Employees earn 2.01 percent PIP payout

As recently announced, Yale New Haven Hospital employees performed well on Performance Incentive Plan (PIP) goals, earning a 2.01 percent payout out of a possible maximum 3 percent of salary during fiscal year 2019. The PIP award, which is over and above any annual merit increase, rewards employees for contributions toward reaching hospital goals.

“Congratulations and my thanks to employees for a job well done,” said Richard D’Aquila, president. “It seems as if each year becomes more and more challenging, and 2019 has been no exception. Yet employees persevered and continued to meet goals and excel in several areas. Be proud of these accomplishments and let them serve as encouragement as we move into the new year.”

To be eligible for the PIP award, employees must have worked at least 1,000 hours during fiscal year 2019 – Oct. 1, 2018 - Sept. 30, 2019 – and have been active as of Dec. 5, 2019 when PIP was paid.

PIP results were measured in four hospital-wide performance areas: patient safety and quality, patient experience, employee engagement and financial performance. Each category received equal weight of 25 percent.

Patient safety and quality included two measures. Results for Clostridium difficile infections – the number of patients who contracted the bacterial infection during hospital stays –met the target goal. The second measure, COPD readmissions, was new to PIP this year. It measured the number of patients readmitted to the hospital (within 30 days after discharge) for complications related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment. Results exceeded the maximum goal.

Patient experience measured patients’ and families’ experiences through Press Ganey surveys and included three measures. Overall inpatient results measured the satisfaction of patients who stayed in adult units on both New Haven campuses and the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital campuses; Emergency Department measured the satisfaction of patients who visited the York Street adult and pediatric, Saint Raphael Campus or Shoreline Medical Center emergency departments; and Ambulatory Services measured the overall experience in Ambulatory Surgery, Heart and Vascular outpatient centers, Radiology and Outpatient Oncology. Results for patient experience measures fell short of goals this year.

The Employee Engagement category included two measures. Employees met the threshold goal for participation in the Know Your Numbers employee wellness program. The second measure, employee injuries reporting, was added to PIP to place greater emphasis on employee safety. Results for this measure, which tracked the number of initial injury reports employees entered, exceeded the maximum goal.

Financial performance included the sole measure of the hospital’s operating margin, which exceeded the maximum goal for FY2019.

PIP awards were distributed to eligible employees Dec. 5.