Nursing Communication Bundle: Behavior Standards Review Article Series: 1

Abstract

Changing healthcare delivery systems demand greater accountability from hospital organizations and healthcare providers (Briggs et al., 2018). The radical restructuring of the healthcare system that is required to reduce spiraling healthcare costs and make healthcare accessible to all citizens will necessitate ongoing changes in healthcare organizations. The challenge for hospital organizations is to improve quality and service delivery through an ongoing process of innovation, restructuring of systems and processes, and implementation of aligned service behaviors to increase patient satisfaction and enhance clinical outcomes (Figure 1.0). Patient satisfaction scores serve as system indicators for financial reimbursement from government and private insurance agencies and as impetus for hospital organizations to choose the functional system of delivering care to improve quality, achieve desired outcomes, and enhance the patient care experience. Given the macroeconomic nature of the impact of patient satisfaction scores on hospital reimbursement, the challenge for healthcare organizations is to improve quality and service delivery through an ongoing process of innovation, restructuring systems and processes, and implementation of aligned standardized service behaviors to increase patient satisfaction and enhance clinical outcomes. Hospitals under the current healthcare landscape are rewarded for the quality of care provided; thus, better outcomes indicate hospitals’ financial viability (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2018).Managing service delivery across a highly divergent and fast-paced healthcare system requires sharp focus on execution and standardized operational excellence. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) has been shown to be a powerful tool to help make health care organizations more effective. CQI is a structured system for creating organization-wide participation and partnership in planning and implementing continuous improvement methods to understand, meet, or exceed patient needs and expectations. Developing a culture of excellence and quality in care can create an enthusiasm for change, passion for results, and drive for innovation equating to better service to healthcare consumers and better patient satisfaction scores.