CASE STUDY: Satisfaction Guaranteed – Significant Improvements in Patient Experience at a Rural Southeastern Hospital

OVERVIEW

A rural hospital in the Southeast noticed a worrying trend – despite considerable investments in clinician staffing and training, patient experience scores remained sub-optimal. Leadership knew that one-time interventions wouldn’t cut it; this required sustainable solutions.

After assuming management of their Emergency Medicine program, Core Clinical Partners deployed an evidence-based, 90-day framework focused on clinician empathy training, standardized patient encounter processes, and coaching at the point of care. As a result, patience experience scores saw double-digit gains across all clinician behavior domains.

THE CHALLENGE

Pre-intervention composite scores for patient experience hovered around the 60^th percentile. This metric was exacerbated by the following:

No standardized communication expectations: Training backgrounds varied, resulting in inconsistent bedside behaviors and patient interactions.
Outdated clinician communication scripts: Existing triage and conversation scripts did not reflect the hospital’s standards or reinforce a consistent, high-quality patient experience.

In all, institutional reputation was waning, and action needed to be taken.

THE Solution

After partnering with the hospital, Core Clinical Partners deployed the Core CARES Patient Experience program, comprised of five distinct phases:

Phase 1. Communicate & Align (Days 1-15): Core began with a leadership kickoff to touch base with hospital leaders and initiated the Core CARES program. High-level involvement and support from the Medical Director were crucial, as this individual introduced the Core CARES process and expectations, inspiring clinicians toward a shared vision. The Core team implemented a series of clinician communication workshops, compassion training, and began initial observation and coaching.
Phase 2. Assess & Analyze (Days 16-30): The Core team collected data and conducted process audits (triage, handoff, and discharge). We partnered with clinical leadership and utilized value stream mapping to understand current ED workflows and reveal hidden waste and redundancy. In addition to value stream mapping, twenty-one clinicians, including the Medical Director, were observed, coached, and provided with feedback on 30 unique behaviors associated with improved clinician communication ratings for Courtesy & Respect, Listening Carefully, and Explaining/Understanding.
Phase 3. Revise & Pilot (Days 31-60): Based on observations and data analysis, Core partnered with nursing leadership to create future state workflows for triage, handoffs, and discharges. Core implemented pilot interventions, consisting of revised provider-in-triage (PIT) scripts, lightning rounds, and shift huddles.
Phase 4. Engage Patients and Clinicians (Days 61-75): Individual scores from real-time patient encounter observation and coaching were aggregated into an overall group score for each element of the communication domain; thus, framing a patient experience strategy for the group moving forward. Our onsite clinical leaders and support team meet with patients routinely to gain further insights and ensure satisfaction.
Phase 5. Sustain & Scale (Days 76-90+): The feedback on new workflows and interventions from our clinicians during one-on-one coaching provided insight on the importance of early recognition of risk and performance to build credibility, and the celebration of visible improvement to build momentum. We tailored this feedback into foundational elements to improve workflow efficiency and patient experience, in alignment with our partner’s vision and mission.

THE RESULTS

Post-intervention composite scores for patient experience measurably increased from the 60^th percentile to the 78^th percentile, marking an 18-percentile-point gain. This improvement signals the shift from mid-tier to consistently high-performing patient experience.

Individual Clinician Experience Domains:

A key hallmark of the Core CARES implementation is reliability, not just one-time improvement. Prior to implementation, only 29% of months achieved 80^th percentile or higher performance in patient experience. After implementation, month-to-month variability in performance was drastically reduced, with every month above the 66^th percentile average and half of all months above the 80^th percentile. Improvements achieved and sustained through the Core CARES implementation in patient experience are a product of detailed diligence and collaborative efforts.

THE Takeaway

This case demonstrates that when it comes to improvements in patient experience, persistence is key. Results seldom come from one-time, one-size-fits-all solutions. Rather, lasting partnerships are the drivers of positive change. Within ten months of assuming management of the Emergency Medicine Services, Core Clinical Partners helped to produce measurable, double-digit gains in patient experience across all clinician behavior domains.

Interested in leveling up your patient experience scores? Contact Core to see how we can help!