center?
“ It’s a small town feeling of care. It’s a family feel and touch. They remember you – people will come back and say five years ago you took care of me in the ER - they remember us. We don’t see patients as a medical record number or as a problem we see them as people.”
“ Our patients don’t feel like a number. We pay attention to who they are, and what’s important to them and how we can help them to get back into their previous lifestyle before they became ill.”

Do you feel that you have a good understanding of what Planetree is, and what it means to this organization?
“ Its individualized care. You can call it whatever you want to, but providing individualized care and our environment, bread baking, dogs, fountains, nice paint on the walls, it makes patients feel they are connected. ” (staff)
“ It’s being able to look at a patient, understand their needs, and to work with the different departments, to meet the patient’s needs.”

Have you been involved in patient-centered activities and initiatives?
“ I know that staff on Wing 3 are initiating a care partners program and they are trying to set up a process for staff and families to follow. Now there is a Green Team. I think it came from our physical therapy aids approaching our CEO about the amount of waste. And he told them to go for it.” (managers)

Do you feel that management supports staff involvement in patient-centered activities?
“ We made a hospitality guide and we put all kinds of information in there and there is a section on their rights and responsibilities and how to gain information about their medical records.”
“ How many people get to have a job where they play music for patients? We also created the cultural sensitivity guides that are available in each department. We work with inpatients, to help integrate the mind body and spirit into their daily lives.”

Do you feel that you have a voice in your department? Are you able to provide personalized care to patients?
“ Yes, absolutely. If anyone has an idea or wants to expand or learn something new administration supports that – they welcome it.”
“ Our managers ask us for our comments and suggestions to make this a better place.”

In what ways are you, as a caregiver, cared for by Windber Medical Center?
“ I was having trouble with my wrists and the Integrative Medicine Department came and helped me; they gave me a hand and wrist massage. One day I was in so much pain that I asked Dr. Fockler and he recommended acupuncture. When I got to the department all the rooms were busy, but that didn’t stop them. Jeanne dimmed the lights and they did acupuncture for me right there at the desk. I didn’t have to pay for it either.”

In what ways are you, as a caregiver, cared for by Windber Medical Center?
“ We have a wellness center and for 10 dollars a month we can join. There are over 70 pieces of equipment all kinds of classes and a walking path. We feel a lot better when we use it. We are encouraged to fit it in to our schedule.”
“ The walking trail through the woods is wonderful. One day I brought my dad who was a patient here out and we watched the sunset together.”

How are you, as staff, recognized and rewarded for the work you do?
“ The Employee of the Month is great because all employees get to nominate and the winner gets $100 check and a parking spot! The Employee of the Year gets a year membership to use the gym.” (staff)

How are you, as staff, recognized and rewarded for the work you do?
The Caught You Caring , that everyone loves, because it’s nice to be recognized by your coworkers. We also have a great Christmas Party and each year they have a dinner to recognize employees for their service. You go to a nice restaurant and get a pin for the years of service. The month of your birthday you have pizza with the President. ” (staff)

Do you feel comfortable reporting quality and patient safety issues without fear of reprisal?
“ We have a non-punitive reporting process. We ask why and our whole goal is to keep asking why until we figure it out. There’s a report with all the types of incidents to make departments aware of things so they can use this information to be proactive in their own units.” (managers)
“ Yes, we would report it to our manager and we fill out incident reports. There is also a number you can call.” (staff)

Staff impressions of the patient experience:
“ Patients come to PT, we discuss what we are going to do and why. I ask, tell me if you have any special positions that you are most comfortable in. The patients look at me oddly. They say do whatever you need to do. They are so accustomed to us doing things to them – we should let them know this is a new era of medicine and to feel comfortable asking questions and getting information about their care.”

What are your hopes and dreams for Windber Medical Center?
“ I came from a different hospital that was quite financially successful. At Windber we receive understanding and support no matter what you are dealing with. The other institution it was more the nobility versus serfdom and you only spoke when asked. Our CEO lets you come right in and there is not a VP you can’t go up to and no matter what went wrong, the response is how can we fix it and you are empowered to fix it.” (manager)

Windber Medical Center: The Physician Experience www.WindberCare.com

Have you been involved in patient-centered activities and initiatives?
“ I’ve worked at many hospitals and this is the best place I have ever worked. In my department, my people all have a thirst for learning and they want to improve themselves. They are interested in learning other facets of the department and advancing their certifications. When you establish that kind of environment, the self improvement is just amazing. It helps me practice better medicine, it helps our department grow and it allows us to provide better, more expert care.”

Physician impressions of the care experience at WMC?
“ I have been an internist here for 25 years and I have been here pre and post Planetree. I found it a very useful adjunct. I walked in to see my patient just this morning. She was using music therapy and she told me it was very relaxing to her and was helping her breathing. I think we need to do a better job of communicating these holistic offerings to our patients.”

Physician impressions of the staff experience at WMC?
“ People would ask me, why did you pick this dinky little town? I told them it was the philosophy, the patient centered approach and how it works to make a truly different experience for patients. It’s not just the surgery, it’s the pre-op and after-care and the support the patient receives emotionally and through the great work of Healthstyles upstairs. What we do in the OR is a small part of the patient’s care, it’s the support we give to our patients that makes all the difference for a successful outcome.”

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In Their Own Words: What patients, staff, and physicians have to tell us about their experience at Windber

by Nick Jacobs on Oct 06, 2008

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In Their Own Words: What patients, staff, and physicians have to tell us about their experience at Windber — Presentation Transcript