As medical professionals, higher patient satisfaction and better surgical outcomes are always something you’re aiming for…for obvious reasons. But a recent study finds that there’s one new major reason to place even more emphasis on happier, healthier patients and better outcomes: your paycheck may depend on it. Today, we’ll cover:
- The link between patient satisfaction scores and doctor pay
- How to increase patient comfort to yield better patient satisfaction scores
- How doing away with NPO leads to:
- Increased patient comfort
- Reduced PONV & shorter hospital stays
- Better surgical outcomes
- Reduced instances of readmission
Now, let’s dig in…
The link between patient satisfaction scores and doctor pay:
According to a recent Forbes article, More Doctor Pay Tied to Patient Satisfaction and Outcomes, organizations that analyze doctor compensation are noticing a clear trend: as insurance companies move away from fee-for-service reimbursement, they’re turning more toward value-based metrics—such as patient satisfaction scores and outcome measures. In fact, Merritt Hawkins, a physician staffing firm, found in its 2018 review that 43% of its clients who offered doctors a production bonus in 2017 based that additional compensation on value-based metrics. That number is up from 39% the year prior and 32% in 2015.
We also know that there’s a clear trend of health insurance companies—named in the Forbes article are: Anthem, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Cigna—that are now shifting more than half of their reimbursement to value-based models, compensating physicians based on things like the health outcomes of their patients and the overall quality of care they deliver. So, what does this mean for practicing physicians? In short, it means that patient satisfaction and health outcomes are more important now than ever—as your paycheck, quite literally, depends on it.
How to increase patient comfort and improve outcomes to yield better patient satisfaction scores:
It’s no surprise that one key factor in patient satisfaction is patient comfort—the two are inherently linked. One simple solution for increasing patient comfort—and, therefore, patient satisfaction—is to replace the old-school fasting-from-midnight (NPO) instructions with an option that allows patients to safely hydrate and nourish with an effective preop drink instead. By allowing patients to consume a clear, complex carbohydrate-rich beverage in place of NPO, you’re able to increase patient satisfaction, reduce PONV (thereby decreasing the length of hospital stay), produce better surgical outcomes, and reduce the chance of readmission—all of which, we now know, are tied to increased physician compensation:
- Increased Patient Comfort: In a large controlled study, patients in the pre-op area who consumed the ClearFast preop drink were 5.5-6.5 times more likely to describe themselves as “comfortable” than their cohorts who underwent traditional fasting from midnight/NPO. Increased patient comfort, we know, leads to higher patient satisfaction scores (HCAHPS)…and, ultimately, increased paychecks.
- Reduced PONV & Shorter Hospital Stays: In addition to creating a more comfortable pre-surgery experience for patients, fluid fasting with the ClearFast presurgery drink reduces a patient’s risk of PONV, ultimately decreasing the length of his or her hospital stay. Again, this ties directly into patient satisfaction scores.
- Better Surgical Outcomes: There are a number of ways in which the ClearFast preop drink (in place of NPO) makes for safer surgeries and better overall patient outcomes. Not only does consuming ClearFast work to reduce the risk of surgical site infection—but it also leads to lower stomach acidity and, therefore, a reduced risk of aspiration under anesthesia.
- Reduced Instances of Readmission: Getting your patients out of the door in a timely manner after surgery is a great start—but that doesn’t mean much if they soon come back due to a terrible infection. Readmission due to infection drastically affects patient satisfaction scores (HCAHPS), as well as how much your hospital gets paid. Because ClearFast is proven to reduce a patient’s risk of surgical site infection (you can read more about the role ClearFast plays in reducing a patient’s risk of infection here), it, in turn, reduces the chances for costly patient readmission—ultimately keeping patients healthy and happy and positively impacting your hospital’s bottom line (and your paycheck).
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Overall, ClearFast is such an easy, simple, safe and effective solution for drastically increasing your patient satisfaction scores and, therefore, increasing compensation. If you’re ready to have ClearFast on-hand at your medical practice or hospital, you can order ClearFast here. Or, feel free to reach out to the ClearFast team at support@drinkcf.com if you have any questions at all. We’re always happy to help!