You will find that there are many activities which your organization, group or practice can engage in to recognize the patient during National Patient Recognition Week and Day; your brain is the only limiting factor. Consider appointing your more creative people to a NPRW committee to come up with ideas and plan your activities.

Hospitals... Patient Recognition Week

1. Medicare seminar for interested patients
2. Adopt a patient; be accountable for ensuring special attention is given to the patient’s well being during their stay
3. Inaugurate a new patient service
4. Special patient-newsletter
5. Testimonial day, special patient’s testimonial converted to posters and displayed
6. Special meal tray place mat saying “thank you”
7. Thank you poster contest, schools, staff, and departments
8. Create special moments of caring (extra smiles, hugs, and more smiles)
9. Patient snack areas
10. Award good patient certificate; perfect patient
11. Cafeteria table thank you tents
12. Free classes for learning how to interpret/understand hospital and medical bills
13. Executives and managers lunch with patients
14. Dedicate an extra hour (non-paid time) of your time to spend with a patient each day
15. Employees go through admission process, wait in emergency department
16. Create an employees volunteer pool
17. Hold interactive patient social events at floor level or system wide
18. Special health screenings and/or awareness
19. Decorate a patient waiting area or relaxation room
20. Free mammogram for female patients within recommended guidelines
21. Special day and evening healthcare educational classes
22. Management and staff sign a pledge or statement to excel at patient satisfaction
23. Offer an on-line Healthcare Information Workstation for patients and families
24. Patient receives a get well card signed by attending staff and/or administrator
25. Work with local radio, television, and news reporters to create service awareness
26. Bring in animal assisted care/satisfaction teams

February 3rd... Patient Recognition Day

1. Free parking for patient and visitors
2. Free meals
3. Free coffee and donuts in morning
4. Free promotional tee-shirt
5. Free newspaper
6. Free videos/movies
7. Free cafeteria purchases within specified limits
8. Dedicate a special patient inner-peace sanctuary or garden
9. Flowers in patient rooms
10. Gift shop discount
11. Special dessert
12. Recognition party for all patients (come as you are)
13. Management assumes volunteer positions for day
14. Special recognition program for patients and family members to attend
15. Special recognition of oldest and youngest patient
16. Executives, managers, and employees give up a hour or day's pay to help a needy patient
17. Plant a tree of recognition, plan a forest
18. Conduct hospital tours, use golf cart or similar effortless approach to patient participation
19. Have the Administrator or CEO take discharged patients to their waiting transportation
20. Have the Administrator or CEO personally thank every patient for using their facility
21. Special patient coffee mug, certificate, goodie bag, magnet, balloon, and sticker
22. Get to know more about your patients, visit with them longer and on your time
23. Read the newspaper or a book to those patients that cannot read for themselves
24. Create and dedicate a patient web site
25. Change computer screen-savers to a patient satisfaction reminder
26. E-mail a patient satisfaction reminder to staff
27. Employees make an early or belated New Year resolution about patient satisfaction
28. Patient assigned a private room when admitted on February 3rd