Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had an article about the increasing use of Mystery Shoppers for both hospitals and doctor’s offices. One mystery shopper firm went from never having a request for medical mystery shoppers to six requests in one year.
This is a topic that quickly got my attention, having recently missed two appointments because my grandson’s pediatrician was overbooked an hour.
From my perspective, the doctor’s office has long been the last bastion of low customer service levels. Once you get in, you are at their mercy. First you wait in the waiting area, and then you wait in the exam room. After you are running substantially late, the nurse comes in and takes your blood pressure, and she wonders why it is elevated.
The emergency room is worse. I recall taking my oldest son in with a broken collarbone. We were waiting, with him in lot of pain, while the doctor was popping popcorn in the microwave, in full view of patients.
My worst experience, however, was when I took one of my sons to another doctor for an ongoing problem. The doctor came in, mumbled a few things, and left. The nurse returned a few minutes later with a referral to an oncologist.
No conversation! No explanation! Just a referral to a doctor to is a cancer specialist. I asked to see the doctor, and that is when I found out that if you really want to get a doctor’s attention, call him by his first name. Nonetheless, bad bedside manner, and little explanation of what was going on.
What’s driving doctor’s to become this conscious of the customer experience? Competition is the obvious answer. But there is also the movement to reform healthcare and insurance and give the patient more choice in their course of treatment. Plus, as the WSJ article reveals, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is going to begin recording patient satisfactions at hospitals. Doctor’s offices are probably next.
What really excites me is that I have a client – a firm providing professional services to doctor’s offices. Mystery shoppers could be a whole new product line for them. I have already emailed her the article.
More later …
I agree that there has long been an issue with waiting at doctors office's for absurd amounts of time. However, Doctors primarily get customers through word of mouth therefore poor customer service should negatively affect their practice.
Considering this I have found the opposite, my doctor spends the time answering all my questions and giving an in depth diagnosis. This has 2 results: 1 I have no buyer’s remorse. In fact I am very happy with my visit and feel the wait was worth it. 2. Everyone else in the waiting room has just waited that much longer. It's really a cost benefit. I believe the people in the waiting room feel the same way. You wait a while, but once you get in there it is worth it.
Now, to address the wait a little more. Our countries health-care is becoming more and more an issue with the current demographic trends. The wait could become longer. This is why Medical Software has become a major way for health-care facilities to cut cost and run more efficiently. Take a look at companies like Meditech and IDX. The goal becomes a secure integrated environment that enables Patients, Doctors, Nurses, and Administrators to provide the best health-care.
In conclusion find new doctors. Referrals are great when the begin at the right source.
Posted by: Peter Zaval | August 11, 2006 at 09:10 AM