UT Medical Center sets 2012 goals designed to increase patient satisfaction

January 24, 2012 | News, UToday
By Meghan Cunningham



The University of Toledo Medical Center has made great strides in its efforts to improve patient satisfaction and continues those efforts to narrow the gap between clinical outcomes and the patient experience.

The center has set a Service Excellence Strategy for 2012 that includes reaching a 50th percentile ranking in a national survey of patients rating their hospital stay. Some of the aspects surveyed include communication with nurses and doctors, quietness of the hospital, and if patients would recommend the hospital to others.

“We have seen positive results from the changes we have implemented to enhance the patient experience to be as high-quality as the clinical care that has always been offered at the UT Medical Center,” said Ioan Duca, UT service excellence officer. “We are going to build upon this success to continue to work together as a team to ensure every patient has a pleasant experience while receiving care at our hospital.”

Last year, the medical center launched an internal iCARE University dedicated to training employees on improving patients’ experiences. The curriculum focused on soft skills such as communication, active listening, personal stress management and empathy. More courses will be added this year related to customer service and for managers to work more effectively with their employees.

A focus of 2012 will be working together as a team and improving communication among physicians, residents, nurses and staff for integrated care delivery, Duca said.

“The culture at UT Medical Center is really becoming all about putting patients first,” Duca said. “We will continue that cultural transformation and engage all of our physicians and employees to work together to serve our patients.”

Service excellence action teams will be tasked with identifying tactics and strategies to improve the patient experience.

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