WBAMC exceeds patient care benchmark

Photo By Marcy Sanchez | First Lt. Emily Leszczynski, staff nurse, Surgical Ward, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, assists Janice Morgan, WBAMC inpatient, with an incentive spirometer to measure breathing capability at WBAMC's Surgical Ward, April 11. William Beaumont Army Medical Center recently exceeded U.S. Army Medical Command's benchmark for inpatient satisfaction scores as measured by the Tricare Inpatient Satisfaction Survey (TRISS).  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

05.11.2017

Story by Marcy Sanchez  

William Beaumont Army Medical Center

Janice Morgan’s first trip to William Beaumont Army Medical Center was for a spider bite. In fact, it was her first trip to then-William Beaumont General Hospital and the year was 1964. Morgan has been a patient since.

Morgan’s most recent trip to WBAMC was in April 2017 for surgery. Morgan, a retired civil service employee and military widow, seemed unusually content for someone recovering from surgery, maybe due to WBAMC’s quality in patient care recently highlighted in Tricare Inpatient Satisfaction Surveys (TRISS).

Recently, WBAMC’s Surgical Ward was recognized for exceeding U.S. Army Medical Command’s benchmark in the Tricare Inpatient Satisfaction Survey (TRISS) for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016.

The Department of Defense initiated TRISS, an inpatient survey measuring patients’ perceptions of hospital experiences, to mirror the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey which is administered after inpatient stays at civilian medical facilities. Survey results serve to drive internal quality improvement initiatives, assess the impact of changes in operating procedures and provide feedback to providers and patients.

“If their care or patient experience is not up to par in these settings then it’s reflected in patient answers (in TRISS),” said Maj. Jerry Moon, nurse methods analysts, Department of Nursing. “Our patients (except for active-component Soldiers) have choices of where they receive healthcare.”

During the fourth-quarter report for Fiscal Year 2016, WBAMC’s Surgical Ward scored above MEDCOM’s benchmark of 72 percent, which are in line with HCAHPS standards for civilian medical facilities.

“We’re improving the culture of the organization to be more patient-centered and patient-focused by getting employees engaged through recognition (such as TRISS results). We’re giving our patients the opportunity to (engage with WBAMC) through the surveys,” said Moon, a native of Shepherd, Texas. “We have (standard operating procedures) but they’re built on top of a culture of employee engagement.”

A culture of patient-centered care is what nurses Jonathan Serna and 1st Lt. Emily Leszczynski strive to validate for patients of WBAMC’s Surgical Ward.

“Everybody wants to be treated to the best that they can,” said Serna, a native of El Paso, Texas. “Being in the hospital is not the best experience; it takes them away from home, takes them away from comfort zones and puts them in situations that nobody really likes. By getting (TRISS survey) feedback, it shows we’re encompassing that dynamic concept of nursing which is caring.”

During stays at a hospital patients’ main caregiver may be the nurse assigned to them. Leszczynski stresses teamwork is equally as important and plays an important role in patient satisfaction.

One of the most important things for WBAMC’s Surgical Ward patients is the discharge date, said Leszczynski, a native of Augusta, Georgia. Every piece of the team is important; from the doctors putting in orders on time to nurses getting all their ducks in a row, it’s all important for the patient experience.

“Attentive services are very important,” said Morgan. “If you ask for something they’re here pretty fast. It’s not just the techs and nurses it’s everybody, they’re all very friendly and say hello and it makes me feel good.”

While patient care has always been a top priority at WBAMC, internal communications has also played a part in the teamwork in the Surgical Ward.

“I’m really one that’s about investing in people, both personally and professionally,” said Maj. Tanisha Currie, officer in charge, Surgical Ward, WBAMC. “They spend a majority of their time in the (Surgical Ward), away from family and friends, we have to gel together. When people feel that they have a place of belonging and that others care, it translates over to how they administer care to the patient.”

Currie has shifted focus beyond her staff through a multidisciplinary effort to reach each patient’s goal of going home in a timely fashion.

“I think that creates synergy when (healthcare professionals) huddle, they talk about safety, barriers and we can find solutions right then and there to problems,” said Currie. “Once (staff) sees how it all connects, it makes sense and affects patient care.”

Numerous meetings throughout the day also allow for an opportunity to discuss results from in-house surveys provided to patients during their stay. By doing so the healthcare team is able to identify and find solutions to patient concerns on the spot.

Although exceeding benchmarks does include financial incentives, Currie stresses the rewards further encourage enthusiastic behavior toward patient care.

“We are looking at resources and rewarding people for doing a good job such as with TRISS,” said Currie, a native of Chicago. “These are the things we can do with the (answers from TRISS) and build relationships to get toward the goal of building patient satisfaction.

“Our goal as healthcare providers is not to keep patients in the hospital, our goal is to see patients outside the hospital and be healthy and be a place where patients can heal and move forward,” said Currie.

WBAMC’s patient care is reflected in Morgan’s continued patronage after more than a half-century of care received at WBAMC.

“They (provide patient care) as fast as they can, as efficient as they can and (the medical staff) is all very good, very good,” said Morgan.

• Date Taken: 05.11.2017
• Date Posted: 05.11.2017 15:53
• Story ID: 233539
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US
• Hometown: AUGUSTA, GA, US
• Hometown: CHICAGO, IL, US
• Hometown: EL PASO, TX, US
• Hometown: SHEPHERD, TX, US