In the healthcare sector, the primary goals for providers and systems are to help people lead healthier, more fulfilling lives and to ensure a strong patient experience. A crucial factor in achieving both objectives is the organization’s employee experience, which supports all those involved in treating, assisting, advising, and helping patients.
The Patient Experience and The Employee Experience
The patient experience encompasses the range of interactions that patients have with the healthcare system, including their care from health plans, doctors, nurses, and staff in hospitals, physician practices, and other healthcare facilities. It also includes aspects of healthcare delivery that patients highly value when seeking and receiving care, such as timely appointments, easy access to information, and good communication with healthcare providers.
Understanding the patient experience is a key step toward achieving patient-centered care. By examining various aspects of the patient experience, one can assess the extent to which patients receive care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values.
Complementary to the patient experience is a healthcare organization’s employee experience. DecisionWise defines the employee experience (EX) as the sum of the various perceptions employees have about their interactions with the organization in which they work. These perceptions collectively form each employee’s experience, which can either promote positive outcomes and behaviors or reinforce negative perceptions and attitudes. A strong EX fosters a cultural environment that promotes top-tier performance and employee well-being.
The patient experience and the employee experience are not separate constructs, nor are they sequentially related. Instead, they are mutually supportive, working together to accomplish the singular mission of relieving suffering and improving individual lives. This dynamic means that the goals of a strong patient experience are essential for driving the meaning that underscores why employees choose to do more than is merely required – why they give so much to their patients. Conversely, if employees feel undervalued and overworked, they are burdened in such a way that it becomes more difficult for them to remain patient-focused.
Leader-Driven Experience in Healthcare
There may be no industry where the Leader-Driven Experience (LDX) is more important than in healthcare. LDX is that crucial intersection between employees and managers, and it is predicated on effective people leadership. Stated succinctly, strong people leaders ensure that each team member finds their own purpose, path, and place within the organization. An effective LDX is pivotal for fostering a robust employee experience and enhancing engagement. The right LDX emphasizes the importance of leaders in creating a positive and engaging work environment by providing clear direction, support, and opportunities for growth.
DecisionWise’s Primary Approach to Healthcare Excellence: Build Better Leaders
DecisionWise has spent over two decades developing healthcare leaders and increasing employee engagement in health systems across the US and other parts of the world. We have found that healthcare workers are some of the most dedicated and hard-working individuals in the workforce. They feel a personal responsibility to do whatever it takes to help patients.
However, these workers also experience some of the highest levels of stress, ambiguity, and frustration. And, while most are highly skilled and competent in their abilities to care for patients, they sometimes struggle due to a lack of prior leadership development, ineffective learning from dysfunctional teams, or being in a negative working environment.
Our strategy revolves around diagnosing the people and leadership problems within a healthcare organization. We use a variety of assessments and surveys to measure leadership competencies, employee engagement, and the vitality of the culture. Armed with this information, healthcare organizations can design effective leadership programs, interventions, and strategies focused on building the best employee experiences possible.
DecisionWise’s Healthcare Solutions
Healthcare Employee Surveys: The drivers of employee engagement for healthcare workers differ from those in other industries. Our survey methodology measures those factors that increase the passion, dedication, and performance of healthcare employees.
360-Degree Feedback Assessment for Healthcare Leaders
DecisionWise has developed a suite of 360-degree feedback surveys for healthcare executives, direct-patient care leaders, non-direct patient care leaders, physicians, and individual contributors. We also customize 360 assessments based on your leadership competencies.
Certified Coaches
Many healthcare leaders are promoted based on their competency as a healthcare professional rather than their leadership ability. DecisionWise’s coaching software helps identify strengths and weaknesses and then match the right coaches with those leaders needing a little extra guidance. Our network of certified coaches provides leaders insight, structure, and a safe way to explore their concerns and try new behaviors that impact the performance of their teams.
Team Building
Elite teams come together to achieve the team goals. Members organize the resources of the teams they manage to align with the organization’s mission and values. A well-functioning team is one where everyone has each other’s back and they look for ways to support each other’s success. DecisionWise works with executive and senior leadership teams around the world to overcome the most common obstacles of effective teams to increase trust, team unity, and performance.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the healthcare industry is unique in its intertwining of the patient experience and the employee experience. Both are crucial for achieving the primary objectives of improved health outcomes and a strong patient experience. A strong employee experience promotes top-tier performance and employee well-being, which in turn enhances the patient experience. In addition, the Leader-Driven Experience (LDX) is particularly important in healthcare, where effective leadership ensures that each team member knows their purpose, path, and place within the organization.
DecisionWise’s approach to healthcare focuses on building better leaders, diagnosing people problems, and designing effective interventions to create the best employee experiences possible. By doing so, healthcare organizations can overcome common obstacles, increase trust, team unity, and performance, ultimately leading to better patient care and outcomes.
