The Client
Ghent is a family-owned company specializing in innovative visual communication, space division, and display furniture. Ghent offers solutions across multiple industries including Office, Education, Hospitality, and Healthcare. Ghent’s Healthcare solutions include whiteboards and glassboards for patient rooms, nurses’ stations, and medical reception desks. As well as additional solutions for waiting areas, cafeterias, kid’s play areas, administrative offices, conference rooms, and more.
The Challenge
In 2023, an acute care medical center in the US was seeking new patient room boards tailored to their unique requirements. The hospital faced uncertainty about which brand would meet their needs. The boards required customization to comply with brand guidelines and meet the specific demands of various departments and patients.
Patient satisfaction and effective communication are critical in healthcare. The right tools, both functional and well-designed, are essential for creating environments where patient/staff communication can thrive. To provide the hospital with the appropriate brand and product line, it was integral to understand the room-specific needs, as the process involved navigating multiple levels of approval and significant red tape.
The Highlands Difference
A Business Development Manager at Highlands was on-site to understand the healthcare facility’s needs. They educated hospital decision-makers about Ghent’s custom patient board solutions and collaborated with an Interiors Account Manager at ODP Business Solutions® Workspace Interiors to help the hospital find the right products. Highlands’ direct engagement with the customer was crucial, offering solutions beyond patient room boards.
“We focused on finding the perfect fit for their needs, not just a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Jennifer McMahan, VP of Strategic Account at Highlands. “Understanding their challenges allowed us to deliver exactly what they needed, where they needed it.”
The collaboration resulted in a $90,000 purchase order for Ghent patient care boards facilitated through ODP Business Solutions® Workspace Interiors. The hospital selected Slide Changeable Glassboards for their Patient Room Communication Boards. These close-mount slide changeable glassboards have a sleek, easy-to-disinfect glass surface with a changeable, double-sided insert for versatile communication between patients and care providers.
These boards are designed to improve communication between patients and healthcare staff, ultimately increasing patient satisfaction scores, known as HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems).
“Our goal is to enhance patient satisfaction scores, support better care, and help reduce readmissions,” said Christina Cavallo, Sales Manager at Ghent. “Having readily available tools like customized whiteboards and glassboards enables effective communication between the care team, patient, and family. This not only aids in healing but also reduces stress and positively impacts the patient experience.”
Additionally, Highlands identified opportunities for Ghent solutions in other hospital areas beyond patient rooms. Ghent’s line of wall-mounted whiteboards and glassboards offer functionality for nurses’ stations and hospital meeting areas as well as the cafeteria. As this healthcare network continues to expand with additional facilities under construction and renovation, this success has opened doors to future opportunities at multiple locations in the Southeast.
