As we roll through 2010 and into 2011, healthcare organizations everywhere are facing new challenges and must continually improve their services to ensure they are providing the highest quality and the absolute best customer service possible. The pressure to ensure this is the case comes from accreditation boards, the media, comparisons with other health regions, and government agencies. Accountability is a big part of this, and proof that comes from hard data, not fuzzy opinions is being demanded, and rightly so! Existing processes need to be examined and will sometimes lead to new ones being discovered. This must include the observation of phenomena, isolating variables, changing the process, observing the results and taking action! Some good news is that improved quality inherently lowers costs as it provides better customer service.

Improving quality and superior customer service needs to be a hands on endeavor by people who care about their work and strive to improve themselves and their productivity every day. Improvement doesn’t have to be a complicated or demanding change - it can be as simple as smiling at your coworker when you come to work in the morning. I honestly feel that there is no better group to take this on. The staff that I have had the pleasure of working with throughout the Region so far shows me that the "care" definitely still belongs in caregiver!