Patient satisfaction is about the Total Quality of the Patient Encounter (TQE). TQE is the sum of Patient Experience (as defined by CMS) plus Patient Satisfaction as defined by all of the non CMS related touchpoints.

1. Why having a Global Patient
Experience Strategy is Important
paulroemer@gmail.com

2. If the experience of an individual patient, or prospect is not
good, by definition it is bad.
• Each person, regardless of geography, should have access to the same high
level of experience
• The experience should be repeatable and measurable:
– By person
– Across departments
– Across facilities
– Over time
• It is not possible to improve the patient’s experience without knowing the
patient’s expectations
• To maximize the effectiveness of the patient experience you must
understand and manage the satisfaction of critical patient touchpoints
Things to Know About Patient Experience
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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3. The patient’s experience is an individual experience, however
it is reported and managed as though it is ubiquitous.
• A patient’s experience is made up of both their clinical and nonclinical
interactions with the health system. That experience is greater than the
one defined by CMS.
Total Quality of the Patient Encounter (TQE)
TQE = Quality of HCAHPS interactions + Patient Touchpoints
Things to Know About Patient Experience
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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4. Total Quality of a Patient Encounter (TQE)
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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Pre Hospitalization Post HospitalizationHospitalization
HCAHPS Experiences
Non Clinical Experiences;
patients, family, friends,
parking, food service
Website, patient portal,
call center, CRM,
social media, scheduling,
admissions, 2nd opinion,
referrals
billing, collections,
claims, scheduling,
therapy, appointments,
Unsatisfied prospects
leave w/o buying
Unsatisfied patients
don’t return or refer
Hospitals ignore much of an individual’s experiences and the opportunities to
increase their satisfaction, the dark blue areas.

5. By definition, every patient will have an experience. Many
experiences are not satisfactory.
• TQE is not just about patient engagement and HCAHPs
• TQE, from the perspective of an individual, includes every point of contact
a the individual has with the hospital
• Hospitals cannot name all of the touchpoints
• Hospitals do not know which touchpoints have the greatest impact on TQE
Things to Know About TQE
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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6. The effectiveness of Patient Touchpoints determines Patient
Lifetime Value (PLV). Touchpoints include:
• Billboards, direct mail, YouTube, television, radio, email, online searches,
brochure, mobile apps, Facebook, Twitter, blog, website, physician, friend,
family, WebMD, online forum, family, therapist, admissions, aide, nurse,
support group, call center, online chat, social worker, pharmacist.
• Most hospitals do not have a defined strategy to make any one of these
touchpoints effective let alone all of them.
Things to Know About Patient Touchpoints
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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7. No single hospital employee or department “owns” the patient.
• Touchpoints are defined and managed across many different departments:
– Marketing
– Business development
– Specialties
– IT
• Fewer than twenty percent of hospitals have a written patient experience
strategy
• Fewer than one percent of hospitals have a TQE strategy
• Ninety percent of hospital executives rank improving patient experience as
their first or second highest priority
The Patient Satisfaction Disconnect
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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8. Patient satisfaction can be a competitive advantage and
should retain patients and attract new patients.
• The best consumer-oriented organizations such as Disney, American
Express, The Ritz-Carlton, Starbucks, USAA and FedEx focus on delivering a
targeted, repeatable experience
• Hospitals state, “We do not have customers, we have patients”
• A hospital with that mindset will have neither
The Patient Satisfaction Disconnect
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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9. Healthcare is a consumer-driven business and consumers are
making the decision about whose services they will purchase.
• Each point of contact offers the hospital a chance to :
– Deliver unique benefits
– Create a platform for differentiation
– Create a competitive advantage
– Stop a patient from going somewhere else
Patient Touchpoints
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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10. There are more nonclinical patient touchpoints with patients
than there are clinical.
• Touchpoints occur on the phone, through the website, at a clinic, a follow
up visit, at a therapist…
• Touchpoints happen :
– Before the patient comes to the hospital
– At the hospital
– After the patient leaves the hospital
• Touchpoints affect the experience of the:
– Patient
– Family
– Friends
Patient Touchpoints
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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11. Hospitals without a TQE strategy will lose patients.
• Patients will not return to the hospital and the hospital will never know
• Patients will not refer the hospital
• Patients will be less likely to pay on time or in full
• A single poor patient experience will result in tens of thousands of dollars
of lost revenue
Why do Hospitals Need a Total Quality of Patient Encounter Strategy?
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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12. • Create a Patient Touchpoint Inventory Map
• Interview stakeholders, patients, and prospective patients to determine
which touchpoints relate most to their satisfaction
• Create TQE touchpoint Journey Maps
• Create patient touchpoint scoreboard
• Evaluate Patient Touchpoints Effectiveness
• Determine which touchpoints each patient values at each stage of their
interaction with the hospital.
• Design Total Patient Encounter Strategy (TQE)
• Develop a TQE plan to maximize touchpoint satisfaction and effectiveness
Let’s Develop a Total Patient Encounter Strategy Together
A remarkable experience for every patient
every time
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