Relationship and Results Oriented Healthcare Cultivates Patient Satisfaction

    PORT LUDLOW, WA, January 22, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hansten Healthcare PLLC, a healthcare firm dedicated to transforming organizations through relationship enhancement and skill development, today announced its best practices program for improving patient satisfaction in hospitals.

As hospitals continue to face budget crunches, administrators are constantly searching for methods to save money without sacrificing patient care. They know the critical importance of retaining the nurses and healthcare team providers by increasing their engagement and satisfaction, providing superior patient care by implementing best practices, ensuring patient satisfaction and safety, and maintaining an overall positive hospital image.

Unfortunately, until recently, many hospitals have not had a reliable system in place to bring all of these integral components together. Now, with Hansten Healthcare's Relationship and Results Oriented Healthcare (RROHC ) program, hospital administrators can implement a proven system for improving healthcare in their facilities. The RROHC (pronounced "rock") program is a method of providing healthcare that integrates patient and family-centered, outcomes-based communication with high impact team practices to create optimal health outcomes.

Ruth Hansten, president of Hansten Healthcare, recently authored the Relationship and Results Oriented Healthcare Planning and Implementation Manual. The book is the foundation for a three-level certification program for professional practice. Operating on the tenets of the RROHC philosophy, the book focuses on:
• The importance of the relationship between nurses and other care providers with the patient and family
• Knowing, sharing, and fulfilling the preferred health outcomes of the patient/family
• Using problem solving techniques, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence to achieve results
• Practicing interdisciplinary teamwork among staff
• Innovative learning strategies and coaching practice
• Ways to improve nurse recruitment and retention
• Effective nurse delegation and supervision to improve teamwork at the bedside
• Patient safety and patient satisfaction

Many professionals in the industry are sharpening their focus on patient satisfaction. Press Ganey reports that patient satisfaction is directly related to the likelihood of medical malpractice lawsuits and staff satisfaction. In fact, Harrison Medical Center, a community hospital with campuses located in Silverdale and Bremerton, Washington, has seen the results first-hand since it implemented the RROHC program in 2005. Sharon LaCrosse, RN, MSN, the coordinator of the program at Harrison Medical Center, said the hospital's Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores have significantly increased.

"As we move toward Magnet designation, we can directly link the changes in professional practice to the improvement of those who have attended the RROHC Specialist program and are certified, the highest improvement being 34%," LaCrosse said in the December 2008 edition of Nurse Leader. As a result of the RROHC program, improved nurse delegation, and teamwork at the bedside, hospitals like Harrison also reap the benefits of better clinical outcomes, nurse recruitment and retention, physician satisfaction, and patient safety.

In addition, patient satisfaction is connected to proper nurse delegation, which ultimately makes the team more effective and efficient, boosts morale and retention, and improves the bottom line. According to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the Five Rights of Delegation are:
• The right circumstances or patient care setting
• The right task delegated for a patient
• The right person who is competent to perform the task
• The right direction/communication about the tasks to be performed
• The right supervision of the person and task, including monitoring, evaluation, and feedback

Hospitals that adhere to these Five Rights promote a culture of accountability and responsibility. Furthermore, hospitals that implement the RROHC program essentially have a roadmap for ensuring that not only are these skills consistently carried out, becoming a part of the care delivery model, but also that they are performed in a way that delivers relationship-centered and results-oriented healthcare for every patient, every time.

"Research provides evidence about the positive impact of improved RN professional practice on mortality and error rates and overall health outcomes," said Hansten. "Therefore, each level of the RROHC certification program steeps participants and organizations in expert leadership practices such as delegation and supervision, team communication, and coaching concepts through the use of practical tools, skill practice, and individual development. Our goal is to improve healthcare for patients and their families, and the proven results of the RROHC program thus far demonstrate a significant increase in patient satisfaction."

To learn more about Hansten Healthcare's Relationship and Results Oriented Healthcare Certification Program visit http://www.rrohc.com, send an email to [email protected], [email protected], or call 360.437.8060.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Specialist Certification Program
Starts January 26, 2009
This 16-week, instructor-guided self-study has resulted in improvements in professional practice by 34%. Implementation of this program will improve your Press Ganey and Gallup scores. Download the brochure at http://www.rrohc.com/RROHC/SpecialistProgramFlyer.pdf. Another program will begin in June 2009.

Facilitator Certification Program
February 2-4, 2009
This 3-day intensive program introduces facilitation techniques and training concepts required to launch the RROHC system in your own organization. This event is being hosted at Cedarbrook Leadership Center in Tukwila, WA. Download the brochure at http://www.rrohc.com/RROHC/brochure_fac2009.pdf.

ABOUT HANSTEN HEALTHCARE
Ruth Hansten PhD, FACHE, MBA, RN, principal of Hansten Healthcare Consulting, is an accomplished national consultant, speaker, and seminar leader with extensive experience in staff, middle management, education, and executive positions in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Dr. Hansten graduated from the BSN program at the University of Northern Colorado and completed her MBA in healthcare administration in Seattle. Ruth serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Washington and Seattle University. She received her PhD in 2001, with doctoral studies focusing on critical thinking and clinical
judgment in nursing. With 30 years of healthcare experience, Dr. Hansten has served as a trainer or consultant for 160 hospitals, has written six books, and is board certified in healthcare administration and nursing administration. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and serves as a hospital trustee.

# # #