Community Engagement Can Help Boost Your Hospital’s Bottom Line and Much More, Study Shows

Want to boost your hospital or healthcare facility’s quality of care, satisfaction scores and revenue? Pick up the phone and get connected with your community, say researchers with the American Hospital Association. Recent studies show that engaging community players can significantly boost not only your hospital’s image, but many of its operations as well.

A recent study shows that community support and engagement can lends big help in multiple ways, including raising funds for new programs, services and expansion projects, and gaining support for tax measures and hospital-wide changes. But the benefits go beyond fundraising and friend-raising.

Study results showed fewer medication errors, patient satisfaction scores and fewer rehospitalizations, particularly among Medicare patients, in hospitals that deeply engaged community members. And each of those benefits helps to reduce costs and improve a hospital’s image. A better image of course leads to more patients choosing your hospital for treatment of their health issues.

Among the ways that many hospitals engage community members is creating focus groups to help make decisions on issues including staffing, development of new services and outreach projects, and steering committees to implement and direct such initiatives.

How does your hospital connect with and engage community members for the benefit of your patients? Post your thoughts on the MDM Healthcare Facebook Fan Page.