Spaulding Hospital Cambridge Improves Admission Process

Spaulding Hospital Cambridge has implemented an improved admissions process which has resulted in more timely admissions assessments, improved patient safety and improved patient satisfaction.

The admission task force was created based on feedback that leadership had received from patients and staff that the admitting process had room for improvement, specifically in the areas of patient satisfaction and patient safety during transition. The task force was made up of staff who are critical to the admitting process- admitting representatives, RNs, Physicians and CNAs- which helped to identify the best solutions as well as promote buy-in from the entire staff.

The task force was able to identify several key areas that were low cost to implement with valuable outcomes. Some improvement examples include:

• RN to RN hand-off with the referring hospital, which allows SHC staff to confirm the patient's status as far as 24 hours prior to admission, and to identify any specific issues that staff needs to prepare for
• On-arrival at SHC, the patient is greeted by an Admitting representative and accompanied to the nursing station. They are then greeted by the Admitting nurse who brings the patient to his or her room, allowing for timelier admission assessments.
• Every patient receives an Admission Kit with vital supplies (e.g., shampoo, toothpaste, basins, etc) which is prepared ahead of time.
• Each patient is provided with a card with information specific to their admission, including room number, telephone number, and physician name and contact information.

Spaulding Hospital Cambridge staff will attest to the improvement. Becky LeBlanc, RN staff nurse on SHC South 3 unit states, 'The patients feel more welcomed with the new admission process. In addition, the patients and families are more informed about the plan for treatment with information coming from multiple sources.'

To quantitatively measure the effectiveness of the improvement efforts, a member of SHC leadership interviews patients during their stay. Since the initiative began, 301 patients have been interviewed, with extremely positive results. Leadership continues to conduct the audits and is expecting to see an improvement in overall patient satisfaction scores, as measured with Press Ganey.

For more information on the SHC Admissions Task Force, please contact Suzanne Hevener, SHC Admitting Manager at 617-349-5710 or shevener@partners.org