Kaiser Permanente and the Alliance of Health Care Unions
Falls Church, VA Internal Medicine Clinical Operations Manager Marianne Henson, Management; Regional LMP Improvement Specialist Preena Gujral-OPEIU; and Falls Church, VA. Internal Medicine RN Isolina Pistolessi-UFCW LU 400.

There are a variety of outreach efforts to welcome new members, including phone calls and personally greeting them for their first appointments. Pictured left to right are Falls Church Internal Medicine Clinical Operations Manager Marianne Henson, Regional LMP Improvement Specialist Preena Gujral-OPEIU, and Internal Medicine RN Isolina Pistolessi, UFCW Local 400.

Outreach Effort Makes New Members Feel Welcome

When you're new, it's tough to know where to go, what to do, or how to find answers. The Adult Primary Care UBT in Falls Church, Virginia, had 3,200 new members with one additional wrinkle—many spoke Spanish. So, the team utilized their own Spanish-speaking staffers to help coordinate an outreach program for these new members. They made phone calls, created a "road map" on how to use services, and handed out useful information when new members came in for appointments. Patient satisfaction scores rose from 84.6 to 87.4 in two quarters.

Here's What Worked

  • Making phone calls to help make appointments and answer questions
  • Creating a "road map" on how to navigate Kaiser Permanente and utilize services
  • Greeting new members when they come in and provide useful information

What can your team do to welcome new members? And what could your team do to leverage its members' unique strengths and knowledge?

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