Their Loyalty is Key to Your Success

Physicians drive patient admissions and revenue, and significantly impact a hospital's reputation. An environment of reduced autonomy and increased time demands leaves physicians feeling detached and uninvolved, placing hospitals at risk of physician defections. And since they are in the trenches at your hospital every day, they have perspectives of your operation that you need to hear. Press Ganey's Medical Staff Survey will help you focus your improvement initiatives to enhance the work and care environments. The following is supporting research and analysis sorted by topic.

2007 Hospital Checkup Report—Physician
This report is the definitive source on physician perspectives of hospital operations. The 2007 Hospital Check-Up Report: Physician Perspectives on American Hospitals highlights the findings of 21,000 physicians at more than 200 hospitals across the nation.

Prior to 2006, High Point Regional Health System in west–central North Carolina had experienced years of communication difficulties between physicians and administrators. In 2004, they decided to use Press Ganey's Medical Staff Survey and services, adopt Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, solicit buy–in by both the Administration and the Medical Staff, and make bold changes to the organization. As a result, High Point not only repaired and enhanced the relationship between physicians and administrators; they also radically increased physician satisfaction.

Positive things happen when hospitals view physicians as customers rather than a supply, resource, or audience. A hospital is then able to apply the science and tools of quality improvement, customer service, and customer relationship management to managing hospital–physician relationships.

Dr. Jay Kaplan, a practicing emergency room physician and the Director of Service Excellence for the California Emergency Physicians Medical Group, delves into the concept of "coopetition," a blend of cooperative and competition. He shares practical experiences and best practices on viewing physicians as partners—allies in your efforts to improve performance, patient care, and operational processes.

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When physicians are satisfied with nursing care and communication, patients are more likely to be receiving the highest quality of care, and nurses are more likely to feel confident, competent and trusted in their roles. Hospitals across the country struggle with how to simultaneously recruit, retain and improve their nursing workforce. Trinity Regional Health System (three hospitals along Iowa/Illinois state line) found a way to address its challenges. Between 2004 and 2005, Trinity saw its Press Ganey scores increase on every question and its overall score go up by five points.

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The University Of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) in Seattle, WA had conducted three internal surveys of its medical staff, but was still unable to determine the reasons for two historically low scoring areas (the operating room and information technologies). UWMC was already using Press Ganey Associates to measure employee satisfaction, and turned to us to measure physician satisfaction, as well. Our standard questions uncovered problem areas the hospital hadn't suspected, like the doctors' relationship with leadership, and the survey's comments led to meaningful changes at UWMC.Learn the amazing lengths the hospital went to bridge the gap between the administration and physicians.

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Marketing to the community can help your hospital increase patient volumes and market share. But how about reaching out to your internal customer—the medical staff? Press Ganey research shows that high physician satisfaction correlates to increased admissions. We examine techniques for measuring and improving physician satisfaction in an effort to increase admissions and market share.

For access to past webinars, contact webinars@pressganey.com.

This white paper examines research on the changes and pressures in the health care industry that affect communication between physicians and hospital administration.

For access to past webinars, contact webinars@pressganey.com.