THE 3 STEP PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEE GOAL MANAGEMENT IN ACUTE CARE

THE 3 STEP PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEE GOAL MANAGEMENT IN ACUTE CARE

Patient Experience Continuous Improvement ALIGN 3 Steps: Align, Execute, Evaluate There is no longer any doubt about the impact of patient satisfaction on a healthcare organization s revenue. EVALUATE PATIENT EXPERIENCE EXECUTE In order to provide care that meets high quality standards, healthcare organizations continually strive to hire and retain the best talent. Achieving sustainable gains in patient satisfaction requires a systematic approach to talent management. One proven methodology is a continuous improvement system based on Lean principles, which focuses on three phases: align, execute, and evaluate. The trend in healthcare is for decisions related to employee compensation to be tied to measurable dimensions, such as patient satisfaction or readmission rates. In order to align, execute on, and evaluate employee goals, healthcare organizations should consider implementing a performance management system to support this trend. 2

In the evaluation phase, managers recognize accomplishments and shortcomings to determine the degree to which employees have met their performance objectives. 1. Align employee goals Alignment is set through clear job descriptions, goals, and required competencies. The alignment process begins by defining employee accountability for the patient experience. When employees understand what is expected of them, there are no surprises at performance review time. For example, a registered nurse recently began work at a community hospital. One of the organization s core values is patient satisfaction. During orientation, the supervisor indicated that nurses are expected to proactively ask patients if they need assistance with any other matters, after administering medications or providing other services. The supervisor then assigns this as a behavioral goal for each nurse, aligning it with the department-wide goal to improve patient satisfaction. 2. Execute on goals Employee performance is supported through activities like training and real-time coaching. In the execution phase, employees work on developing and demonstrating the clinical and behavioral competencies needed to provide a positive experience to patients. At hospitals, employees like the nurse in the example above may be required to participate in classes which focus on patient satisfaction issues. To reinforce this training, supervisors may also offer coaching as they see situations arise. 3. Evaluate the outcomes Consistent evaluation of outcomes based on defined expectations cultivates a culture of accountability. In the evaluation phase, managers recognize accomplishments and shortcomings to determine how well employees have met their performance objectives. During performance reviews at a hospital, for instance, CNAs may be evaluated on how quickly they responded to requests for help from patients, while an RN s performance might be measured on how effectively they administer pain medications. Performance Manager software from HealthcareSource automates this three-stage cycle by documenting job descriptions and goals, recording training and coaching notes, and capturing performance evaluations. 3

Aligning Goals and Tracking Progress SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) can align frontline employees with leadership s strategic initiatives. Unless goals are measurable and meaningful, goal setting is an exercise with no true value. It s all about engaging and empowering the employee around delivering quality care. If employees aren t satisfied, they are less engaged about their performance, and customer satisfaction scores go down. Stephanie Drake Executive Director American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration Performance Manager from HealthcareSource allows an organization to define its overarching values and link each employee s individual goals to those values. This aligns a frontline worker s day-to-day activities with the values that are central to the organization s mission. For example, Registered Nurse Betsey Johnson is responsible for contributing to the goal of improving the HCAHPS summary measure for communication with nurses at the hospital where she works. Her supervisor has assigned Betsey a goal that supports this objective. She is tasked with for helping the nursing team understand the patient perspective, which will translate into higher HCAHPS scores. 4

Defining and Executing on Goals Defining goals is a collaborative process. It engages employees and their managers, and it supports measuarable and relevant SMART goals. Defining goals in Performance Manager is a collaborative process. It engages frontline employees and their managers, and it supports SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals. Employees can go online and create their own goals that relate to the patient experience. When employee objectives aren t simply mandated by the management team, workers are more likely to engage in behaviors that will positively affect patient satisfaction. Another key to enhancing the patient experience is to focus on continuous improvement. This supports all five SMART goals. For example, when a team focuses on continuous improvement, it can set goals at the beginning of the year and then forget about them until evaluation time rolls around. Performance Manager provides an easy-to-use online screen to show each employee goal. Managers can make notes about the work of each direct report, while measuring the percentage of each goal s completion. HR INFLUENCE DATA HIGHLIGHT: 65% of Directors of Nursing agree that employees have performance goals centered around service excellence and increasing patient satisfaction, while only 45% of RNs agree. *This information was compiled from The 2013 HealthcareSource & Planetree HR Influence Survey. 5

Managing and Evaluating Performance Goals To support a culture of accountability, it s essential to coach employees while they are working to meet their performance goals. With Performance Manager, supervisors can capture real-time employee feedback online. Documenting feedback throughout the year contributes to higher-quality evaluations at review time. We use the Performance Manager feedback function to maintain anecdotal information about employee behaviors that need modification. This information is accessible to managers, for review at any time throughout the year, for education and training, performance management improvement plans, and performance evaluations. RN Betsey Johnson, for instance, takes an active role in teaching patients and their families about outpatient procedures. Her organization expects all employees to behave in ways that are consistent with their core values of respect, integrity, teamwork, and excellence. Betsey s manager has recognized the care that she uses and noted that in her record. Different types of relevant information can be recorded in Performance Manager including: The type of feedback (positive or corrective) How the employee was notified The action taken The expected result Kathie Pasquarella Director of Training and Education Trinity Health System in Steubenville, Ohio 6

The final stage in continuous improvement is for supervisors to evaluate employees based on how well they have achieved their goals. Supervisors rate employees on expectations that were set during the alignment phase, using job descriptions, goals, and competencies. During evaluations, expectations are adjusted, reset, or re-emphasized, and the next cycle of continuous improvement begins. Supporting the Methodology To support the align, execte, and evaluate methodology, organizations need a centralized system that adds value without adding time-consuming tasks. Performance Manager offers a complete set of tools for managing job descriptions, competencies, licensures, goals, feedback, and coaching. These tools can be used to drive employee accountability for the patient experience. HCAHPS Survey and Patient Satisfaction: The Difference with Performance Manager Research shows that organizations using Performance Manager have measurably higher HCAHPS scores Patients who would recommend the hospital to family and friends 50.86 55.72 Other Hospitals Performance Manager Hospitals To learn how Performance Manager can help your healthcare organization align, execute on, and evaluate your patient satisfaction goals, watch our product tour. Watch Now Overall rating of hospital Patients who felt they always received satisfactory communication about their medicine Patients who felt their room/ bathroom was always clean Patients who felt they were always given comprehensive discharge information Patients who felt their pain was always managed satisfactorily Patients who felt nurses always communicated well with them Patients who felt the hospital staff was always responsive 50.59 54.55 49.59 53.22 49.69 55.46 51.19 59.26 50.77 55.79 51.02 57.53 49.84 57.61 Percentile scores range from 0 to 100 and reflect a hospital s score relative to all other hospitals in the sample. For example, if a hospital has a percentile score of 60, this means that its score is higher than 60 percent of all other hospitals. Higher percentile scores indicate more favorable HCAHPS ratings. Source: Research conducted by Dr. Frederick P. Morgeson, PhD, Eli Broad Professor of Management at Michigan State University, May 2012. Two data sets were used in this analysis: publicly available HCAHPS data and HealthcareSource data which identified hospitals that are Performance Manager clients. The Performance Manager sample size was 119 hospitals and the non-performance Manager clients sample included an average of 3678 hospitals. 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 7

HealthcareSource 100 Sylvan Road, Suite 100 Woburn, MA 01801 800.869.5200 solutions@healthcaresource.com www.healthcaresource.com About HealthcareSource With more than 3,000 healthcare clients, HealthcareSource is the leading provider of talent management solutions for the healthcare industry. The HealthcareSource Quality Talent Suite SM helps healthcare organizations build a Patient-Centered Workforce TM by selecting, aligning, continuously developing, and retaining highly-engaged people. The company s cloud-based platform of software, content, services and analytics includes applicant tracking, reference checking, behavioral and skills-based competency assessments, compensation analysis, performance and learning management, elearning courseware, education and advisory services. A private company focused exclusively on the healthcare industry, HealthcareSource consistently earns high marks for client satisfaction and retention. HealthcareSource has been regularly ranked as a leader by KLAS Research for Talent Management, in addition to recognition in Healthcare Informatics 100, Modern Healthcare s Healthcare s Hottest, Inc. 500 5000, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and Becker s 150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare list. HCS208 08/16 8