Becker's Hospital Review

12 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP NewYork-Presbyterian CXO Rick Evans: What's on patient experience leaders' to-do list By Rick Evans, Senior Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Experience Officer of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital T he week of April 4, I did some- thing I haven't done in a long time. I went in person to a professional conference. The meet- ing was the "ElevatePX" conference sponsored by The Beryl Institute, an organization dedicated to advanc- ing the human experience in health- care. The Beryl community is over 60,000 strong and is comprised of patient experience leaders, patient advocates and other organizations involved in patient experience work. This was the first time I have been in the same physical space with my colleagues in over two years. It was a powerful moment — if a bit unsettling to be in crowds again — but also a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with people who do the same work I do all across America. It was an uplifting few days, filled with themes worth sharing as we all continue the work of improving pa- tient experience. First, nearly every organization I encountered at the meeting was engaged in work to recover lost ground in patient experience per- formance as we move through what we all hope is the last phase of the pandemic. We are coming through a national crisis in patient experi- ence that is evidenced in declining ratings from patients nationwide. I spoke with many colleagues about how they are creating plans to renew focus on patient experience. Some organizations shared how they are restoring core best practices within their organizations such as bedside rounding and post-discharge calls. Many are trying to bring innovation to their patient experience, lever- aging virtual encounters that con- sumers are more comfortable with post-pandemic. It is heartening to see that, just as there is a national crisis in patient experience, there is also a national recovery underway. Every healthcare leader should be asking themselves what your plan is to restore the experience for our patients and families. Another theme was a pervasive fo- cus on equity in healthcare. There were numerous discussions cen- tered on equity in outcomes, but also equity in the experience itself. There were presentations regarding equity in measurement (collecting data that helps us understand who our patients are), equity in access to services and technology, and equity in design of services for the future. Many organizations are working through challenges associated with collecting accurate data on racial, ethnic and sexual identity. Collec- tion of this data requires careful communication to strengthen trust with our patients and families. This work is critical for us to be able to effectively target efforts to address disparities in our communities. Hospital leaders should mobilize their patient experience teams and patient advocates to help with this work, as we are experts in building relationships. Judging by the ener- gy around this issue at the confer- ence, there are many in the patient experience community who are ready to be involved. A third theme was discussions of the return of volunteers to the health- care space. Another hidden impact of the pandemic was the near-total disappearance of volunteers from the healthcare landscape. When re- strictions were put in place for vis- itation at the bedside, many of the same restrictions were also put into place for volunteers. Many volun- teers also ended their commitments out of concern for their own safety. As vaccines have arrived and we now better understand how to keep ourselves safe, volunteers have slowly started to trickle back into our organizations. Volunteers have long been a vital, but often underappre- ciated, part of healthcare. They not only help us all achieve our mission, but volunteering also offers people a pathway into healthcare careers. This is more important than ever in a time of severe staffing shortages and challenges. I left the conference feeling like we all need to ramp up and strengthen our plans to recon- nect with our communities and to once again have robust volunteer programs in our organizations. A final theme is the involvement of patient advisers and advocates in our organizations. The Beryl Insti- tute has always been a place where patient advocates are engaged and involved at all levels. This was prom- inent again this year. I am struck by how many healthcare organiza- tions still have trouble finding ways to meaningfully involve patients in making us all more patient- and family-centered. Advisory councils still languish in many organizations. We still struggle with bringing pa- tient advisors in at the start of de- sign processes. There is plenty of opportunity for innovation in involv- ing patients as advisors through vir- tual means. In our work with patient advisers at NewYork-Presbyterian, I have seen abundant evidence that involving advisers early and often makes the final product — whether that be design of services or facili- ties — much better. Yet, that involves investment of both time and mon- ey. If the Beryl Conference is any indication, there are hundreds of well-trained and expert advisors out there wanting to partner with us. We need to do a better job of leverag- ing this powerful resource. I am glad I got on a plane and spent time with my peers. I came home with a new list of "to-dos" for our work. We should all be thinking about these issues in our own organizations. n

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