G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center

Our Red Coat Ambassadors Program was launched on February 14, 2019, as part of our National Salute to Veteran Patients.

The patient experience (PX) is the sum of all interactions shaped by the organization’s culture, that influence the Veterans’ and their families’ perceptions along their health care journey.

At the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, we are focused on providing the best experience for all our Veterans, and making excellence an everyday experience.

“We want to provide the highest quality medical care in the country,” said Dr. Phyllis Hollenbeck, Chief Experience Officer. “We hold in our hearts and minds what it is like to experience being a patient and want to embed a culture of passionate caring for our Veterans and employees.”

In order to receive real-time feedback, VA rolled out Veteran Signals (VSignals), a survey for outpatient visits. Veterans with email addresses are sent a link following their appointment. The goal of the survey is to put in place a near real-time understanding of the current customer and employee experience, to adjust and improve service delivery and recovery at a more rapid pace.

We have implemented Standardized Phone Greetings, We Care Rounding and the Red Coat Ambassador Program, all to improve the Veteran experience. More than 900 staff have completed Own the Moment training to learn how to better interact with Veterans. Additionally, staff are attending VA Voices training, a leadership-driven culture change program designed to help us put our Veterans at the center of everything we do. VA Voices engages all employees in the vision, mission and values of VA, developing a shared mission and trusted relationships for the best team-based, patient-centered care. 

VA’s Five PX Initiatives

• In 2018, VA facilities began implementing five Patient Experience initiatives including:
• (1) Red Coat Ambassadors;
• (2) We Care Rounding;
• (3) Standardized Phone Greetings;
• (4) “I Choose VA” Badges; and
• (5) Own the Moment Training.

These initiatives were developed to standardize the patient experience across all VA Medical Centers.

PX Initiative: Red Coat Ambassadors

Red Coat Ambassadors are an effective way to provide a personal and positive first impression, standardize the experience of assistance with navigation and information for Veterans and their family, and foster a general culture of care, providing personal assistance for our customers at the main entrances.

How does this enhance the patient experience?

• Provides greeters at the main entrances of the medical center
• Supported by volunteers and/or designated staff
• Offers personal and positive greetings, assistance with navigation, and information for Veterans and their families

PX Initiative: Standardized Phone Greetings

A standard phone greeting improves an important touchpoint in the health care journey, and serves as a regular reminder to employees and leaders of the commitment to patient experience. The phone call is often the very first touchpoint that a Veteran or caregiver has with VA. This is the first chance to set the tone of the patient experience.

Why does this matter?

• Veterans know what to expect from their health care
• Communication with Veterans is consistent, uses plain language, and invites engagement.
• Veterans feel confident that they are being listened to and heard.

PX Initiative: We Care Leadership Rounding

We Care Leadership Rounding demonstrates leaderships’ commitment to patient and employee engagement.

How is this helpful?

• We Care Leadership Rounding encourages leaders to role model the “VA Way.”
• Perception-based rounding.
• Allows for the verification of the adequacy of tools and resources available for employees to do their jobs.