Workforce Management Wellness Series - Part 3: Improving Hospital Reputation Through Workforce Management

Hospital organizations that want to improve their reputation must optimize resources – both monetary and human. This white paper illustrates how attracting and retaining good employees with the help of workforce management software can help you achieve this goal.

When applied to medical facilities, reputation can be defined and measured in a variety of ways – by industry awards, consumer (patient) ratings, financial solvency and donorship, or by a combination of performance factors such as mortality rates and the ability to meet patient demand for all levels of patient acuity. In truth, reputation is a combination of all these variables, and perhaps many more.

There's also the influence of the Internet. Statistics on mortality rates, readmissions and patient satisfaction are available on popular Web sites visited by many consumers. Hospitals have made huge investments in the latest advances in clinical care – efficient electronic medical records systems, "superstar" physicians and world-class rehabilitation services. Nonetheless, large discrepancies persist between the highest- and lowest-performing institutions.

The Department of Health and Human Services maintains a Web site that gives consumers and competitors thorough and detailed statistics about institutions. Hospitals everywhere seek to improve their reputations, but leaders are not always sure how to accomplish that. Reputation, no matter how you define it, is heavily impacted by one factor: the ability to deploy and utilize resources efficiently.

Hospital organizations that want to improve their reputation must optimize resources – both monetary and human. Leaders have to monitor the competition and continuously demonstrate their value to both consumers and payers. They also have to stay on top of those areas that need improvement and find ways to keep improving them.

Many of those areas are intertwined and interdependent. Improving the satisfaction and morale of the hospital workforce reflects directly on patient outcome and patient satisfaction – and improved patient satisfaction in turn boosts a hospital's overall reputation for quality care. It also helps in attracting new employees and retaining the best talent among existing employees. Access This Content To Read This White Paper In Its Entirety.