The Newborn Hearing Screening Program is a California state mandated program requiring all babies to have a hearing screen prior to discharge. Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns (SMBHWN) additionally offers an outpatient hearing program for our well-baby population leading to increased patient satisfaction and delayed appointment times.

Proposed change:

To increase the number of patients receiving outpatient hearing re-screens, decrease the time between the initial hearing screen and the follow-up hearing screen and increase revenue.

Implementation, outcomes and evaluation:

The outpatient program allows our hospital to schedule the follow-up appointment for all well babies prior to discharge, ensure a reminder call is made, complete all necessary paperwork and guarantee an appointment well within the state recommended four week timeframe.

Quality: Compared to our region our outpatient no show rate is considerably lower. The Region reported a no show rate of 12.3% for July 2011 and SMBHWN reported a 0% no show rate (overall program no show rate is currently being calculated by the Regional Hearing Coordinating Center).

Service: Each outpatient appointment receives a reminder phone call 48 hours prior to their appointment. On the day of their appointment the family is received and escorted to the outpatient clinic by a hearing screening technician.

People: New parents are relieved to come back to the hospital where they give birth versus going to a different clinic and navigating a new health system. As a result, our patients are more satisfied.

Finance: The outpatient revenues previously went to other hospitals within the community. SMBHWN now receives revenues from the insurance companies and the state for Medi-cal and/or uninsured patients.

Growth: Since the outpatient program began in October 2008, we have seen 382 outpatients with a steady increase each fiscal year.

Community: The outpatient program is open to the community at large allowing for quicker access to a follow up hearing screen.

Implications for nursing practice:

It is important for families to have their outpatient follow-up appointments within the same health system for convenience, increased patient satisfaction increased revenue.

Keywords:

Outpatient

Community  

Hospital Growth