Last week, I co-presented a workshop at the Healthcare Marketing Strategies Summit in Orlando where I had the honor of hearing and meeting Morten Hansen, co-author (with Jim Collins) of Great by Choice. As he spoke about what it takes to excel in business, I found myself automatically applying the core principles to the patient experience.
Hansen talked about companies that beat the odds, even during times of uncertainty and chaos, to achieve exceptional growth and profits. In their research, they had identified key characteristics of those companies, one of which is fanatical discipline. They illustrate that fanatical discipline with the term, “20 mile march.” They say, “The 20 Mile March is more than a philosophy. It’s about having concrete, clear, intelligent and rigorously pursued performance mechanisms that keep you on track.” Read more...
Last week, we announced a partnership with BerylHealth in Texas. Since that announcement, I’ve had many questions about the partnership. Each of us is retaining our individual identities but will be collaborating to serve healthcare organizations better.
As I have grown my consulting business over the past decade, I have sought out other like-minded organizations that I can trust, both as individuals and as service providers. The Baird Group’s quest to make healthcare better for patients and the people who serve them is closely aligned with BerylHealth. Over the years, I have come to respect BerylHealth for not only their marketing, call center services, and post-discharge calls, but as a company that strives for the highest level of employee engagement. I’m excited about our relationship because, as individual companies, we compliment each other’s services. When combined, we touch the patient experience across the entire continuum of care. Read more...
I am a strong advocate for patient- and family-centered care, but for most healthcare organizations it’s a work in progress. If I sound cynical it’s only because I am so passionate about the patient and family experience and stick my neck out and challenge the status quo when I see processes, systems or attitudes that are misaligned with that quest. If you are going to promise patient and family-centered care, then please filter the entire experience through their eyes. Read more...
Today has been an exercise in patience. I know that I’ve said this hundreds of times, but it really is the little things that matter in customer service. Let me give you a few examples:
Today my scheduled was booked with back-to-back appointments leaving the remainder of the week reserved for cross country travel. Stuck in a snowstorm in bumper to bumper traffic was the first domino that fell for me today. That delay caused me to miss my 9:00 Doctors appointment which was 30 miles from my office. Rescheduling was not an option or it would cause me to have to cancel surgery for next week which had required that I eliminate travel completely for the following 3 weeks. So you can see how it goes. Read more...
Have you ever had someone surprise you and tell you that you made a huge difference in their life and yet you had no idea of your influence? This has happened to me a number of times, and the older I get the more I realize that, when you are following your passion, great things happen–not only for you, but for those around you as well. I think this happens more often than we realize, and, unfortunately, many people live their entire lives never knowing how they helped to shape others’ lives. One seemingly small encounter sends into motion a ripple that touches others who then go on to send out more ripples, and, pretty soon, one encounter has become a wave. Read more...
It’s a well documented fact that your customer experience is only as good as the people on the front lines, and yet many organizations continue to miss the obvious. I was recently doing some training with front-line staff in a hospital that we have mystery shopped several times. The leaders were hoping I could fix some of the customer service problems they were facing. After a skills assessment, I realized that this organization had very little prior skills training, so I decided to rely on some tried and true coaching and skills development for both the managers and the front-line staff. Read more...
I hadn’t been on a prop plane in years until yesterday. And yes, the experience was all I had built it up to be in my memory—cramped, noisy, and fraught with more jolts and turns than a Six-Flags rollercoaster. In fact, about twenty minutes of the ride had me on pins and needles, reaffirming my hatred of rollercoasters. Read more...
As many of you know, my firm has been doing mystery shopping as well as other forms of qualitative research on the patient experience for a number of years. I have a deep fascination in learning as much as I can about patients’ expectations as well as their emotional responses to situations and interactions – all of which determine their attitude toward, and confidence in, the provider organization. By learning more about the patients’ expectations and responses, we can identify, teach, and rehearse the most patient-centered interactions. Read more...
Today, I had the pleasure of listening to Dr. Bridget Duffy speak at the 16th National Summit on Healthcare Marketing Strategies in Orlando. Like me, Dr. Duffy spreads the gospel of the patient experience and works with healthcare organizations committed to enhancing the patient experience. Read more...
On Christmas Eve day, I took my mother in for an echocardiogram. Fascinated by the images on the screen, and wanting to help keep my mom comfortable, I asked permission to pull up a chair next to my mom and watch more closely. I was struck by two things during the experience. One; that today’s imaging resources provide invaluable diagnostic information, and two; that science can’t begin to see inside the human experience. Read more...
