Patient and Family Centered Care Initiative Sets OMH Apart

Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital is working to make the patient experience exceed expectations as much as possible. To make this happen, OMH has implemented a unique Patient and Family Centered Care Initiative designed to put our patients and families at the center of care in new and exciting ways.

One way we make sure we do this is by consulting our Patient and Family Advisory Council about our facilities and services. The Council, which will mark its third year of operation in July 2009, is made up of community members, patients and the hospital's medical and leadership staff.

"As a local group, most of us have either used the hospital ourselves or had a loved one at Oconomowoc Memorial," says Kay Meisenheimer, chairperson of the Patient and Family Advisory Council. "We've been very honest when sharing our opinions, and our ideas have been carefully considered and very well received. The ability of the Council to partner with medical staff and hospital leadership at Oconomowoc Memorial will only make our health care better."

Principles of Patient and Family Centered Care

The hospital staff also enhances the patient experience by following the core concepts of Patient and Family Centered Care:

Dignity & Respect

We listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices.  Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care

Information Sharing

We communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful.  Patients and families receive timely, complete and accurate information in order to effectively participate in care and decision-making.

Participation and Partnership

Patients and families are encouraged and supported in participating in care and decision-making at the level they choose.  They are empowered with tools that enable shared responsibility for understanding, progress and healing. 

Collaboration

We collaborate with patients and families in policy and program development, implementation and evaluation; in health care facility design; and in professional education, as well as in the delivery of care.

Compassion

Empathy and presence are the starting points for all of our actions and interactions.  It is the foundation upon which all of the concepts above are built.

Expected Outcomes

Through our efforts to incorporate patient and family care concepts, we anticipate the following outcomes:

• Increased patient satisfaction as demonstrated by Press Ganey and HCAHPS.
• Increased market share as demonstrated by utilization of services.
• Increased staff satisfaction as demonstrated by decreased staff turnover.