Job-Specific ICARE Behaviors Crystallize

We continue our zealous work delivering the “ICARE experience” to patients, families and each other.

In fact, over the past several months, we’ve taken significant steps, meeting with distinct job families (e.g., providers, ambulatory patient representatives, nurses, pharmacy techs) and carefully voting on sets of concrete, job-specific behaviors that, done consistently, will deliver an exceptional experience not only to our patients and families but to employees, as well.

Many of these basic behaviors are common sense (e.g., making eye-contact and, if you’re tied-up, offering a friendly "one minute” gesture as soon as a visitor arrives on your unit). Unfortunately, they’re not always common practice.

 “But with hard data holding us accountable, we hope they’ll soon be second nature,” said Jackie Beckerman, director of URMC’s patient- and family-centered care initiative.

This winter, she says our PFCC effort will take on a new dimension thanks to an experience management system from Brand Integrity (a consulting company with a proven track record for driving culture change at big organizations). Taking the form of an online dashboard, Brand Integrity’s software gives managers and staff alike the ability to capture examples of ‘ICARE in action’ and share best practices. The customizable interface will also provide area-specific report cards, gathering applicable HCAHPS and Morehead scores, plus the results of staff self- and peer-assessments gauging how consistently job-specific behaviors are being lived out.

“We’ll then be able to see how careful adherence to these new job-specific behaviors is moving the needle in terms of patient and staff satisfaction,” Beckerman said.

The software, besides providing a snapshot of both the patient experience and employee engagement data in one convenient place, leverages real-time examples to be used for strategic education, training, and constant reminding of how to deliver the ICARE experience. It will also include new tools to help managers more actively praise and recognize individuals who deliver truly exceptional care, she said.

10/2/2012

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