How head physicians would grade their hospitals

Leading physicians at German hospitals see significant possibilities for
improving patient management. Especially by intelligently coordinating different processes. Treatment quality itself is at a high level. These are the results of a recent survey by Porsche Consulting of 154 leading orthopedists and emergency room physicians at hospitals throughout Germany.

If head physicians had to give their hospitals grades from the patients’ perspective, treatment and treatment success would receive the highest mark—namely, a B+. Friendliness of personnel, communication with patients, therapy, nursing care, and patient admissions would receive a B or B-. Room and board, communication with the patient’s personal physician, and the patient-administration interface would receive a C+ or C-.

To increase quality, the head physicians would start with patient management and hospital organization (25% of respondents), followed by nursing care and the condition of the buildings (each 15%). As to whether higher quality can only be achieved by investing more money, opinions are divided: 42% consider a higher budget absolutely necessary, 49% say that more funding would only help in part, and 9% can envision improvements for patients without thereby increasing the budget.

The survey also showed that head physicians at smaller hospitals with relatively lower numbers of beds assess the overall quality significantly higher than their counterparts at larger facilities, which may have more than 800 beds. And roughly half (51.9%) of respondents see a close relationship between the efficiency of patient management and the level of quality. This is where specialists at the Porsche Consulting management consultancy, who bring experience from more than 100 hospital projects, focus their attention. “At well-managed hospitals, team performance will ensure success,” says Dr. Roman Hipp, a partner at Porsche Consulting in charge of the healthcare sector. “When all the departments work together in well-coordinated ways, the skills and capacities of the staff, rooms, and equipment will meet the need. Better coordination frees up staff and helps patients.”