Sally is a resident leaving a nursing and rehabilitation facility after six months of post-surgery rehabilitation. Returning home means no more nightly checks from nurses and aides, no more companionship from other residents, and perhaps even a host of physical challenges to consider. There’s undoubtedly a lot of change for her to adjust to.
When is the right time to ask for Sally’s feedback on her experience at the facility? And – importantly – how likely is she to follow up? Either way, the facility must prioritize resident experience improvements – even if they’re operating in the dark.
Prioritizing resident experience feedback
A month later, Sally receives a survey from the facility. She has two options:
- Send in feedback about her experiences (positive or negative)
- Ignore the survey because time has made it less important
Great feedback is nice at any time, but if she sends in negative feedback, how actionable is it – a month later?
Delayed feedback means the facility has already missed out on a month of potential improvements. In the meantime, these same negative experiences may have been happening to other patients. Unfortunately, this means potential negative word-of-mouth reputation issues or several other less-than-positive outcomes.
The reality is that experiences in healthcare measure more than any single point in time. Patient experience is more than a short-term, transactional metric like NPS or HCAPHS. It’s the sum of interactions and patient perception where a relationship is built on trust. It also is about the operational side of maintaining costs and outcomes while striving for continuous improvement.
Real-time or even timely feedback can be tricky to collect from patients dealing with health challenges, but getting ahead of potential issues is the key.
Creating a balance for VIP-level resident experience
Most post-acute care requires patients to stay at a facility for some time. Beyond the actual healthcare aspects of patient experience, those managing such facilities must take into consideration quality of life satisfaction, safety, and needs assessment pertaining to the location itself and the patient’s stay.
This means long-term care providers have to build a stronger emphasis on capturing critical insights along the patient journey to ensure better care, satisfaction, risk mitigation, and revenue growth.
Resident experience as a key driver can create:
- more human experiences
- improved employee experience
- better utilization of leadership rounding
- health equity through inclusiveness
- better strategies with more impact
Wondering how you can do more with resident experience?
Watch Uncovering the Secret to Delivering VIP-Level Resident Experience now!
How VIP-level resident experience makes a difference
The long-term care world is highly competitive. Providers are challenged to maintain quality care and services while being cost-effective, efficient, and experience champions. Companies compete for reimbursements, referrals, referral sources, staff, and residents.
In a market full of so many options for patients, leaders in LTC don’t just need to provide excellent resident experience—they have to be able to prove they deliver.
Prioritizing resident experience in long-term care facilities is a moral imperative and a smart business strategy. Positive resident experiences lead to improved clinical outcomes, higher occupancy rates, increased revenue, word-of-mouth referrals, and regulatory compliance.
- Improved quality of care
Residents’ satisfaction with their care is positively correlated with the quality of care provided. Higher resident satisfaction scores were associated with better clinical outcomes, fewer complications, and reduced hospital readmissions. - Occupancy rates and revenue
Resident satisfaction positively—and significantly—impacts nursing home occupancy rates. A one-point increase in resident satisfaction score (on a scale of 1 to 10) was associated with a 0.4 percentage point increase in occupancy rate. The study also found that resident satisfaction was more important than other factors, such as staffing levels, quality ratings, and location. Senior living facilities with higher resident satisfaction reported higher annual revenue growth rates. - Word-of-mouth referrals
Word-of-mouth referrals (WOMs) are driven by resident experience and are healthcare providers’ most powerful acquisition tools. Why? Because they can generate up to 10 times more revenue than traditional marketing methods. - Regulatory compliance and penalties
Regulatory agencies increasingly consider resident satisfaction as a measure of care quality. Facilities that do not meet the expectations of residents and their families may face penalties or loss of accreditation. Therefore, maintaining high resident satisfaction is essential for compliance and avoiding regulatory issues.
Ready to make a difference?
If you’re ready to see how you can improve your resident experience and build greater opportunities for growth, check out our Sogolytics webinar Uncovering the Secret to Delivering VIP-Level Resident Experience to learn proven strategies to improve your resident experiences.
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