A new concierge program being tested at a handful of Signature HealthCARE’s post-acute buildings is helping to improve the customer experience and retain residents. Purveyors of the program are now combining efforts to formalize processes related to the initiative and lay the groundwork for future expansion.

St. Francis, Four Courts, Marietta and Buckhead have each conducted concierge programs for varying lengths of time. A meeting held this week at Signature’s home office in Louisville provided an opportunity for representatives from the four facilities to gather and merge their ideas.

“They developed the program, which I think makes it a better program,” said Kara Plaks, Business Development Leader for Post Acute who is helping to facilitate the effort. “It was developed by people that are doing it every day.”

With a high volume of admissions, the Post Acute division is a logical place to launch the concierge program, which emphasizes the time period just after a patient is admitted. Clinical needs are an immediate focus at the point of admission, but certain other aspects of patient care and comfort can go overlooked.

Each of the buildings participating in the pilot program employs a full-time concierge to tend to those patient needs and desires. That might involve providing simple information about the type of care and treatment a new resident can expect at the facility. It also might mean fulfilling any number of patient requests, such as watching a particular TV show or enjoying a favorite hobby.

At St. Francis, for instance, a resident who happened to be a music fanatic requested a boombox.

“So I searched every floor to find him a CD player, so he could listen to his CDs,” said concierge Melody Tyus.

Administrator Renee Tutor said Tyus’ “warm and genuine” personality has made a big difference since the program was launched in the building about a year ago. Some patients – particularly younger patients who had undergone a knee or hip surgery – had been leaving the facility within 24 or 48 hours because they were dissatisfied, Tutor said.

That’s no longer the case.

“The concierge program has been so successful with having that happier customer when they come in,” she said. “It has more than paid for itself.”

Helen Segal said her background as a CNA has been helpful in her job as concierge at Marietta, and that the concierge can play an invaluable role in “giving residents confidence that they are secure in our facility.”

Jenna Daniel moved from Lafayette, Indiana to Louisville to take the concierge job at Four Courts after a chance encounter with Plaks at a Washington, D.C.-area airport.

“It’s just exciting to be a part of something to make the patient experience as good as it can be,” she said. “There’s always unique opportunities for each patient and family.”

Plans call for the concierge program to be expanded to the other six Post Acute buildings, and Plaks pointed to evidence that buy-in already exists.

A recent survey of 600 Post Acute stakeholders found customer service to be the top area in which there was room for improvement, she said, adding that ensuring resident satisfaction isn’t limited to any particular department or group.

“Everybody is responsible for the patient experience. There’s not one person that can own that.”

At Camp Gan Israel, the theme of the summer was “We Can Change the World.”

On Monday July 11, campers in the program visited the residents of Four Courts, in keeping with their theme of the week, l’dor va’dor, generation to generation.

The children surprised the residents by baking challah for them. The challahs were wrapped and tied with ribbon and each child handed a resident a “loaf of love.” The campers also presented each resident with hand-crafted flowers made from tissue paper and pipe cleaners and helped the residents place them in their hair and adorn their wheelchairs, canes and walkers.

The children brought the day to a close by singing fun and silly songs and drawing pictures for the residents. As the children were preparing to leave, resident Evelyn Feingold gave the children a surprise of their own by reading them a beautiful story.

With hugs and promises to visit again, the residents sent them off with glowing faces and smiles all around.

Four Courts is proud of its Jewish heritage and is the only nursing facility in the entire state that has both a fully functioning kosher kitchen and a synagogue. For more information, please call 451-0990
Camp Gan Israel is a Jewish day camp located in Louisville that offers exciting trips, sports, crafts and various activities with an emphasis on Jewish pride. For more information, e-mail cgilouisville@gmail.com or visit cgilouisville.com

Via Jewish Community of Louisville

A stroke patient at Four Courts at Cherokee Park stood for the first time in years with the help of a new technology that InnovateLTC brought to Louisville.

The woman, who has been with Signature for the past four years, had not been able to stand since 1997, even with the help of multiple staff members.

The technology – called the “Ultimate Transformer” – was recently on display at Four Courts during an Innovation Runway Open House, the first in a series hosted by InnovateLTC and designed to showcase new products, services and technologies in aging care.

The “Ultimate Transformer” combines 12 therapy tools into one and can reduce patient transfers, prevent injuries and ensure continuity of care in order to accelerate patient outcomes. The product is manufactured by California-based Therapeutic Industries. InnovateLTC is in talks with the Therapeutic Industries concerning an agreement to distribute the company’s products on the east coast.

Company officials demonstrated the capabilities of the “Ultimate Transformer” during the Innovation Runway Open House. To see a video from the event, click here.

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