Princeton Medical Center: A True Testament of People Skills

“Compass One pursues perfection in perfect harmony with my own philosophy,” said Dann Dingle, Director of Support Services at Penn Medicine Princeton Health. “They provide a path to top-tier service while letting us focus on our core purpose: outstanding patient care.”

Compass One Healthcare is the union of two premier healthcare support service specialists – Morrison and Crothall. Each of the eight services offered by Compass One is a unique, specialized solution and when combined can take Clients farther, faster.

Princeton Medical Center, a top-ranked general hospital and part of the Penn Medicine Group in Plainsboro, NJ asked Compass One to manage the patient experience in their original facility. Based on quick improvements, other Compass One services were added.

SYNERGY: BETTER TOGETHER

“One of the nice features is that we are Compass throughout,” said Ed Kent, Facilities Manager at Princeton Medical Center. “The EVS, foodservice and operations teams get together and discuss where we are and how we’re doing as a group, as a team. We look out for each other’s issues and cover problems or find improvements quickly. It’s a nice atmosphere that you don’t see in a lot of work environments.”

“The biggest patient experience takeaway is operations management,” said Larry Garcia, EVS Director at Princeton Medical Center. “When our staff and managers work well with the patient experience manager, we control training, coaching and operations to get quality care out together. If the relationship is solid and transparent, the staff don’t see any divisions.”

Compass One services cooperating as one set patient satisfaction records. Princeton Medical Center’s CAHPS “top box” cleanliness scores have been above the 70th percentile for the last four years and above the 80th percentile for the last two years. This makes it one of the top hospitals with a Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and one of the top facilities in New Jersey for patient satisfaction.

COMPASS ONE ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES: MAKING SPACE PERSONAL

The hospital’s facility was the first challenge. Princeton Medical Center used a 90-year-old building that showed its age, and standard EVS practices did little to improve its appearance. Compass One EVS managers began in
March 2010 to focus on the personal aspects of High Profile Cleaning (HPC) to make sure patients knew the staff cared about their personal space.

“Our experience is a true testament to people skills and respect for personal space,” said Garcia, EVS Director at Princeton Medical Center. “We drove scores up by creating a caring environment, and the psychological aspect meant as much as cleanliness.”

Initial success was only the beginning. The hospital’s move to a new facility was a challenge that presented Compass One staff with no room for error. Although new walls and surfaces sparkled, it also meant EVS staff had that much more work to keep them that way. When managers and housekeepers were consistent with HPC programming, patient satisfaction scores increased.

Laundry functions improved with Compass One EVS involvement. EVS personnel had direct lines to report laundry-related problems, and clinical teams were regularly consulted until cooperation became habit. The hospital saw a decrease in pounds of laundry per patient-day from 12 in 2012 to a current 10.2. In addition, linens were in place when nurses needed them.

COMPASS ONE PATIENT DINING AND CAFÉ: THE TASTE OF SUCCESS

Foodservice satisfaction increased quickly under Compass One management. Patient service managers hit the ground running, introducing better food handling procedures. Food and temperature satisfaction scores increased in the Press Ganey survey results with increased rounding and internal dashboards that helped
Morrison and hospital staff track sales, labor and costs per patient-day.

“Creativity really paid off in our Cafes,” said Lesha Colin, Foodservice Manager at Princeton Medical Center.
“We’re using microconcepts to get people energized, like theme meals right down to the chefs’ and servers’ outfits. Limited-time offers, monthly promotions and a very talented executive chef boosted our sales 8% from last year.”

COMPASS ONE FACILITIES MANAGEMENT: MAKING CHANGES LAST

Facilities Management went seamlessly from emergency response to everyday relief. The hospital’s unit director left the facilities management post before a Joint Commission inspection in March 2016, and Compass
One replaced the personnel in less than a week. The survey was successful, and the team began the client’s task of reducing the operations budget down by $100,000.

Compass One’s operations experience saved time and money. The process started with a thorough inventory of equipment and vendors, with initial cuts in old and unnecessary contracts. “Non-performing” contracts, such as an obsolete wildlife removal contract and an ineffective preventive maintenance contract, were also cut and replaced with internal services or new and proven vendors.

“The reduction was close to $800,000 in the first year,” said Dan Gillin, Compass One Regional Director of Facilities Management at Princeton Medical Center. “We introduced oversight and spending controls, even though many of the vendors were fighting us. One contract went from $380,000 to $42,000. The client supported us on what we thought was right.”

To learn what Compass One Healthcare can do for your organization call 1-877-427-6842.

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