Cure Patients and ProfitsCure Patients and Profitswithwith

Clear Communications Clear Communications Presented by:

Barbara K. McLaughlin, VPAnd

John Lowery, Senior Director, Johns Hopkins Medicine Access Services

NPO , ICU, EMR, PET, EKG, ECGNPO , ICU, EMR, PET, EKG, ECG

In order to expedite your appointment please In order to expedite your appointment please bring your previous lab results, slides or X-Rays.bring your previous lab results, slides or X-Rays.

DFO, OPD, Contraindications, Biopsy, Carcinoma, BPH, DFO, OPD, Contraindications, Biopsy, Carcinoma, BPH, metastasizemetastasize,, PROFEE, BPH, Lymphoma PROFEE, BPH, Lymphoma

Alphabet Soup !

My mission

• To explore new worlds

• To seek out new frontiers….

• To boldly go…….

What Can We Do

• We can demand our health providers give us information we can understand.

• We can distribute samples of what we would like to see or receive from our health systems

• We will no longer sign documents we cannot understand

What Can We Do

• We can tell everyone we know that we will not operate in the state of confusion anymore-– We will not have procedures just because someone

says we should– We will not pay medical bills we cannot read or

understand– We will not undertake treatments that don’t make

sense– We will not take pills just because someone says to

Confused patients

• Terminology• Acronyms• Backgrounds• Experience• Culture

Access Means…, Understanding Means…

• Easy?• No Problemo!

Going the distance…

Johns Hopkins Medicine

• As an organization we have committed, by the year 2020, to “address all barriers to access and disparity in quality care and outcomes”.

JHM HandHolder™

Understanding the Details

What Patients Really Need

Multi – Media Communications

Results & Benefits

• Patients arriving with completed medical Patients arriving with completed medical history and other required info forms history and other required info forms

• Reduction in delays in clinic throughputReduction in delays in clinic throughput• Compliance with preparation for Compliance with preparation for

procedures and surgeriesprocedures and surgeries• Patient and physician satisfactionPatient and physician satisfaction• Ability to track bad addresses via Ability to track bad addresses via

centralized returned mailcentralized returned mail

Measuring and Tracking

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

OTO % RAD %

Show Rate

Before HH After HH

Otolaryngology $358,323 Radiology $233,989

Net Revenue Gains $592,312

What you take and why?

Ever read this?

What Patients want…

Plain Language!

Tailor the Message

B. R. U. 24/7

Quadrants of Clear Communication

Audio

ElectronicMulti-Cultural

Written

References / Suggested Reading• “Written Communications that Inform &

Influence”– Publisher - Harvard Business School

Press• “Moments in Leadership” Case studies

in Public Health Policy & Practice– Authors - Barbara DeBuono, Ava Rita

Gonzalez & Sara Rosenbaum

References / Suggested Reading• “ If Disney Ran Your Hospital, 9 1/2

Things You Would Do Differently– Author - Fred Lee

• “US NEWS & World Report, – BEST HOSPITALS EDITION– July 23, 2007– September 3, 2007

• Health Technology Assessment 2007