Healthcare Hospitality Trends
8/19/2008: The Longest Hour - Patient DischargeBy: Dave Geenens, President/CEO, AvascendExperiencing a slow and insensitive discharge from a hospital is often the one thing a patient or guest remembers about his or her hospital stay. The last hour before going home will determine, to a great degree how the patient and family assess and share their overall care and experience. Read More |
1/22/2008: Solving the Hospital Parking PuzzleBy: Dave Geenens, President/CEO, AvascendHospitals are expanding their facilities at a feverish pace to ready for the aging baby boomers. Millions of dollars are being spent on new, more modern buildings. A necessary nuance of any building expansion is parking. City and county codes mandate a proportionate increase in available parking for the anticipated increase in employees, patients, and guests. Though an investment in parking is necessary and substantial, it is often viewed as a necessary evil. But these valuable parking assets can be leveraged for a building expansion project or for generating alternative sources of revenue for the hospital through a pay-to-park system. Many hospitals balk at the thought of charging employees, patients, and guests for parking. The costs of parking are ultimately included in the overhead structure of the hospital. So who pays for parking? The patients do. The fact is there is no such thing as free parking. Read More |
1/21/2008: The Pursuit of Nurse HappinessBy: Dave Geenens, President/CEO, AvascendIn every enterprise, there is a person or group of people, that if they are not happy, the world around them is cast in a hue of gray. Skilled doctors are the life-blood of a hospital and serving them well is critical for physician recruiting and retention. Effort should always be taken to provide extra care for these mission-critical assets of a hospital. Ultimately, though, it is the nursing and clinical staff that better dictate the color and energy of the environment in which care is given to patients. If the nurses and clinicians aren't happy, then response times can suffer, valuable productive time can be spent commiserating with other nurses, and spontaneous opportunities to smile and greet others warmly are missed. Read More |
1/3/2008: Cost Neutral or Return Optimal?By: Dave Geenens, President/CEO, AvascendHospitals all over the country are investing millions of dollars on infrastructure readying for the aging baby boomers. Big returns are expected from these significant investments. Top lines are expected to grow with more patients, more appointments, more procedures, better technology, and more doctors and nurses providing healthcare. Yet, when it comes to a patient's or guest's experience, outside of the delivery of diagnostic and treatment services, return is no longer the expectation. "Cost neutral" is the common term used by hospitals. To optimize value, not only to the enterprise, but to the patient and guest, "Return Optimal" should more frequently be the measuring stick, just as it is for infrastructure, diagnostic and treatment investments. Read More |