Max Healthcare was honored at the 6th CII National Excellence Practice Competition 2018.The Emergency Care Services was awarded for the Customer Engagement & Satisfaction Practice. The Competition organized by CII was aimed at showcasing the best practices implemented by the Organizations to drive Customer engagement models, Customer experience monitoring and Satisfaction measurement practices to deliver superior customer experience. The 2018 CII Awards witnessed participation of 16 leading companies who created breakthrough business through innovative strategies. This year, two Sectors namely “Manufacturing and Services” were represented covering streams of Infrastructure/ Power and Engineering Industries (under Manufacturing) and IT&ITES, Hospitality, Non-Profit Organization & Financial (under Services).

The Competition endeavors to bring the successful practices in the following areas

1.      Customer engagement models.
2. Customer experience monitoring and Satisfaction measurement practices.

Project Title: Integration of Emergency Patient Care Services across Max Network for Improved Clinical Outcomes and Operational Efficiencies

Brief Description of the Project:

Emergency services have the most visible impact on patient outcomes and reflect the quality of care provided by a healthcare provider. As a network of 14 hospitals (including 3 day care centers), in Max Healthcare, Board expected standardization of clinical protocols, optimal infrastructure and manpower to be able to save lives and deliver improved clinical outcomes. To achieve this, it was decided to have a brain storming session with key opinion leaders in Emergency medicine across the globe (Prof Kumar Alagappan –  Professor & Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, MD Andersen, University of Texas and Prof Peter Cameron, Academic Director, The Alfred Hospital, Monash University, Australia), thus, first of its kind governance model – Central Emergency Service Committee (CESC) was established which is unique in India and can now be extended across other clinical departments. Terms of reference were listed and agreed to with the apex management body of Max Healthcare and key focus areas identified:

• Staff: Trained, qualified, motivated, appropriate skill and grade mix
• Infrastructure: Size, resuscitation areas, Vulnerable area, triage, waiting area, reception, staff and patient conveniences, equipment maintenance, consumable stocks
• ER processes: Standard protocols (Head injury, MI, Stroke, Sepsis, Major trauma), Triage instruments
• Coordinated emergency care throughout the patient pathway: Shared ownership, collaborative approach with specialists, diagnostics
• Monitoring and knowledge of outcomes: It Based, adverse event reporting, mortality and morbidity review, complaint monitoring to highlight system and or individual failure

Commitment: Adequate resources (finance, equipment, and infrastructure) and active visible management engagement with Emergency, leading to empowered and motivated Emergency Department staff.

Our initiative was aimed to assure our patients of faster and better emergency medical care. A questionnaire was adapted from IFEM standards to assess the Emergency Department on various parameters such as complexity/acuity of care and Emergency footfall. Based on the feedback, Emergency units across network were benchmarked and credentialing, privileging, staffing, hiring, deployment norms established.

Through the high powered management team representation resource allocation is ensured and ER dashboard (comprising of structure, process, and outcome measures) reviewed monthly. Through this rigour and laser sharp focus on Emergency service we have been able to build trust with local communities our 11 facilities serve and the same is visible in the feedback we received. Impact of our refined processes can be seen from the improvement in our feedback scores (collected by third party KANTAR IMRB).

Our innovation in Governance has paved the way to meet the requirements of patients when they are in extreme pain or facing life and death situations. In such times they need to know that they are in empathetic environment where qualified teams are working in tandem to bring them relief or save their life.

Emergency Department Motto: Every Patient to the Right Clinician at the Right Time in the Right Clinical Setting

 Strategic Impact:

• Higher Patient Satisfaction (significant improvement in Emergency patient satisfaction scores from 46% (Oct’18) to 70% (Jun’18)
• Higher Employee Satisfaction
• Seamless pre hospital and hospital care
• Uniform policies and clinical protocols
• Appropriate skilling and deployment by the level of ER
• Improved outcomes (Door to Cath Lab and Door to Radiology time)
• Infrastructure upgraded