Texas Health Resources - The Business of Healthcare

The Business of Health Care Report
The Patient & Family Journey (Part II) - March 2003

Click to listen to this taped broadcast.

I'm Doug Hawthorne, President and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with "The Business of Health Care Report" on News Radio 1080 KRLD.

In my last report, I told you about Texas Health Resources' plans to improve the hospital experience for patients and families. It is called the Patient and Family Journey. Today, I want to share with you some of the innovations that have resulted from this journey.

After conducting research at the hospitals, teams of employees have focused on fixing the bumps in the road for patients and their families.

Some of their innovations cut through red tape. Many are centered on the waiting that occurs throughout a hospital stay. Several innovations incorporate technology from other industries and apply it to the hospital experience. Some aim to maximize the time physicians on the medical staffs and caregivers are able to spend with patients.

Let me give you a couple of examples. At one THR hospital, research showed that families felt tied to the surgery waiting room. They were afraid to leave because they might miss an opportunity to speak with their loved one's surgeon after a procedure had been completed.

Taking a cue from the restaurant industry, family members now receive flashing pagers, freeing them to go the cafeteria or to walk outside to refresh and renew. When the surgeon is ready to speak with them, a volunteer in the waiting room activates the pager and the family is alerted.

Several hospitals are in the midst of developing directional systems that should make it less challenging for patients and families to find their way around. One hospital is implementing an ambassador program in which volunteers meet patients at the door and escort them to the appropriate area. And, several hospitals are coordinating communication between admissions departments and physicians' offices to speed the process and eliminate the need for patients to supply duplicate information at several points along the admissions path.

In the coming months you'll be hearing more about THR's Patient and Family Journey.

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.

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