Patient Recognition Week: Why Our Patients Are Appreciated Every Day
National patient recognition week comes around once a year and reminds everyone in healthcare why they’ve chosen this profession. At the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin, we don’t need a special week to tell us how important our patients are because we celebrate them all year round. At OHOW, you can feel confident in the quality of your care because, above all, we have an uncommon focus on you.
OHOW has three critical success factors: Quality, Patient Satisfaction, and Staff Satisfaction. We strive daily to uphold these values–to ensure our patients are happy with their care while visiting the hospital and continue to feel satisfied for years to come. National Patient Recognition Week is an entire week we dedicate to observing, maintaining, and improving our past, present, and future patients’ satisfaction.
“This was a 10-star experience with a staff made up of all-stars, sharing, making you feel like family, catering to my needs, and always asking what more I needed.” – John S.
OHOW PRIORITIZES PATIENT CARE
Every patient who walks through our front doors is unique. We understand our patients have different conditions, needs, and concerns. We do everything in our power to make your visit to the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin as satisfactory as possible.
“I can’t say enough good things about all of the nurses who took care of me. They were highly skilled, extremely professional, and most importantly, they were truly caring.” – Kevin G.
Your visit begins when you walk through our doors and see the inviting faces of our front desk staff. You’re greeted with a smile and directed seamlessly to where you need to go. Whether you’re a patient heading to the second floor for surgery, or a family member visiting the inpatient unit to see a loved one, we care about your experience.
Many patients feel nervous when coming in for a procedure, so we find small ways to help you feel more comfortable. When coming in for an MRI, we ask you about your favorite music and play it for you during your scan. When it comes to surgery, patients’ fear often stems from the unknown. We take steps to help you feel relaxed, informed and at ease.
“I was nervous, but the staff sensed it and made my surgery fun! Who would think that? But they were pleasant and funny, and I relaxed.” – Jewely O.
We provide a private, calm waiting room for you and your family members to stay in before your surgery. During this time, our surgical staff walks you through the details of the procedure to put your mind at ease. When it’s time for your surgery, our team will walk you back to the operating room, so you see where your procedure will take place. We do our best to help you feel comfortable and at home before, during, and after your operation.
BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP TO BE ABOUT YOU, THE PATIENT
Our facility was specifically built to accommodate our focus on orthopaedic care and our patients. We designed every part of our hospital to create an efficient and smooth transition from diagnostics, surgery, inpatient, and therapy. Most hospital walls are bare, white, sterile, and uninviting. Our beige, plum and sage decor provide a pleasant and welcoming aesthetic to put our patients at ease, no matter where you are in our facility.
“This is my third time at this hospital. It’s a 5-star hospital in every way.” – Kathleen H.
We do our best to provide you with the comfort of your home while you stay at OHOW. We’ve equipped our inpatient rooms with comfortable beds, cozy recliners, and SmartScreen TVs with all the major channels. We provide plush towels, heated blankets, and soft robes to make your stay feel more like you’re staying at a vacation resort than an Orthopaedic Hospital.
Free coffee freshly roasted at Colectivo Coffee Roasters Inc. is brewing 24/7 and snacks, or a warm meal, are always available for purchase in our cafeteria for patients’ families. Patients are always pleasantly surprised by our delicious hospital food and our top-notch dining experience. Our patients choose from a menu of delicious choices ranging from beef short ribs to the chicken martini, not your typical Jell-O and generic saltines.
“The food was excellent! Lots of choices, it all tasted wonderful, and the serving on real china with real silverware was first class all the way.” – Kevin G.
OUR STAFF MAKES THE DIFFERENCE WITH PATIENT RECOGNITION
We keep our staff highly satisfied so that they can focus on your care. We’ve assembled a team of educated, talented, and passionate medical personnel. Our surgeons, therapists, and nurses genuinely care about every patient who walks through our doors.
“The staff was wonderful from the registration desk to the OR, to the cleaning staff and meal delivery–Not to mention the wonderful nurses, aides, PT, OT and hospitalist doctors. Everyone was smiling, welcoming, and helpful.” – Valerie N.
We maintain a high nurse to patient ratio, so our nurses can tailor each patient’s care. Typically, each nurse cares for only two to three patients at a time, which is better than the national average. Having a high nurse to patient ratio helps us to keep our patients safe and provide them with the best possible care. This focus allows our nurses to take the time to get to know their patients, their wants, and their needs to uphold our patients’ satisfaction.
Our world-class surgeons care about every patient we see. They’re among the top doctors in the United States and provide the best orthopaedic care around. We’re a physician-owned hospital, so when our doctors see an area needing improvement, they implement change quickly. This doctor-buy-in allows OHOW to keep the patient at the center of our vision and ensure the best quality of care and outcomes.
“So very happy that the doctor and therapy are connected and in an excellent location in my hometown.” – Jacqueline C.
One way this is apparent is through the expansion of our physical therapy clinics. Patients come to OHOW for surgery from all over Southeastern Wisconsin. After Orthopaedic surgery, patients often require physical therapy. When we realized many patients had to travel far distances for physical therapy, we decided to open up satellite physical therapy clinics throughout the area to create easier, more convenient access to our services.
HOW WE MEASURE YOUR SATISFACTION
We measure our patient satisfaction through HCAHPS and Press Ganey scores. Our CEO, Brian Cramer, takes the time to read every comment on our patient satisfaction surveys to gain a better understanding of what we’re doing well for our patients and where we could improve. OHOW traditionally scores very well on both of these surveys. Our patient-centered vision has won us widespread recognition in all three of our critical success factors: quality, patient satisfaction, and staff satisfaction.
“This was the best experience I’ve ever had in a hospital. All of the staff were so attentive, always checking if I needed anything. From start to finish it couldn’t have been any more perfect. OHOW would be my hospital of choice for sure. Everyone bent over backward for me.” – Patricia S.
The Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin has scored in the top 5% in patient satisfaction for all United States hospitals, as measured by Press Ganey. We’ve received the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award and the Summit Award every year since 2010. These prestigious awards are a symbol of achievement in healthcare and mark OHOW as a top-performing healthcare organization.
We also received The Women’s Choice Award for Best Hospitals from 2010-2020 for being ranked in the top 1% of hospitals in orthopedics and for our outpatient experience. We’re ranked as a Medicare 5-Star patient experience program and have received the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for seven years in a row.
“The Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin is on the top of their game. The environment and staff made surgery a pleasant experience.” – Barbara W.
Patient satisfaction awards matter to us because it’s another way of acknowledging that we’re doing an excellent job for our patients. Learn more about how the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin keeps an uncommon focus on you.