“We’re creating the kind of healthcare
experience in Austin that people,
literally, dreamed of.”
College Station
morning huddle
Every morning, almost 40 Baylor
Scott & White College Station leaders
gather in a conference room and, for
15 minutes, discuss just one thing.
“We ask a simple question: Is there
anyone, any patient, in the hospital
today who would not rate our hospital
a 9 or 10?” says Jason Jennings,
president of the College Station region
for Baylor Scott & White. “And
we’ve been asking that every day since
our hospital opened in August 2013.
This is a collegial and collaborative
effort to identify problems and solve
them immediately.” Issues discussed
range from delayed lunch delivery to
patients’ rooms or long waiting times
for appointments. Every problem
is addressed with a commitment to
improvement.
Employees make all the difference
in delivering a great patient experience,
and they’re given the tools to be more
successful. “We hire people who are
good at what they do and understand
service,” says Mr. Jennings. Mr.
Jennings also often dons scrubs and
shadows the nurses to see firsthand
how things are going. “I like to see
how our patients—and employees—
are doing,” he says. “We do every
small thing possible so people have
a good experience in our hospital.
Do little things over and over and it
“This is a collegial
and collaborative
effort to identify
problems and
solve them
immediately.”
—Jason Jennings,
College Station Region
In 2016, College Station received the
prestigious Guardian of Excellence
Award from Press Ganey, the
national organization that publishes
patient-satisfaction reports.
becomes the fabric and foundation of
care, and a culture of service.”
Cancer navigators in Temple
In 2016, more than 2,000 people
received a cancer diagnosis at The
Vasicek Cancer Treatment Center on
the campus of Scott & White Medical
Center - Temple. “It’s often very
upsetting for patients who have just
been diagnosed,” says Theresa Kelly,
RN, and center director. “They are
wondering, ‘What does this mean for
my family and me? Am I going to
die?’ They’re overwhelmed at a time
when there’s a lot of information to
take in, and they need support.” To
help, in 2012 the cancer center hired
its first breast cancer nurse navigator,
a registered nurse who helps support
patients through the toughest fight
of their lives. The program was so
successful that the center has added
two more nurse navigators to work
with lung and gastrointestinal cancer
patients. “Nurse navigators transform
a patient’s experience by providing that
extra human touch,” Ms. Kelly says.
“After hearing the word cancer,
patients are often overwhelmed, and
at times they don’t fully grasp all the
information they need,” says Jennifer
Havens, a lung cancer nurse navigator.
“It’s my job to help them understand
everything and to reinforce the
education that the physician provided.
I help answer additional questions they
may have and act as a patient advocate.”
Nurse navigators support patie nts
through any combination of surgery,
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