From choosing a place to grab brunch to researching which mechanic to hire, we have all come to rely on online reviews to make everyday decisions. We read them to hear about experiences from our neighbors so we can make informed choices.
New Hanover Regional Medical Center recognizes how important this resource is to our patients and will now include star ratings on our website for all our Health and Diagnostic locations.
“One of the exciting things for my team about this project is that it aligns closely with the vision of several initiatives from the strategic plan. Hearing about each strategic initiative through Leadership Collaborative, and other communication outlets like CapsLive, has given individual service lines, like Radiology, a better understanding of the goals of each initiative team. Having this information helped our imaging team connect this project to the overall strategic plan. We feel that this project touches aspects of several strategic plan initiatives like consumer centric options, transparency, retail mindset/consumerism, and patient-family engagement,” said NHRMC’s Director of Radiology Joshua Tucker.
The star ratings we display are generated by our patients, based on their experiences at our facilities. Our goal is to allow our patients the opportunity to research these locations and read reviews from real patients who have been seen at these facilities.
Reviews and ratings are handled by an organization called Press Ganey and are not altered beyond ensuring that protected health information (PHI as defined by HIPAA) is removed.
The ratings will go a long way toward increasing transparency and allowing our patients to see what those who have been seen at our Health and Diagnostics locations have experienced.
Allowing patients to choose where they are seen based on ratings will also help us to get into more of a retail mindset. While quality at all locations should be the same, there may be nuances at each location reading reviews allows patients to select what works for them.
NHRMC Vice President for Clinical Services, Laurie Whalin, notes that reading reviews can help patients select a more individualized and patient centric location.
“Each site will have certain nuances that patients may prefer and this helps them make that selection on their terms,” said Whalin.
Late last year, Health & Diagnostics introduced 24/7 appointment CT scan and ultrasound appointment scheduling at their ED-North and NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital locations to increase patient access. The addition of the star ratings to all locations is the next step in improving patient satisfaction within these locations.
“Research across many industries has shown that consumers want valid and relevant patient experience reviews. Star ratings with transparent reviews are no longer just for restaurants and hotels. In our current internet culture, consumers of healthcare services expect to have the same access to reviews with their medical imaging as they do for other industries,” said Tucker.
Check out the reviews for our Health and Diagnostic sites: