Hiring and Performance Strategies for Healthcare

Earlier this month we launched our first annual Planetree and HealthcareSource HR Influence Survey. The purpose of the survey was to learn what kind of role human resources plays in healthcare organizations when it comes to improving the patient or resident experience. Here's an infographic based on a few of the survey results, along with three steps we believe HR can take to improve the patient or resident experience. To learn more, register for the HR Influence Webinar!

“There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow…It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it” - Jack Welch, former CEO of GE

Employee satisfaction is critical when it comes to increasing patient satisfaction and boosting HCAHPS scores. Happy employees equal happy patients. But how can healthcare HR professionals ensure their organization hires employees who will be more likely to make patients happy? HealthcareSource recently published a white paper on how hiring practices can impact HCAHPS scores and to share the recruitment-oriented results from our 2012 HCAHPS Readiness Survey. 

The 2012 HCAHPS Readiness Survey was conducted to better understand how well prepared hospitals are for patient satisfaction surveys. One of the key takeaways of the survey was the importance of HR's involvement with improving HCAHPS scores. Here's an infographic on some of the survey results related to how hospitals can improve HCAHPS scores through employee performance goals.

Earlier this month we launched our first annual Planetree and HealthcareSource HR Influence Survey. The purpose of this survey is to learn what kind of role HR plays in healthcare organizations when it comes to improving the patient or resident experience. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Jim Kinsey, Senior Consultation Services Specialist at Planetree, and Rebecca McNeil, Senior Education Manager at HealthcareSource, to discuss what role HR has in impacting the patient or resident experience. Listen to our audio blog to hear what they had to say and why HR professionals should participate in the Planetree and HealthcareSource HR Influence Survey!

I work for HealthcareSource, a company based in the Boston area, and many of us know people or have loved ones who participated in the Boston Marathon yesterday. I moved to the Boston area 30 years ago, met my wife shortly thereafter, and settled into raising a family in beautiful southern New England. But for a city that was founded in 1630, with many residents who have lived here for generations, we're still relative newcomers. Yet after yesterday's tragic events, I know that my family and I are forever wedded to Boston. Whether it's cheering on the Red Sox at Fenway, or the Pats at Foxboro, or the Bruins and Celtics playing at The Garden, enjoying lobsters, the nearby mountains, or sailing on the Atlantic - there's no shortage of reasons to love this great city.  

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the interview process is not just the candidate's chance to make a great first impression. It's also the first impression that candidates get about your organization. One of the very first things you should introduce your candidates to is your healthcare organization's mission, vision and values in order to ensure you’re evaluating candidates who possess the competencies that align with your culture. Using behavioral-based interviews and behavioral assessments is a great way to start off on the right foot with your candidates and show them that hiring people who match your organization's culture is hugely important.    

This week we launched our 1st annual Planetree and HealthcareSource HR Influence Survey. The purpose of this survey is to learn what kind of role HR plays in healthcare organizations when it comes to improving the patient or resident experience. Our HR Influence survey was inspired by the annual ASHHRA and HealthcareSource HR Initiatives Survey, which was conducted to better understand the HR goals of healthcare organizations. One of the key takeaways of last year's HR Initiatives Survey was the importance of increasing patient satisfaction levels. Here's an infographic on some of the survey results, including one of the top healthcare HR initiatives - improving patient satisfaction:

In order to establish a more patient-centric facility and improve HCAHPS scores, hospitals must adopt a culture of employee accountability in which employees feel responsible for organization-wide goals. The only way HCAHPS scores will really improve is through the combined efforts of employees who are committed to continuous performance improvement and patient satisfaction. Since employees are organized into departments, HCAHPS performance goals should be embedded into departmental routines. Here are three steps your hospital can take to embed HCAHPS initiatives into departmental routines:

Recently, HealthcareSource hosted a webinar for the National Association for Healthcare Recruitment (NAHCR) about how recruiters can hold their hiring managers accountable. One of the goals of the webinar was to teach attendees how to communicate more effectively with their hiring managers. In order to improve communication, recruiters can set expectations by putting a service level agreement in place (SLA) with their hiring managers. The mention of service level agreements sparked interest with webinar attendees and many were curious as to how to implement service level agreements.