New improvements in patient communication

The new medical information center located in the hospital/clinic main lobby provides many kinds of free healthcare information including medical brochures, Internet access to several healthcare websites, and local phone service. The center is accessible to patients and the public seven days a week between 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM.

Roseau Area Hospital has improved and added several services, all of which focus on enhancing the already highly ranked patient experience. The list includes a new medical information center, comment cards, e-mail service to inpatients, and more follow-up phone calls to recently discharged patients.

Medical Information Center
A new medical information center has been set up in the main lobby of the hospital and clinic, complete with medical books, journals, Internet access to medical websites, free local phone service, and brochures covering many subjects including cancer, diabetes, anxiety, pregnancy, women’s health, infant health, incontinence, healthcare directives, and grief support information.

A larger grief support library is also available in the Behavioral Health Department.
Patients and their families now have easy access to all kinds of free health information, and the computer gives them direct links to several helpful healthcare websites, including the site www.caringbridge.com.

Sophie Warne, LPN, makes a courtesy call to a recent endoscopy patient as part of Roseau Area Hospital’s effort to provide follow-up care to patients at Roseau Area Hospital.

Follow-up Phone Calls
As a courtesy to patients and a way to improve overall performance, Roseau Area Hospital’s acute care nursing staff make follow-up phone calls to patients who are discharged from the hospital and emergency room. Emergency room follow-up is based on ER diagnosis.

Generally the call is made a day or two after the patient is discharged as a way to check on recovery and to obtain feedback about how their medical visit went.

“We’ve done follow-up phone calls to our endoscopy, surgery, and birthing center patients for some time,” says Roxanne Fabian, Director of Nursing.

“Adding general medical discharges is one more layer in evaluating our performance. The process started last summer, so it's pretty early for significant results but early feedback reports are positive.”

While the follow-up originates at Roseau Area Hospital, it appears as an “out-of-area” call on the patient’s telephone Caller ID as a way to protect the patient’s privacy.

“We make at least two attempts to contact every patient,” says Sophie Warne, LPN, and 40-year veteran of RAHH. “It’s a short list of questions basically asking how their recovery process is going. We finish the call by asking if there is anything we can do differently to make the patient experience even better.”

Comment Cards
A new survey card allows patients to rate their recent visit to Roseau Area Hospital and comment on their medical experience.

“The comment cards provide us with valuable information about our service and how patients perceive their time here. Our job is to serve the patient, and having their input only makes our performance better and better,” says Shellie Mekash, Director of Health Information Management.

Comment cards are available in the main lobby and in brochure racks throughout the hospital. Completed cards may be returned by mail, placed in the secure drop box on the brochure rack, or given to a staff member of Roseau Area Hospital & Homes.

Patient E-mail
Patients of Roseau Area Hospital are now able to stay in touch with friends and family through the hospital’s free e-mail service.

In addition to taking phone calls from well-wishers, patients can receive
e-mail messages right in their room, according to Terry Lamppa and Pam Sando,
Co-Volunteers Coordinator.

To send a greeting to a patient, visit the hospital’s website (www.rahhinc.com) and follow the online instructions. Each message is printed and hand-delivered to the patient’s room by a hospital employee or volunteer.