Ideally, patients come away from their hospital stay not only healthier, but happier too. So how about taking a page from the Happiest Place On Earth? Yes, I mean Disney Land.
Dissatisfied with its patient satisfaction scores, one Florida hospital has struck a partnership with Walt Disney Co. to pick up some of that Mouse Magic. Since then, the hospital’s scores have shot up — and patient volumes, too.
Back in 2009, satisfaction was at rock bottom at 200-bed Florida Hospital for Children. To change its luck, the 200-bed hospital decided to make sure of a pioneering program run by Disney, laying out about $200,000 in consulting fees to bring the entertainment company in.
Not only did Disney help the hospital improve its presentation, it also got tips on improving staff morale and treating patients as customers. (The “staff morale” thing is a bit amusing, since, as all former Florida residents know, Disney’s own employee policies have earned it the title “the Rat.” But I digress.)
These days, when little patients and their parents enter the Walt Disney Pavilion, they’re greeted by a “park ranger” who offers directions, a Disney-theme play area and a ukelele-playing greeter in character costume, according to USA Today.
Behind scenes, some staffers have been tagged as Disney-style “cast members,” and work areas have been renamed “back stage” and “front stage” areas.
While some of this may sound a little silly, it’s generated big results. Florida Hospital’s patient satisfaction scores have climbed to the 80th percentile of all children’s hospitals nationally. Even better, patient volumes are up by nearly half, administrators told the paper. You can’t beat that with a stick.
Though I’m sure kids are more focused on the fun, park-like attractions, my hunch would be that the back-office changes were as important to Florida Hospital’s transformation as the cosmetic fixes. After all, when it comes right down to it, the parents who pay for care are more worried about things like working with staffers who are upbeat and happy with their jobs. Still, it’s an intriguing approach overall.
