The value of quality care is immeasurable to a patient. To deliver the level of care patients expect and deserve requires a continuous effort to stay ahead of medical technology and research.
Yet, complex budgets often fall short of funding state-of-the-art equipment and life-saving research.
Grateful patient and physician engagement programs are the foundation for bridging these gaps by expanding the unique connection with a patient.
The landscape
Rush University Medical Center partnered with GG+A to take a close look at its grateful patient and physician engagement programs to ensure that it was optimizing opportunities and adding value at the highest level. Ranked as one of the top 20 hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Rush draws doctors and patients from around the globe. The commitment of its doctors to maintain an extraordinary level of care is evident in the patients who benefit from their work. The strength of the doctor-patient relationships positioned Rush to build a stronger grateful patient and physician engagement programs.
The solution
GG+A began with benchmarking peer institutions to gather data around grateful patient and physician engagement efforts to help shape Rush’s program. With new leadership in place, a renewed commitment to supporting advancement energized the initiative. The objective was to build a culture of philanthropy that involved the entire team uniting individual expertise and roles. GG+A identified practical strategies for creating this culture while recognizing the nuances of doctor-patient relationships and HIPAA policies. Metrics were recommended that identified doctor partners and systems established to facilitate identifying grateful patients. The next piece was to establish obtainable goals for major gift officers and the policies to help them achieve them. Creating and fostering an inclusive partnership ignited collaboration and commitment by physicians and development.
The result
As Rush navigates its quiet phase of its next campaign, the development team is working with leadership and physicians to identify needs critical to fulfill its mission. These philanthropic opportunities will then be developed and presented to prospects for funding. The partnership between advancement and physicians is more cohesive as they work toward a common goal of achieving the long-term mission of Rush University Medical Center, while the team also continues to enhance its grateful patient program and gift officer goals.