Funniest Complaint on Press Ganey Scores

RRTM2 · Mar 4, 2007

We were told in our orientation that Press Gainey scores would be used by insurance providers and Medicare as a tool when they negotiate payments.

Lower scores = lower payments to that hospital.

It's always about the $$.

GardenDove · Mar 4, 2007

I wonder if my hospital is doing that? They keep posting pt satisfaction graphs in the units. Maybe they are using this system now. I think ER has the most problems because of their pt population, most likely.

EmerNurse, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2007

The problem with PG (besides all of the obvious BS) is that "very good" doesn't count. It HAS to be "excellent" to the point where they want to script the word "excellent" into every other sentence that falls our of our mouths, in order to put that word subconciously into the patient's head. Can't you just see this?

"Here is your very EXCELLENT oral contrast!"

"I've brought your EXCELLENT dilaudid!" (ok that one would work!)

"Waiting 3 hours for a CT is EXCELLENT. Usually, the wait is 6 hours!"

"The BP is now 60/30, that's EXCELLENT! What an improvement over that 58/29 we got 5 minutes ago!" (to the family because the patient isn't concious).

"I don't get off work until 11am! I'm privaledged to work this EXCELLENT mandatory overtime to fullfill your every whim!"

"I'm sorry you didn't get your EXCELLENT pillow, but the last 14 patients we discharged for sore throats stole them, along with 4 gowns, 17 sheets, and one used dibrillator pad."

Oh and with PG, no matter WHAT the complaint is, it is the nurses fault. Period. Bah.

flashpoint · Mar 4, 2007

I think everything, everywhere is the nurses fault and the nurses resposibility. At the LTC I work at, the nurses get blamed if the residents trash is overflowing...now that we have no housekeeping staff, there is no one else to do it. We also get blamed when we run out of supplies...everything from glucometer strips to tomato juice (which we have no access to because the pantry in the kitchen is locked). We also have to "make things easier" for the other departments...when we run low on supplies, we have to supply the central supply person with the order number or they won't get us any more. When someone has a room tray at meals, we have to scrape and rinse the plates even if the try gets back to the kitchen before any of the tables are cleared. When we pick up water pitchers, we ahve to empty them and stack them in the dishwasher trays. Any time anyone outside of nursing thinks they are doing too much or their job is too hard, they just pass it on to nursing. Unreal...

We also get blamed when something ends up missing. Someone took 10 boxes of pens...nursing got blamed, even though we don't have access to the office where the office supplies are stored.

It seems crazy that the biggest department that has the most "off the job" training and are supposed to be considered professionals take the brunt of everything.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Mar 5, 2007

a patient satisfaction survey, given to patients to fill out and send back...never saw one,,,it sounds like they are more aimed at the hospitalty industry....

Most facilities with PG also utilize a few more forms of nurse torture like scripting.

They want you to memorize CARE or some such other crap, and those lovely phrases:

"Why Mr. Jones, it sounds like you have some concerns about the quality of your nursing care", "Please tell me about it".

Meantime, your beeper is going off your phone is ringing, you have visitors trying to flag you from out the hall. I KNOW THAT makes the pt think that you can have a leisurely chat.

(a supervisor actually goes around to ask what CARE means and wants you to regurgitate back the preprogrammed response....so while they can't be bothered to staff us properly, cannot get have more than 50% of the computer sceens to work, and I have worked 14 hours straight without any food or even peeing, I am expected to memorize garbage like this...and they can afford to have someone "test" us on it)

It wouldn't be so bad, if other depts had to do this. But dietary has the personality of a pit viper and the efficiency of the army corp of engineers (in other words, so much bureaucracy that it will be two days before your diet change for your pt will be processed). It is the nurse on which garbage is heaped when other depts delay/screw up.

My favorite is the "MDs as customers" bulldust. Our MDs consistantly neglect to write DC orders, etc. Nothing quite like an MD telling a patient at 0630 that they are DC'd....not doing the proper paperwork or even writing DC in the chart. They will be rounding at other facilities, and the nurse has to phone chase them all over creation. The pt is ticked....and whose fault is that????? Why, the nurse's of course, and will be reflected in your scores.

(May I never work in a non-teaching facility again....they don't deal with nearly as much of this crap)

Often facilities that do this, don't have a lot to offer patients. They give "excellent hospitality" to cover for a lack of other things to attract patients. It helps them to survive. But perhaps they should focus on improving HEALTHCARE there, before working on "CARE". If you can' t get enough staff, torturing the current ones with this will just alienate the good ones and drive them away.

With a little work, you can put a chacha dress on a pig...you may even teach it to dance a few steps

But it doesn't make it Charro...it is still really just a pig.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Mar 5, 2007

The problem with PG (besides all of the obvious BS) is that "very good" doesn't count. It HAS to be "excellent" to the point where they want to script the word "excellent" into every other sentence that falls our of our mouths, in order to put that word subconciously into the patient's head. Can't you just see this?
"Here is your very EXCELLENT oral contrast!"
"I've brought your EXCELLENT dilaudid!" (ok that one would work!)
"Waiting 3 hours for a CT is EXCELLENT. Usually, the wait is 6 hours!"
"The BP is now 60/30, that's EXCELLENT! What an improvement over that 58/29 we got 5 minutes ago!" (to the family because the patient isn't concious).
"I don't get off work until 11am! I'm privaledged to work this EXCELLENT mandatory overtime to fullfill your every whim!"
"I'm sorry you didn't get your EXCELLENT pillow, but the last 14 patients we discharged for sore throats stole them, along with 4 gowns, 17 sheets, and one used dibrillator pad."
Oh and with PG, no matter WHAT the complaint is, it is the nurses fault. Period. Bah.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Don't hold back- say what you really feel! :rotfl:

General E. Speaking, RN, RN · Mar 5, 2007

if they want us to get all "5s" on PG, why don't they make the maximum score "6"!!!! No one is perfect. The scoring sets you up for failure. Hate, hate hate PG!!!

CRNI-ICU20 · Mar 5, 2007

RECIPE FOR THE PER (VERTED)FECT PRESS GAINEY SCORE:

1: one very drunk disorderly patient

2: ten first cousins accompanying the very drunk disorderly patient

3: three screaming kids with earaches in the peds section

4: one vomiting 50 year old who ate raw oysters to improve his virility

5: two GSW's full of tats bleeding and surgeons barking orders

6: six cops.....three with the d&d patient and ten first cousins

7: short staffed by two nurses

8: three over worked crabby ER docs

9: CT scan broken

Stir until someone yells, "I've HAD ENOUGH!!"...

Hand the drunk patient a questionaire and start him on the CIWA protocol....

Send him upstairs to ICU in four point restraints.....

Wait two weeks.....

AND BINGO BANGO!!

THE LOVELY PERVERTED SCORE IS:::::::(drum rollllllllll!!!!!!) 25%

you are right...no one ever stops to think....gee, the guy lived...

My current manager once recieved a phone call from a woman who was really PO'ed because apparently during her 'code blue" she said she recalled nurses over her laughing and laying bags of saline on her stomach and making jokes about it all?????

Not once did this woman tumble to the fact that she left the hospital in an upright position, talking, and had most of her marbles intact!!....

although, that last one might be a stretch....it probably was oxygen deprivation....bruther.

We couldn't make this stuff up....that's the sad part.

lauralassie · Mar 5, 2007

We've decided in our ER that ACLS should no longer include ABC's it should be DABC. Because our director is nuts about pt's being given DVD players in triage and in the pt care area's. She calls to be sure we giving them out. Then they want us to anounce every half hour , "we're sorry for your wait". I don't kinow about you, If I'm waiting somewhere, the last thing I want to hear is I'm sorry for your wait Q 1/2 hour. Espessially when I know they really don't care any way.

dansamy · Mar 5, 2007

I think it's Press Gainey, and I don't know exactly what that is. I've asked twice here. Is a pt survey tool?

Considering the title says Press Ganey. And Google gave me this as the first result.

TrudyRN · Mar 5, 2007

Take a look at the 30 minute ER promise at one of our local hospitals.
http://shastaregional.com/services_page/30_minute_er_promise
steph

I don't see the actual wording of the promise. Did I miss it? The "ad" leads one to believe that they will be seen and treated within 30 minutes. This is extremely misleading.

TrudyRN · Mar 5, 2007

Most facilities with PG also utilize a few more forms of nurse torture like scripting.
They want you to memorize CARE or some such other crap, and those lovely phrases:
"Why Mr. Jones, it sounds like you have some concerns about the quality of your nursing care", "Please tell me about it".
Meantime, your beeper is going off your phone is ringing, you have visitors trying to flag you from out the hall. I KNOW THAT makes the pt think that you can have a leisurely chat.
(a supervisor actually goes around to ask what CARE means and wants you to regurgitate back the preprogrammed response....so while they can't be bothered to staff us properly, cannot get have more than 50% of the computer sceens to work, and I have worked 14 hours straight without any food or even peeing, I am expected to memorize garbage like this...and they can afford to have someone "test" us on it)
It wouldn't be so bad, if other depts had to do this. But dietary has the personality of a pit viper and the efficiency of the army corp of engineers (in other words, so much bureaucracy that it will be two days before your diet change for your pt will be processed). It is the nurse on which garbage is heaped when other depts delay/screw up.
My favorite is the "MDs as customers" bulldust. Our MDs consistantly neglect to write DC orders, etc. Nothing quite like an MD telling a patient at 0630 that they are DC'd....not doing the proper paperwork or even writing DC in the chart. They will be rounding at other facilities, and the nurse has to phone chase them all over creation. The pt is ticked....and whose fault is that????? Why, the nurse's of course, and will be reflected in your scores.
(May I never work in a non-teaching facility again....they don't deal with nearly as much of this crap)
Often facilities that do this, don't have a lot to offer patients. They give "excellent hospitality" to cover for a lack of other things to attract patients. It helps them to survive. But perhaps they should focus on improving HEALTHCARE there, before working on "CARE". If you can' t get enough staff, torturing the current ones with this will just alienate the good ones and drive them away.
With a little work, you can put a chacha dress on a pig...you may even teach it to dance a few steps
But it doesn't make it Charro...it is still really just a pig.

Lord have mercy. Do they really test you on it? I think I would have to say, "Hold on, please. I am going to pee, as I have not had the chance to do so since 0600 and it's now 1830. Then, if you like, we can discuss it over the lunch break that I am going to take before I faint." And I would walk away and go do exactly those 2 things.

Seriously, you need to let your top bananas know that you aren't allowed to eat or pee and you are short-staffed (routinely) but there is someone requiring you to define stuff about service. I think you need a union or you need to get your suits to spend a full, entire shift with you on your job. And they can pee and eat only when you do. Please stand up for yourself. No one else will. :eek: :crying2: :sniff: