By: Jamie LaRue, RN and Barbara Thomas, RN

In today's economic climate, we often hear about how the healthcare sector is one of the only parts of the economy that is growing. Many people think that healthcare is insulated from the economic downturn. But those of us in the EP lab know a different story is true. We have seen our numbers slowly decline over the past couple of years, as patients lose their jobs (and their health insurance) and decide to put off elective procedures. Or, they have to pay a greater portion of their healthcare costs out of pocket. We have also seen more competition as more new EPs come into the market and more EP facilities open across the country. Patients have more choice about where to have their EP procedures done, they are more well-informed about their options and about what each of the EP facilities offers, and they are spending their healthcare dollars more wisely. EP physicians are spreading their services out to wider areas, sometimes pulling cases from the urban EP centers to provide services to patients in more rural areas.

Do we, as nurses, also have a role in ensuring that our EP labs remain busy and attract more business? We're not marketing people. But we are people people, which is why we are the experts in wielding one of the most powerful marketing tools out there: top-notch customer service.

Here are a few quick and simple ways your nursing staff can provide exceptional customer service that will make your EP Lab stand out in patients' minds:

1. Make contact with patents before their procedure. At St. David's, we have Nurse Navigators who walk AFib patients through the entire EP journey, beginning with consultation. But it doesn’t take a special team of nurses to make a big difference in how prepared patients feel for their procedures. Our scheduling nurse (yours truly) calls non-AFib patients before their procedure to go over any special instructions, confirm their arrival time, and answer any questions. This 5-minute phone call can clear up a world of confusion and fear for the patient, and head pre-procedure issues off at the pass. One patient I called pre-procedure was very relieved to know that the doctor wouldn't be "cutting anything out" of his heart. Others simply want to know if they'll have to pay for parking, or if they should take their meds the day of the procedure. Making pre-procedure calls to address the concerns with patients can be a great way to fill downtime in the lab, and can really improve the patient's state of readiness when they arrive for their procedure.

2. Contact patients after their procedure. At St. David's, a nurse calls every post-EP procedure patient within 3 days of discharge. We have a list of questions to ask the patient, including, "Did you understand your discharge instructions?," and "Have you made your follow-up appointment?," in addition to questions about how well the patient was treated during their stay. We enter the answers into a hospital-wide database, but they could be written on a sheet of paper or typed in a Word document. The nurse making the discharge call has the patient's discharge summary and any other pertinent information (such as the doctor's office appointment scheduling phone number) on-hand to provide the patient with quick answers to their questions and to ensure that the nurse's time is spent efficiently. Patients are often pleasantly surprised to hear from someone at the hospital after their procedure. They are often most appreciative of the simplest question we ask, though: "How are you feeling?"

3. During the procedure, take care of the patient AND the family. You already do a great job of taking care of patients during their procedures. Most experienced nurses are naturals at great patient care and customer service. But what about the patient's family? Who is taking care of them? Patients' families are nervous and scared, and are often in the dark about their loved one's condition until the end of the procedure, when the physician comes out to talk to them. At St. David's, the procedural nurse calls the patient's family in the waiting room every hour to update them about how the procedure is progressing. Family members are grateful to know that their loved one is doing well, and to have some idea how much longer to expect their wait to be. Reducing family members' anxiety level not only provides a great customer experience for the family, it reduces the time and energy the recovery nurse has to expend on the back end. In addition, family members who feel that they are cared for during the procedure may be more likely to recommend the lab or hospital to their friends and family.

These are just a handful of the ideas we at St. David's have implemented to improve customer service for patients and families. These methods also help ensure physician satisfaction and continued business; when the doctor's patients are consistently happy with their experience at a particular lab, the doctor may be more inclined to bring his cases to that lab. We think these are quick and easy ways to help our lab weather the economic storm. We would love to hear your ideas, too!

Jamie LaRue, RN is the Electrophysiology Lab Scheduling Coordinator, and Barbara Thomas, RN is the Director of Electrophysiology Services at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas.