Layoffs Won't Help Satisfy Patients

Many hospitals these days are finding themselves in serious financial situations. Poor economic conditions are resulting in fewer patients and/or lower payments that just don't cover costs. Unfortunately, the first thing hospitals tend to do is cut staff.

Please don't.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. It hurts morale. Poor morale hurts patient satisfaction. Poor patient satisfaction hurts admissions. Nobody wants to hear about layoffs from a stressed-out transportation aide as they're getting wheeled to the OR. Besides, we already wait long enough on hold and get lost in the hallways too many times without rescue.
2. Many areas are already understaffed, causing strains on processes that result in failures and errors.
3. Severance pay is expensive.
4. Should you need the staff back, it is costly to recruit, rehire and re-train.

We've provided some alternatives to cutting staff that hospitals may consider first. We hope staff cuts will be a last resort and only considered after careful analysis and consideration of the long-term consequences.

In the meantime, we'll monitor patient satisfaction scores on WhereToFindCare.com to see if any trends pop up from hospitals who've implemented layoffs.

People Putting the 'Care' in Health Care

Health care workers are some of the hardest working, most caring individuals we know. And now we have the evidence....

We developed the CareStars(TM) program on WhereToFindCare.com to recognize individuals in the health care field for going out of their way to make us feel better during our most vulnerable times - when we are sick or hospitalized. The program allows patients or their loved ones to recognize people who have made a difference by completing a short survey and describing how the individuals helped them. These CareStars are displayed anonomously on our website and will be relayed back to the organization for which the individuals work.

The program has only been up for a few months but we've already had a great response. Below are just a few of the CareStars recognitions we've already received. Congratulations, CareStars--keep up the great work!

DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE SURGERY CTR LLC (BALTIMORE, MD)Entered by a Patient

My nurse stayed past the end of her shift so I wouldn't wake up to a different face.

HENRY FORD BI-COUNTY HOSPITAL (WARREN, MI) Entered by a Patient

Nurse GiGi in the EGD suite was very attentive and made me laugh

SOUTHSHORE DIABETES SERVICES (TRENTON, MI)Entered by a Patient
Savanna,Rn is a very caring and patient person and I recommmend her 100%

MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE CENTER (OWOSSO, MI)Entered by a Patient
Vicki was very attentive to my comfort. She was constantly checking on my pain control and prompt in delivering pain meds when needed. I never had to ask or feel like I was bothering anyone.

If you know of a CareStar, tell us about him or her by completing a survey.

How Hospitals Treat Staff Makes All the Difference

I recently had the opportunity to visit two large, well-known local hospitals within the same week. The difference was remarkable....

They both recently spent hundreds of millions of dollars on facility improvements and upgrades, and they were both visually impressive. What struck me however, was the difference in the way patients and visitors were treated at each of the hospitals. At one hospital I was treated with genuine kindness and staff went out of their way to help me. At the other staff seemed more concerned with their "tasks" than with helping people. Employees at this hospital made attempts at being friendly and helpful, but their attempts seemed hollow. It was obvious to me that they weren't genuinely interested in helping me.

How does this happen? I could tell that staff at both hospitals had similar training (i.e. ask people if they need help when they look lost), but only one of them executed that training well. So what makes the difference? My theory: how they're treated.

Your thoughts?