Vision Hospital Group’s National Manager – Patient Experience and Projects, Shih Shih Ta.
Vision Hospital Group (VHG) has reason to celebrate, having achieved a recent 2024 Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 89 for its day hospitals.
The NPS index broadly measures patient experience and satisfaction and the likelihood of recommending VHG to other people. Scores above 70 are considered world-class, with the healthcare industry generally seeing average NPS scores in the range of 30 to 40. A score of 89 is truly exceptional, placing VHG among the top-performing healthcare providers.
CEO Amanda Cranage said VHG’s ability to deliver such exceptional service stems from the fact that the values-driven organisation “put so much effort into finding the right people – people who share our commitment to delivering exceptional patient care”.
A score of 89 is truly exceptional, placing VHG among the top-performing healthcare providers
The hospital group said that is also why VHG invested in a dedicated role at a national level to oversee patient experience and drive continuous improvement. The person in this role is Shih Shih Ta, VHG’s National Manager – Patient Experience and Projects.
Driving Improvement By Listening
Patient feedback plays a vital role in guiding the group’s improvements. However, with day surgeries throughout Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, a critical moment was the digitisation of its paper-based patient feedback survey several years ago.
“Centralising and automating this system reduced the manual administrative burden on staff, while simultaneously allowing us to gain real-time insights on a company-wide level,” said Ms Ta.
“Listening to our patients underpins everything we do, so overcoming the challenge of siloed data was a key step forward. We use this feedback to refine our processes, celebrate what we’re doing well, and identify areas where we can do better,” she said.
The ability to address concerns in real-time is another advantage, allowing prompt follow-up by staff if required. “We want to make sure that if a patient isn’t fully satisfied, we have an opportunity to understand why that was and if there is an opportunity for us to make improvements.”
Improving Patient Pathways
Shih Shih Ta (third from right) with the Windsor Gardens Day Surgery team in Adelaide.
Ms Ta said digital improvements have helped make the patient experience more seamless.
“The past few years have shown us that patient expectations are shifting,” said Ms Ta. “People want greater convenience, clearer information, and easier access to care. We’ve been working hard to identify how to simplify systems and also implement any changes successfully to make the journey with us as smooth as possible.”
One significant initiative has been the introduction of an online patient registration system, reducing paperwork and improving efficiency. “We’ve seen strong adoption of our digital registration forms, even among older patients, with over 12,600 people using the system so far.”
Another recent improvement has been the introduction of an automated post-operative follow-up system. Patients who have had uneventful cataract surgery now receive text messages with important post-op information and can request a nurse callback if needed. “This change has allowed us to support patients in a way that respects their time while also easing the workload for our clinical teams. Everyone’s happy that there’s no more phone tag!” she said.
There’s Always More to Do
VHG remains focussed on further enhancing the patient experience. As healthcare continues to evolve, the group is committed to adapting, learning, and finding new ways to improve accessibility and quality of care.
“There’s always more to do,” Ms Ta said. “We won’t stop and rest on our laurels. The industry will always keep evolving and so will we.”
Vision Hospital Group operates a national network of specialist ophthalmic day surgeries and offers the ideal operating solution for smaller/solo surgical practices (permanent and ad hoc theatre sessions).
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