In health care, a successful company culture helps shape a positive patient experience. Here’s how.

Story by: Rebecca Hall on May 6, 2019

Company culture is often an important factor when choosing a place to work.

It also can determine the kind of service we receive when we shop for clothes or groceries, hire a plumber or electrician, visit a department store or make an appointment with a health care provider. Are employees friendly and eager to help, or do they seem annoyed or disgruntled with their job and with you? Your interactions with a company’s employees may provide a good indication of what company culture is like.

In health care, a successful company culture helps shape a positive patient experience — at Norton Healthcare, we call that the Norton Experience. Here’s how.

Positive interactions with health care staff can make or break your experience

When we seek care for our health, it’s usually not a high point in our day. We may have just the sniffles, or we could be facing a major health crisis.

Friendly, compassionate interactions with health care staff make us feel good, even when we’re under the weather.

At Norton Healthcare, creating great human interactions is a key part of the company’s culture known as the Norton Way. Employees receive training on specific, actionable steps such as making eye contact and smiling at everyone they pass in the hallway; or asking patients, guests and co-workers, “What else can I do for you?” The Norton Way even provides specific actions for ensuring patients and their families understand their diagnosis and treatment plan.

A company culture whose foundation is great human interactions creates a health care experience where you feel valued and respected.

Patient safety is an important part of company culture

A quality health care experience cannot be achieved without patient safety. Norton Healthcare employees know this important element must be deliberately woven into company culture to achieve safety goals and standards. Patient safety doesn’t just happen by accident!

Norton Healthcare works hard to build a culture in which processes and systems are followed and continuously examined to reduce the potential for mistakes. A culture of patient safety is integral to a positive patient experience.

Your health care provider’s mission, vision and values drive the approach to care

It’s one thing to have a mission and other guiding statements. What matters is having those statements actually guide your business and culture.

You’ll know a mission statement means something when the company and its employees live it.

At Norton Healthcare, our mission, vision and values are more than just words. These important statements are posted throughout the organization’s facilities and offices and are read before meetings. You can look to the company’s patient resource centers, community outreach services, mobile prevention unit, employee volunteer hours and provider passion to see our mission in action.

Employee recognition supports company culture and boosts performance

Another important element of a successful company culture is employee recognition. Research shows that employees who feel appreciated and recognized are more motivated to do their best.

Gratitude is an important part of our culture, and that shows in the great human interactions that happen daily at our facilities. It is also part of Norton Healthcare’s recognition culture lived all year long through peer-to-peer and leader recognition. In addition to annual lunch and dinner banquets to recognize and thank staff for their years of service, Norton Healthcare provides special recognition for its employees during Employee Appreciation Week. Additional recognition is given to staff during specific times of the year such as Nurses Week, Doctors’ Day, Respiratory Care Week and more!

Our recognition culture also shows in the ways Norton Healthcare takes care of its employees like comprehensive benefits, workforce development and education support, an employee wellness program, employee resource groups, leadership training and more.