Patient satisfaction and experience
Patient engagement technology has helped streamline the patient care journey as consumers become accustomed to strategies other service sectors have adopted. Consumer-centric apps form healthcare’s digital front door to improve patient engagement, drive loyalty and ease access to care.
Top Stories
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News
15 Nov 2024
Patient safety improves as HAIs, medication errors go down
Despite a nationwide boost in patient safety, The Leapfrog Group reports state-by-state variation that needs addressing. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Nov 2024
Never events vs. sentinel events: Assessing patient safety
Never events and sentinel events are similar types of patient safety events, but factors like prevention and reimbursement distinguish the two. Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2024
Effects of nurse burnout on patient safety, satisfaction
Patient safety is significantly harmed by nurse burnout, while patient safety scores take a moderate hit from high clinician burnout rates. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Oct 2024
Disclosing medical errors, adverse events to patients
Disclosing a medical error to a patient is a moral and ethical imperative for healthcare providers. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Oct 2024
Defining 11 common types of medical errors, patient harms
Understanding the most common types of medical errors might help tailor patient safety best practices. Continue Reading
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News
22 Oct 2024
Healthgrades: Clinical outcomes key for hospital rankings
Data from Healthgrades' outpatient hospital rankings indicate a steep disparity in patient outcomes between high- and low-performing hospitals. Continue Reading
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News
18 Oct 2024
Affordability, GenAI top-of-mind for healthcare consumers
GenAI holds promise for ameliorating patient navigation and affordability issues that get in the way of patient care access, healthcare consumers say. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Oct 2024
Real-time patient feedback data key for consumerism
Real-time patient feedback data can help create a more personalized experience, which is key in the throes of healthcare consumerism. Continue Reading
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News
09 Oct 2024
Patients trust social media over docs for health information
More than half of patients trust social media and online resources for health information over advice from their doctors and providers. Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2024
Quarter of patients miss preventive screenings, primary care
Three in four patients support scope of practice laws that would let nurse practitioners fill in gaps in preventive screenings and primary care access. Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2024
Diagnostic errors affect patient safety in 7% of patients
One in 14 hospitalized patients are affected by diagnostic errors and patient safety events, usually due to various process failures. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Oct 2024
Tackling patient safety, diagnostic errors on a system level
Addressing patient safety and diagnostic errors will require a team-based approach that promotes no-shame accountability. Continue Reading
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Podcast
18 Sep 2024
Exploring chronic disease management trends, strategies
Chronic disease management and prevention strategies are of increasing importance as chronic conditions increase in prevalence. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Sep 2024
Tackling vaccine hesitancy this respiratory illness season
Family medicine doctors can leverage patient relationships and trust to support communication about vaccine hesitancy. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Sep 2024
6 factors comprising patient access to care, engagement
Patient access to care relies on ample appointment availability, digital health access and facility accessibility. Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2024
Hospital patient safety rebounds, surpasses pre-COVID rates
Hospital patient safety improvements range from reductions in hospital-acquired infections to increases in preventive screening access. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Sep 2024
Patient education tips for GLP-1, weight loss drug treatment
Obesity treatment is not a one-and-done process. Patients taking a GLP-1 need to be supported by multidisciplinary care teams that practice strong patient education strategies. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Aug 2024
What does usual source of care mean in healthcare?
The number of patients claiming a usual source of care is on the decline, a signal of provider shortages and poor insurance coverage. Continue Reading
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News
22 Aug 2024
Docs judge patients' beliefs in medical misinformation
Patients fear judgment for expressing belief in medical misinformation, harming the patient-provider relationship. Continue Reading
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News
05 Aug 2024
Community health center access up by 1 million patients
Community health center access rises during the nation's primary care crisis, prompting calls for more funding. Continue Reading
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News
02 Aug 2024
Patient trust in healthcare tanked during COVID-19 pandemic
Patient trust in healthcare providers declined during the pandemic, a trend some experts posit could threaten public health. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Jul 2024
Patient satisfaction metrics to interpret CAHPS scores
Understanding terms like net promoter scores, global scores or top-box scores can help practice leaders assess CAHPS scores and patient satisfaction metrics. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2024
Cash benefits help cut emergency department utilization
The $400 cash benefits cut emergency department overutilization by around 100 visits per 1,000 patients, researchers said. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jul 2024
How training boosts home health caregiver, aide workforce
A California-based grant program boosted training access for home health caregivers, family caregivers and home-based supportive care for an aging population. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jul 2024
How do health IT vendors use patient family advisory councils?
Patient and family advisory councils (PFACs) aren't just a hospital mainstay anymore, as health IT vendors host them to gain user insights. Continue Reading
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News
01 Jul 2024
Patient experience scores rebound after pandemic dip
Despite patient experience improvements, patient satisfaction scores still vary by race and age. Continue Reading
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News
26 Jun 2024
Most patients find new doc online, via provider directories
While 46% of patients look online and at their insurance's provider directory to find a new doctor, fewer rely on referrals. Continue Reading
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News
11 Jun 2024
Low language access limits patient appointment scheduling
Researchers say low access to cancer care is due to poor language access during the appointment scheduling process. Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2024
VA patient satisfaction and trust reach all-time high
Officials say the surge in patient trust at the Department of Veterans Affairs is due to an increase in health benefits meted out and lower wait times for appointments. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 May 2024
What is the role of behavioral economics in healthcare?
Behavioral economics can enhance patient engagement and chronic disease management efforts by tapping into basic human tendencies. Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2024
Racial health disparities impact mental healthcare access
Only 39% and 36% of Black and Hispanic people had access to mental health treatment in 2023, compared to 50% of white people, according to KFF. Continue Reading
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News
09 May 2024
What provider traits add up to strong patient loyalty?
An Accenture survey showed that patient trust, healthcare access, and ease of doing business are key to patient loyalty. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 May 2024
What is implicit bias, how does it affect healthcare?
Healthcare leaders working toward health equity will need to recognize their own implicit biases to truly enhance patient care. Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2024
Consumers value patient-provider relationships in primary care
Trust and communication are top-of-mind for consumers assessing the patient-provider relationship in primary care. Continue Reading
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News
25 Apr 2024
Do better outcomes from female docs signal need for more empathy?
Researchers suggest the better outcomes yielded by female physician-led care are due to the empathy females usually bring to the patient-provider relationship. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Apr 2024
What are patient decision aids in shared decision-making?
Patient decision aids (PDAs) are key tools to help support patient education during the shared decision-making process. Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2024
With patient trust low, there are few places to turn for medical info
Patients report low trust in media, NGOs, business, and even their healthcare providers, leaving them with few options as they grow weary of medical misinformation. Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
Is clinician empathy the new painkiller for chronic pain patients?
Research shows that clinician empathy improves patient-provider communication, which can help clinicians then tailor chronic pain treatments. Continue Reading
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Answer
10 Apr 2024
How patient experience data prompted patient engagement improvements
Patient experience data provided insights into how Children’s Minnesota Pediatric Hospital needed to reconsider patient engagement and education strategies. Continue Reading
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News
04 Apr 2024
Disrespectful healthcare experience affects 33% of LGBT patients
Disrespectful healthcare experiences led to LGBT patients being less likely to seek care and more likely to switch providers. Continue Reading
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News
03 Apr 2024
Do patients perceive healthcare’s gains in patient safety?
Hospitals have improved on key patient safety metrics, but whether patients perceive those improvements is a matter of receiving inpatient or outpatient care. Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2024
Nursing workforce diversity increases, but room for growth remains
Growth in nursing workforce diversity is welcome news for a healthcare industry focused on health equity. Continue Reading
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News
27 Mar 2024
Patient satisfaction suffers under poor hospital admission & discharge
Patient satisfaction scores were lower when patients did not receive good post-discharge notes and communication. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Mar 2024
Top patient engagement strategies for hospital discharge
Patient education, family engagement, and remote patient monitoring help support patient engagement during hospital discharge. Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2024
Healthgrades: communication, patient experience sway recommendations
Doctor and nurse communication are among the top patient experience issues that predict whether a patient will recommend a hospital to others. Continue Reading
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News
12 Mar 2024
What are the top patient safety concerns for this year?
ECRI listed workforce challenges and patient access to maternal and perinatal care as the leading patient safety concerns for this year. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 Feb 2024
Top Patient Engagement Challenges Affecting Rural Healthcare
From limited patient access to care to higher incidence of chronic illness and social determinants of health, patient engagement is challenging in rural healthcare. Continue Reading
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News
28 Feb 2024
A Third of Americans Say Racism Is a Major Problem in Healthcare
People with previous experiences of discrimination were more likely to agree that racism is a big problem for healthcare. Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2024
Does Broad PA Scope of Practice Impact Patient Safety & Malpractice?
An AAPA-backed study found no statistically significant link between expanded PA scope of practice and patient safety issues, measured by malpractice suits. Continue Reading
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News
16 Feb 2024
Half of Healthcare Staff Report Racism & Discrimination Against Patients
Another half said racism and discrimination against patients is a major problem or even a crisis for the healthcare industry. Continue Reading
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News
15 Feb 2024
Care Quality from EMS & 911 Left Wanting, Rural Disparities Emerge
Data showed lapses in care quality across all EMS responses and 911 calls, but there were rural/urban disparities at play, too. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Feb 2024
Patient Engagement Strategies for Improving Patient Activation
Increasing patient activation is key to ensuring positive care outcomes and patient self-management. Continue Reading
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News
09 Feb 2024
Half of Transgender Patients Report Bad Patient Experience
Poor patient experience ranged from being misgendered to having a provider use harsh or abusive language during treatment. Continue Reading
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News
02 Feb 2024
Patient Education Key as Home Medical Devices Pose Patient Safety Threat
At-home medical devices can be confusing to use, posing a potential patient safety hazard, but experts say patient education and user-centered design could help. Continue Reading
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News
30 Jan 2024
Patient-Provider Communication About Dementia Left Wanting
Social stigma, among other barriers, get in the way of patient-provider communication about dementia, but there are key strategies to overcome that. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Jan 2024
Supporting the Provider Experience to Build a Good Patient Experience
Cultivating staff safety and a high-reliability culture are provider experience steppingstones that allow clinicians to execute patient experience best practices. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jan 2024
Patient Boarding in the ED Soars by A Third at MGH, Harms Experience
Mass General Hospital is building out inpatient capacity to reduce the practice of boarding patients in the emergency department, which harms experience. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2024
Medication Errors in Kids Cut in Half with Better Caregiver Education
A more in-depth caregiver education process during hospital discharge cut medication errors in kids from 54% to 30%. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Jan 2024
Hospital Wayfinding Strategies for a Better Patient Experience
Key physical design principles, plus digital hospital wayfinding tools, can help patients, staff, and visitors navigate large hospital campuses. Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2023
Which Healthcare Players Yield the Highest Patient Satisfaction?
Gallup polling found that 82 percent of patients think their nurses provide excellent or good medical care, while 69 percent said the same about doctors. Continue Reading
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News
19 Dec 2023
Patient-Provider Communication Ranks High While Doc Face Time Lags
Doctors are good at answering patient questions, but the limited amount of in-person time with doctors mars the patient experience. Continue Reading
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News
06 Dec 2023
Discrimination in Healthcare Affects Patient Experience, Outcomes
More data from KFF showed that discrimination in healthcare is common and that it affects healthcare access and clinical outcomes. Continue Reading
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News
14 Nov 2023
Racism Key Social Determinant of Health Linked to 38% Risk of Stroke
The chronic stress incurred due to experiences of racism led to poorer health outcomes, including increased risk of stroke. Continue Reading
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News
09 Nov 2023
Adopting Patient-Centered Care Stymied by Limited Patient-Centered Metrics
Only around half of hospitals and health systems are looking at patient-centered metrics, which is getting in the way of broad adoption of patient-centered care models. Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2023
HHS Honors Community Health Centers for Clinical Quality Improvement
The awards go to the top 10 percent of community health centers demonstrating achievements in clinical quality. Continue Reading
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News
06 Nov 2023
As Patient Safety Improves, Patient Experience Scores Go Down
The Leapfrog Group fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grades reflect a post-pandemic improvement in patient safety measures, particularly healthcare-acquired infections. Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2023
Healthgrades: US Could Dodge Mortality If Hospital Quality Were Top-Notch
As part of its specialty hospital rankings, Healthgrades said mortality and complication rates would go down if all hospital quality were equal to that of five-star hospitals. Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2023
A Third of Folks with Disabilities Face Healthcare Discrimination
Around half of the people with disabilities who reported healthcare discrimination said it led them to either delay or forgo healthcare access. Continue Reading
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News
10 Oct 2023
Digital Patient Experience Hinges on Online Appointment Scheduling
80% of consumers said they’d use online appointment scheduling tools if available, underscoring the tech as the key part of the digital patient experience. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Oct 2023
Using Patient Teach-Back to Improve Patient Education
Patient teach-back allows providers to assess patient understanding and cement information in patients' memories. Continue Reading
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Answer
02 Oct 2023
How Providers Can Meet Varying Levels of Patient Health Literacy
Low patient health literacy is widespread, so it is best practice for healthcare providers to work at a baseline of plain language using little medical jargon. Continue Reading
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News
25 Sep 2023
Emotional Well-Being Screening Needed for Family Caregivers
Despite the outsized burden they carry, family caregivers only get screenings for emotional well-being around 16 percent of the time. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Sep 2023
Key Methods for Measuring Patient Safety, Adverse Events
Methods for measuring patient safety include chart review, automated surveillance, voluntary error reporting systems, claims data review, and patient reports. Continue Reading
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Feature
18 Sep 2023
Using Patient Experience Surveys to Assess Longitudinal Care Journey
Patient experience surveys can look at different experiences of care, like appointment scheduling or waiting in the ED, to help design quality improvement. Continue Reading
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News
13 Sep 2023
Patients Skeptical of Nursing Home Care Quality, Patient Experience
Nursing homes have a public image issue, with American patients giving them just a D+ for quality of care, patient safety, and experience. Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2023
OIG: Failure to Post Home Health Falls Taints Care Compare Quality
More than half of the Medicare claims for a home health fall that resulted in hospitalization don’t make it to the CMS Care Compare website, OIG said. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Sep 2023
Best Practices for Improving Patient-Provider Communication
Good patient-provider communication can impact patient satisfaction, patient education, and even outcomes. Continue Reading
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Answer
30 Aug 2023
How Can Hospitals Measure Family Experience with Communication?
A 30-item measure of provider communication will help organizations as they home in on improving the caregiver and family experience. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2023
What’s The Best Way to Discuss Value-Based Care with Patients?
Terms like “quality-focused care” resonated more with patients than the term “value-based care.” Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2023
HCAHPS, Patient Experience Scores Tank During COVID-19 Due to Staffing
The key HCAHPS domains impacted by COVID-19 included cleanliness and responsiveness of staff, showing the effect staffing has on patient experience. Continue Reading
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News
25 Aug 2023
What Do Orgs Want in Patient Safety & Compliance Technology?
Although functionality was the top feature in patient safety and compliance technology, cost also emerged as a determining factor. Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2023
1 in 5 Women Have Bad Patient Experience in Maternity Care
The most common issues with maternity care patient experience include being threatened with withholding treatment or being made to accept unwanted treatment. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Aug 2023
Defining Patient Harm & Its Impact on the Patient Experience
Patient harm is the physical or psychological impact a patient feels after facing an adverse safety event, and it’s part of the patient experience. Continue Reading
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News
15 Aug 2023
How Healthcare Can Overcome Shared Decision-Making Challenges
Integrating decision aids into the EHR and creating reimbursement models will be key to clearing shared decision-making hurdles. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Aug 2023
What Is the Difference Between Organizational & Personal Health Literacy?
Organizational health literacy acknowledges that patients are not responsible for improving their own personal health literacy. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Aug 2023
Top Patient Engagement Metrics to Improve Healthcare Quality
Patient engagement metrics can inform healthcare quality improvement projects at health systems and clinics. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Aug 2023
How to Use Teamwork to Create a Culture of Patient Safety
Patient safety efforts need to start for health system boards, but be carried out by senior leadership and sustained by frontline staff. Continue Reading
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News
04 Aug 2023
Discrimination in Pediatrics Raises Questions About Weathering
Researchers said both child and parent experiences with discrimination in the pediatric setting could impact long-term health by way of weathering. Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2023
Online Reviews Show Patients Seek Strong Patient-Provider Communication
Online provider reviews are often tied to strong patient-provider communication, with patients highlighting thorough procedure explanations when leaving five-star reviews. Continue Reading
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Answer
01 Aug 2023
Behind the Scenes of U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Rankings
The U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital rankings are decidedly patient-facing tools, but the publication says collaboration with industry stakeholders has been key. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jul 2023
16% of Orgs Get Top-Marks in CMS Hospital Star Ratings for July 2023
The CMS Hospital Star Rating update in July 2023 showed just a fraction of organizations rank highly for patient safety, patient experience, and outcomes. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jul 2023
Top Considerations for Care Coordination in Chronic Disease Management
Care coordination for chronic disease patients hinges on team-based care, communication, and seamless data sharing. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2023
Patient Trust in Public Health Messaging Videos Depends on Diversity
Participants were more trusting of public health messaging videos featuring physicians and information on preventive screening. Continue Reading
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News
06 Jul 2023
Low Trust, Bias Taint Shared Decision-Making for Black Patients
Black patients reported healthcare interactions are often tainted by discrimination, which disincentivizes them to participate in shared decision-making. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Jul 2023
How U-M Health Got 27K Staff Members in Implicit Bias Training
U-M Health’s implicit bias training aligned with state-mandated training for clinicians, compelling more provider staff to complete the courses. Continue Reading
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News
28 Jun 2023
Penn Med Opts Out of US News Hospital Rankings Over Methodology
Penn Medicine announced it’ll pull out of the US News & World Report hospital rankings, calling for greater transparency and more inclusive care quality metrics. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jun 2023
Stanford Medicine Enhances LGBTQ+ Patient Care with Identity Training
Stanford Medicine will use questions about sexual orientation and gender identity while implementing assumption-free provider training to reinforce gender-affirming care. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jun 2023
Cost, Location Top Factors Influencing Patient Care Access Decisions
While cost was unsurprisingly the leading factor in patient care access decisions, researchers said they were struck by how prominently other issues ranked. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Jun 2023
PROs & PROMs: Understanding Patient-Reported Outcomes Measures
PROs and PROMs, or patient-reported outcomes measures, are key to understanding how a treatment affects an individual’s self-reported health and well-being. Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Jun 2023
How AI in the Call Center Can Improve Staff, Patient Experience
AI on call center lines can automate simpler tasks, like appointment scheduling, leaving staff to handle more complex queries and streamlining the patient experience. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jun 2023
Can Emojis Enhance Patient-Provider Communication?
Before clinicians can use emojis in patient-provider communication, more symbols representing human organs and medical equipment need to be developed. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2023
Trans Patient Experience Marked by Healthcare Access Woes
Trans patients said that cost is their main healthcare access issue, but it is also challenging to find providers knowledgeable about trans healthcare needs. Continue Reading