Better Employee Engagement Leads to Greater Revenue for Hospitals

The 2010 Hospital Pulse Report: Employee and Nurse Perspectives on American Health Care was recently released by Press Ganey Associates, and it should serve as a wake-up call to hospital administrators.

The report, which surveyed the experiences of more than 235,000 employees at nearly 400 U.S. hospitals, tells us that 45% of hospital workers — almost half! – consider themselves “distanced from or discontent with their current work.”

Even more troubling is the fact that workers who are closest to patient care have the lowest partnership scores. In other words, the actual caregivers are the least likely to feel satisfied and engaged with their organization.

Wow.

The report goes on to tell us that, not surprisingly, there is a strong correlation between employee engagement and patient satisfaction.

Now let’s complete the circle: If employees are not engaged and satisfied, patient satisfaction suffers. And we all know that low patient satisfaction leads to declining admissions, erosion of brand equity, and loss of market share.

Times are tough. Money is not easily or readily available for things that are not considered “essential” at hospitals. But smart hospital leaders would be well-served to realize that engaged employees who feel invested in their jobs are a primary driver of patient satisfaction and perceived of quality care.

Hospitals that provide ongoing avenues for positive employee engagement will reap the rewards of better patient care — and increased revenues.