Improving the client experience at Health Care for the Homeless
In late 2016, we conducted our most comprehensive client experience survey to date. The results were mostly positive; our clients trust us and are generally pleased with the care we deliver. But there were a few areas where we saw the need, and opportunity, for improvement—namely communication and access. We administered another survey with the same questions in June 2017, and the results were similar.
When asked what they like best about Health Care for the Homeless, our clients had this to say:
"I felt welcome and got the treatment I needed."
"I respect them because they respect me. Their concern for me causes me to have concern for myself. "
"It's a one-stop shop. They help with whatever you need. One time I lost my ID and they helped me get another one. They also help with food stamps and other benefits."
We also asked our clients what we need to improve. Many had complaints about our phone system and their inability to get in touch with a provider when they need to.
After we received the results for the fall 2016 survey, the Downtown and West Baltimore clinics set out to help clients better reach a provider after hours. In Baltimore County, the goal was to decrease wait time. A comparison between the November 2016 survey and the June 2017 survey revealed a slight score increase on the question associated with the Downtown and West Baltimore clinic goals, though the overall score only increased by .2 points. There was no score change on the question related to the Baltimore County goal. These results aren't bad, but we know we can do better. So we will continue to work towards improving the client experience in all areas, in all of our clinics. From now until the next survey, all three clinics will be focused on communication with our clients and improving the score for "I can reach a provider when the clinic is closed."
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Before joining Health Care for the Homeless as Registered Nurse Case Manager, Alex James, RN, LMSW, (left) completed a internship under the guidance of Clinical Program Manager II Tammy Montague, PhD, LCSW-C (right). “I didn’t know that a workplace could be this supportive,” Alex reflects on their internship with supervisor Tammy.