In my previous post I cited an example from real life how a hospital experience with a good clinical outcome was negatively affected by poor customer service.

Customer Care has taken on an even greater role in our society thanks to the internet and social media.  Bad customer experiences get spread quickly, often with significant negative results to the individual or organization providing the service.  More of us check out Customer Reviews of services and products before we make our purchases.  It is only natural that this means of evaluation is being applied to the delivery of health care.

Many patients take technical quality for granted.  For example, they assume that all Board Certified interventional cardiologists perform cardiac catheterizations equally well, just like all auto mechanics perform oil changes equally well.  For the diagnosis and treatment of the non-complicated cases, that assumption is pretty much correct.  It is with the more unusual or complicated cases that the level of competence plays a role in outcomes.

Since most patients can’t judge the clinical quality of most aspects of medical care, they often look to the quality of customer service to judge the quality of their care.  In addition, patients these days expect both technical and customer service excellence.  Gone are the days when the doctor is placed on a pedestal, where he can do no wrong and his advice must be followed without question.  This change in perspective underscores the importance of good physician-patient communication.  Ideally, the experienced physician should anticipate the questions and concerns of his patients and address them proactively.  He must take a personal approach with every patient.  My friend’s experience with the physician who saved her life but didn’t communicate with her left a lot to be desired in this dimension of her care experience.

The personalized approach also applies to the other staff who interact with patients, from the medical office receptionist to the nurse in the office or hospital.  In my friend’s case, the Nursing Assistant could have looked beyond the task she had to do and realize that she should have made adjustments in when and how she measured my friend’s temperature.  Likewise, the nurse who noted that my friend did not have a fever, but claimed that she was powerless to stop the unnecessary tests, should have used her common sense and contacted her supervisor to prevent the waste of resources and inconvenience to my friend.  Had they put themselves in my friend’s place, I think they would have found a way.

I don’t think we have to compromise on the extent of the quality of care that is delivered.  We shouldn’t have to settle and compromise because the technical procedure was a success.  We should have quality in all aspects of patient care, and, as the episode with the fictitious fever in my previous post demonstrates, save money in the process.

The question remains, what can the average patient do to get optimal care from both the technical and customer service perspectives?  I’ll offer some suggestions in my next post.

For Your Health – Dr. Bob