Ideas That Work: Give Patients an Autographed Get-Well Card

Practical pearls from your colleagues

If you’re looking to boost patient satisfaction and word-of-mouth about your facility’s surgical experience, you may want to steal a page from this total joint program’s playbook. Every single same-day patient at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health’s (YNHH) total joint replacement program receives a get-well card that’s signed by the OR team and mailed to the patient’s home.

Lee E. Rubin, MD, FAAOS, FAAHKS, FAOA, chief of YNHH’s total joints program and an associate professor for Yale University School of Medicine, says the entire surgical team — from pre-op to OR to post-op, and every physician, tech, circulator nurse and PCA who cared for the patient — will personally sign the pre-printed card on the day of the surgery and send it out the following day. It’s a small, personal gesture that makes a major impact. “It’s a nice touch, and I think it is something that’s easy to implement at your center to improve the patient experience,” says Dr. Rubin. “I think it helps patient satisfaction levels go up, and they have more confidence telling friends and family about your program and your work.” OSM