Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) began a journey nearly three years ago to transform the patient experience and refocus its staff to become more patient centered. 

It’s made great strides. U.S. Army leadership recognizes that it needs to take even greater steps, especially in the outpatient arena. Once the hospital discharges a Warrior, there’s still room for improving their recovery journey.

In January of 2010, WRAMC asked IDEAS to help it assess the patient experience throughout the outpatient care spectrum and to recommend improvements in three areas:

• Experiential and programmatic changes that could ease the journey for both Warriors and nonmedical attendants
• Spatial and facilities upgrades in living quarters and on the garrison where WRAMC is based that could support patient-centered care
• Staff training of all personnel in the hospital, garrison and Warrior Transition Brigade in new, better-defined service standards

Our Work and Process

At IDEAS, we completed our initial research using our proprietary Culture Mapping process, StoryJam and Experience Design. 

When we completed these phases, we moved on to a variety of training programs launched in September 2010 for staff, Warriors and nonmedical attendants. We also identified a number of key process changes in the patient pathway that can immediately improve the patient experience at every recovery step.

WRAMC leadership is starting to adopt those recommendations.

Additionally, WRAMC brought on IDEAS to consult on media production elements for in-progress projects. We’ll be involved in the research and scriptwriting for a variety of media elements and then oversee the entire production and postproduction process.

WRAMC will use some of these elements in training programs and the Public Affairs office.

Our work ties in to the overall rich heritage of Army medicine. More importantly, our efforts support the key theme of “Bringing Value … Inspiring Trust” through all their message points.