Over the past ten years, hospitals have begun to compete for patient’s business. Traditionally, hospitals have relied on direct-to-consumer advertising that touts nationally-recognized rankings for things like specialized services and access to high-tech equipment. In an attempt to persuade patients to choose quality over geography, the ads suggest that the time and distance spent traveling to a top-tier facility is worthwhile.
But interestingly, most patients are hard-pressed to define “the best.” Is “the best” hospital the one with the lowest mortality rates, or the facility performing the highest amount of surgeries? Mortality rates can actually be deceiving—if hospitals don’t take the sickest patients, they can easily have better survival rates. Numbers of surgeries is also a standard measure. And although the “practice makes perfect” school of thought may seem logical, it may also go hand in hand with larger institutions and more impersonal care.
Gradually, the medical community has realized that the majority of the hospital experience is made up of numerous mundane moments rather than the surgical procedures or medical tests. In a hospital, vulnerabilities are made manifest and patients remember a million little details that make up the overall experience. The time it takes for a nurse to answer the call bell, the availability of food on request, a dusty blood pressure cuff, how and if the staff identify themselves and even the patient check-out process (which could include the dark and distant walk to the parking garage at night) all contribute to the makings of an acceptable or unacceptable customer experience. Certainly successful procedures are paramount, but also viewed as table stakes. After all, a patient wouldn’t undergo a procedure at all if they expected it wouldn’t be successful.
So, if hospitals want to encourage people to choose their facilities no matter where they are located, they will need to consider the frequently overlooked “niceties” such as assistance with hotel accommodations for loved ones, easy access to online follow-up care and local support after discharge.
The advent of social media has made it very easy for patients to comment, gripe and complain in real time—making it harder for hospitals to stake their reputation on just a few rankings touted in their ads. Faster than ever before, patients can easily find out if the hospital has poor coverage on the weekends, Legionnaire’s disease in the water supply, confusing bills, lack of internet connectivity, harried staff, etc.
Furthermore, the largest healthcare systems are likely to see an influx of physicians as an outgrowth of the Healthcare Reform Bill. Attracting physicians and attracting patients is an infinity loop—the needs of both will need to be addressed. Large hospitals won’t be able to rely on high-tech equipment as a lure if the day-to-day experience is one of hassle and paperwork for patients and physicians. So, hospitals would be wise to think of themselves as in the hospitality business.
Irene Etzkorn is the executive director, simplification for the Siegel+Gale New York office.
