By The Doctor’s Guide to Concierge Medicine; Excerpt, Page 46-47; Chapter Two; (C) 2019-2023 Concierge Medicine Today, LLC.
Patients don’t have to wait very long (in minutes) inside a Doctor’s office or an Emergency Room (ER) before they start getting annoyed.
They expect a level of customer service and warm greeting but are often met with a knod from a busy front office staff person and the pointer finger.
When it comes to our Doctor’s office though, it should be a warm, inviting, friendly atmosphere. That begins and ends with leadership and the office culture that the leader demonstrates, encourages and fosters.
Easier said than done.
Ultimately, a Patient will concede to the status quo, suck it up and take the lack of timeliness, hospitality and friendliness because they simply need to get their prescription renewed or their questions answered.
This experience however for the Patient is now be shared with others when they leave and stored away in their memory bank.
Concierge Medicine plays an important role in our healthcare marketplace today. It informs other hospitals, providers, group practices, and patient experience directors just how important the patient experience is. It sets an example for healthcare for others to now follow.
The customer (e.g. Patient) has many performance metrics which they use on a Doctor today that helps them evaluate whether or not their Doctor is a good one or a great one.
This might seem like an odd metric but it’s not to be dismissed.
Have you ever been to your favorite restaurant after it changed owners?
After a little while you may say things like, “It’s fine, but it’s just not the same.”
Patients look at their Doctor’s office in the same way. It’s not simply just the interaction with the Doctor. It’s scheduling, timeliness, respect from your staff, kindness, friendliness, hospitality, insurance compatibility [or incompatibility] and your level times spent with me.
And, did I mention your staff?
“Doing ‘No Harm’ can mean seeing too many patients in a day,” says a Connecticut Concierge Physician. “I feel it is not fair to practice mediocre medicine. That’s precisely what prompted me to do Concierge Medicine. I didn’t like going to bed each night wondering ‘Should I have made that call to the Hemotologist? Could I have done this or that or the other.”
Every Patient is a customer, whether we like the term or not.
Patients will vote with their feet, their wallet and often times leave you without notice.
There have been several helpful pieces written and research done about the positive impact that can take place when a Patient and Doctor are more closely aligned to prevention and communicating more clearly through the Concierge Medicine business model. Here are some helpful pieces for reference.
The most specific evidence is found here:
- Latest/Newest (Source: Posted: 7:32 AM, May 08, 2019Updated: 9:32 AM, May 08, 2019; The Denver Channell; ABC Affiliate; By Kumasi Aaron;) – Doctors spending more time with patients see better medical outcomes, research says https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/doctors-spending-more-time-with-patients-see-better-medical-outcomes-research-says
- STUDY | ChenMed and University of Miami Researchers Show High-Touch Care Improves
Health Outcomes https://www.prweb.com/releases/chenmed_and_university_of_miami_researchers_show_high_touch_care_improves_health_outcomes/prweb15763805.htm - RESEARCH, AJMC, Concierge Medicine: “High-Touch Care Leads to Better Outcomes and Lower Costs in a Senior Population” https://www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2018/2018-vol24-n9/hightouch-care-leads-to-better-outcomes-and-lower-costs-in-a-senior-population
- RESEARCH STUDY: Landmark Study Finds MDVIP Reduces Hospital Utilization and Healthcare Costs https://www.mdvip.com/about-mdvip/press-room/study-proves-dramatic-reduction-hospitalizations-300-million-savings-mdvips-personalized-healthcare
- STUDY, MDVIP DATA | Study from MDVIP and Cleveland HeartLab Shows the Positivity Rate for Inflammation Marker Decreased by 69 Percent in Diabetics and 73 Percent in Pre-Diabetics Over Five Years https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inflammation-testing-prompts-care-changes-leading-to-significantly-lower-levels-in-patients-with-increased-cardiovascular-risk-due-to-diabetes-or-pre-diabetes-300619974.html
- MDVIP, Study: The Grades Are In, Most Americans Score an ‘F’ on Fat IQ Test https://www.mdvip.com/about-mdvip/press-room/majority-americans-suffer-low-fat-iq
- STUDY | MDVIP/Ipsos survey provides new insights into knowledge gaps, limited physician guidance and gender disparities when it comes to heart disease https://www.mdvip.com/about-mdvip/press-room/national-study-finds-americans-dont-know-facts-or-their-risk-heart-disease
- New DATA, Survey, MDVIP: Health and Longevity Not So Much a Reality for Generation X https://www.mdvip.com/about-mdvip/press-room/health-and-longevity-not-so-much-reality-generation-x
