|
|
|
|
The Business of
Health Care Report
Typically, these reports don't focus on Texas Health Resources. But,
a current project has proven to be so eye-opening, I wanted to share our experiences with you. We have begun to revise our long-range plans for the next several years.
The planning includes typical data such as demographics, census projections, demand forecasting and market share projections.
But, the unique aspect of our planning process has been research into the patient and family experience. Over the past several months, Texas Health has worked closely with IDEO
of California, the world's leading product design firm, to look at the services hospitals provide from the patient's point
of view. In IDEO terms, we embarked on the patient's journey. And what a journey it was! Teams of IDEO and our staffers
spent one week in four of our hospitals. Working much like anthropologists in the field, the teams observed,
shadowed and interviewed physicians, patients and their families, hospital staff, physician office staff and others that
impact the patient's journey through health care. In each hospital, teams actually posed as patients and family members
and experienced a mock patient journey including arriving at the hospital, the admissions process, preparing for the
procedure, undergoing the procedure, recovering from the procedure and leaving the hospital. One journey centered on a breast cancer patient and the different
stages of diagnosis and treatment. Another team member posed as a medical record and followed the document with the
patient from the start of the hospital experience to the finish. Another team member became a patient experiencing a
cardiac catheterization. Hundreds of ideas about ways to "fix" bumps in the road for patients
during their journey have been identified. The next step is to test some of those at our hospitals. The ultimate goal
is an experience that is smooth, hassle-free and satisfying for the patient. For Texas Health Resources
and its family of hospitals - Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian
Healthcare System and Arlington Memorial Hospital - I'm CEO Doug
Hawthorne with "The Business of Health Care Report" on NewsRadio
1080 KRLD.
©
2002 Texas Health Resources |
I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with
"The Business of Health Care Report" on 