U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
04/29/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2024 12:42
Patient Experience Week
Patient Experience Week is an annual event celebrating health care staff who improve the patient experience each and every day. Patient Experience Week provides a focused time for VA to celebrate accomplishments, re-energize efforts, educate employees on patient experience measures and metrics, and honor the people who serve Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.
Patient Experience Week (April 29 to May 5) is a great way to enhance patient and staff relations, increase morale and improve communication.
Patient Experience can mean different things to each Veteran and their family. The big picture is that care and service are delivered in an exceptional and consistent way. At VA, we define patient experience as "the sum of all interactions shaped by the organization's culture that influence Veterans' perceptions along their health care journey."
Patient experience is the organizational alignment of people, processes and culture around the common goal of creating a consistent, exceptional experience for Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.
This year's theme, "Own Your Moment," emphasizes the individual responsibility of VA employees to build Veteran trust during every interaction. VA employees own their moment with Veterans by taking the initiative to deliver timely and high-quality patient experience the VA WAY.
VA's Veterans Experience Office has taken best practices from across VA and private sector health care to enhance the Veteran patient experience.
Currently, 79.1% of Veterans surveyed said they trust VA overall with 91.5% of Veterans saying they trust VA outpatient health care to take care of them.
"Patient experience isn't just a program. It's a way of work life. It's understanding the moments that matter most to our patients and also to our employees," said Jennifer Purdy, executive director, Veterans Experience Office Customer Experience Tools and Implementation directorate.
"When we understand what matters, it helps us focus on which areas to improve and to be able to explain the why behind the needed improvement. Measuring our efforts lets us know if the improvements are working, and when they are, it allows us to celebrate and showcase employees delivering excellent patient experience."