The health care manager
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The health care manager · Jul 2010
Patients are not always rational: the leadership challenge to improve patient satisfaction scores.
Health care managers today are faced with the awesome challenge not only of meeting patient and guest expectations in health care but also in achieving competitive patient satisfaction scores. With the move toward increased transparency in health care quality along with regular reporting patient satisfaction scores, health care managers must confront the many challenges and expectations of patients and guests. Health care managers also need to know that patients and guests are not always rational in their expectations and perceptions of health care services and therefore may report invalid and unreliable experiences in a patient satisfaction survey. This article addresses these challenges and provides recommendations for improving patient satisfaction.
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Those who have sometimes thought about writing for a professional journal should be encouraged by the fact that most journal writers are the same as journal readers-practitioners and educators who have something of potential value to share with others. There are career-enhancing advantages in journal writing, and there can be a significant amount of personal satisfaction as well. Succeeding at writing and placing a journal article requires the following: selecting an appropriate topic; knowing the publication and its audience and framing the article in the appropriate style; working with the journal editor to create an acceptable manuscript, which includes responding positively to the editor's criticisms and suggestions; and observing all submission requirements and deadlines. One who follows this entire process to its positive conclusion will find that journal writing can be an exacting, demanding, frustrating, and immensely satisfying professional activity.
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The health care manager · Jul 2010
Emergency department utilization by insured users: a study of motivating factors.
Emergency departments (EDs) represent a critical entryway into America's health care delivery system and are under significant pressure. This study seeks to understand why insured patients use EDs rather than more appropriate medical alternatives available to reduce the strain they are placing on this critical portal of entry. ⋯ Factor analysis and cluster analysis were used to identify groups of insured ED users defined by motivating factors. This study found that there exists a disconnect between insured individuals and the primary care system.