PMX at PAH: Patients First at the Nation’s First (and Families, Too!)

Pennsylvania Hospital is ramping up the excitement for Penn Medicine Experience (PMX) Week! While leaders across PAH regularly recognize and celebrate their teams’ unwavering commitment and endless compassion, PMX Week offers the chance for the entire health system to celebrate. This week honors staff accomplishments and hospital advances and helps re-energize efforts to ensure an excellent experience for our patients and their families, as well as our colleagues.

As PMX Week co-leaders Eileen Murphy, MSL, director of Patient & Guest Relations and Volunteer Services, and Mao Pezzella, MBA, RRT, director of Respiratory Therapy, Sleep Center, and Neurophysiology Services explain, “This week is a ‘thank you’ for our staff. It’s about highlighting the importance of service excellence and rewarding our teams for the vital, special work they do every day to enhance the patient experience.”

One of the ways in which PAH puts “patients first at the nation’s first” is by going straight to the source. Just as the Penn Medicine Experience team used feedback from patients and family members to shape the BE Standards, PAH welcomes current and former patients, caregivers, families, and members of the local community to provide their perspectives as advisors on the Patient & Family Advisory Council (PFAC).

Using the Community Needs Assessment, the internal PFAC members reached out to individuals who represent the needs of PAH’s diverse patient population and invited them to function as a link between PAH and the community.

“Creating such a robust PFAC has truly allowed us to understand and learn from the unique perspectives of our patients and community members. We are so lucky to have such an engaged, dedicated group of advisors who are committed to improving the patient experience and quality of care we provide at PAH,” said Katie Farrell, MSN, RN, a professional practice implementation consultant and chair of PFAC. “Our time together is invaluable, and we leave inspired and looking forward to the next meeting.”

Staff from departments and units across the hospital have the opportunity to solicit feedback from PFAC when planning new initiatives and policies, developing new facilities and services, and reassessing best practices to improve quality and safety. By actively seeking out a wide range of viewpoints before taking action, staff ensure they’re taking a collaborative approach to evaluating and improving care delivery. For example, staff from the Emergency Department recently came to a PFAC meeting with questions about how to improve the ED experience for patients and their families and left with a to-do list focused on patient privacy and space for patients’ belongings.

When Café 1751 was undergoing renovations, PFAC was invited to try the furniture; provide feedback on the artwork, menus, and cooking practices; and to go on a walk-through prior to opening to ensure the layout was easy to navigate, all of which has resulted in cost savings and increased revenue. The advisors similarly gave input when the Liberty Lounge was being developed and were integral in determining both the layout and smaller details like how many charging stations were needed and what should be playing on the TVs.

When PAH’s gift shop, Telly’s, was being updated, a PFAC advisor even joined Stacey Peeples, MA, curator and lead archivist of the hospital’s historic collections, on a “field trip” to gift shops at other historic locations to brainstorm.

The patients, family members, and community advisors on PFAC also worked with the internal members to revamp the patient discharge binders and adjust the verbiage to minimize confusion. Most recently, they developed comprehensive brochures that describe PAH’s commitment to maintaining a culture of patient- and family-centered care and clearly and concisely lay out vital information for patients and families. In addition to noting key locations, visiting and pharmacy hours, contact information, parking, and other helpful details, there is a breakdown of the roles different clinicians and staff play, plus a description of what color scrubs or types of uniforms they wear for easy identification.

All of this aims to take the confusion and anxiety out of what can quickly become an overwhelming situation. There is also a call to take a survey on the back of the brochure that underscores PAH’s commitment to listening to and acting on patient and family feedback — whether they are PFAC advisors or not — in order to provide a better experience.