Date of Conferral
2021
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Melissa Rouse
Abstract
In January of 2020, a follow-up phone call quality improvement initiative was implemented by the case management department of an acute care facility located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, to improve the patients’ healthcare experience. The intent was to improve the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) scores. This quality improvement (QI) project was conducted using the Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle along with the Kotter’s 8-step change model. The purpose of the QI project evaluation was to determine if a QI initiative using follow up phone calls had a positive effect on increasing CAHPS survey scores. The first practice-focused questions for this QI project addressed whether post discharge phone calls would increase the patient experience CAHPS scores overall. The second question focused on whether there was an improvement on the scores related to two CAHPS questions: “How often did a provider explain things that were easy to understand?” and “How often did the provider listen carefully to you?” Analysis using descriptive statistics showed sustained improvement in CAHPS scores since project launch in January 2020, based on the data for the two questions during the month of February, March, and April of 2020. The CAHPS scores improved from <60 to 75% by the end of the project. This QI intervention shows promise and is recommended for replication in other healthcare facilities. This project can help societal transformation by enhancing the patient experience and increasing CAHPS scores.
Recommended Citation
Jarrell, Karen, "Improving the Patient Experience with Case Management Follow up Phone Calls: A Quality Improvement Project Evaluation" (2021). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 10996.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/10996
