Case Study: South Miami Hospital improves pain management and physician communication with NRC Health

South Miami Hospital Focuses Resources on Pain Management and Physician Communication

South Miami Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida, wanted to strengthen patient-centered care by improving pain management and physician communication, two key HCAHPS measures. The hospital’s challenge was to consistently support patients with clear communication, effective pain control, and coordinated care across multiple units and specialties.

Working with NRC Health, South Miami Hospital reinforced a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration, nurse empowerment, and patient education through tools and workflows such as pain councils, reference materials, rounding routines, escalation criteria, and communication training. The effort helped the hospital achieve consistently excellent HCAHPS performance in pain management and physician communication, with patient satisfaction scores also reported in the 99th percentile in the emergency department.

South Miami Hospital

Angela S. Castillo

Unit Manager 7 Pavilion