You asked for it, but are you ready?
Patient experience still ranks among healthcare executives’ top concerns, and we’re often brought in to help organizations dig deeper into what’s behind their patient experience scores.
“We want to know how to improve,” they tell us.
“Give it to us straight,” they say.
But then we conduct mystery shopping, and we uncover some of the most incredibly shocking things that leave patients and visitors running to the competition. Whether it’s a filthy bathroom or a front desk that’s been left vacant for hours, leaving patients and visitors to fend for themselves there are things that sneak under your radar.
The Things You Don’t See Anymore
There are so many things in organizations that just become the norm. You walk past them every day and don’t even see them anymore. These can be people, processes or place. Here are a few examples:
People: A busy waiting room where every person could see an employee sound asleep at the desk.
Process: A line of elderly ortho patients needing to re-check in because finance didn’t trust the kiosk and pre-registration process.
Place: A paper sign taped next to the elevator that said: “This elevator eats little fingers. Parents- Watch your children.” To a precocious little reader, that could be traumatizing message at your pediatrician’s office!
As an objective third party, we’re not privy to the politics within the organization. Those behind-the-scenes politics, habits, and processes create what I call the “tender underbelly” of organizations—the things that are unspoken and untouchable. We don’t know about those sacred cows when we come in and give “the kind truth.” We have a responsibility to call it like we see it. If you say you want to be patient-centered, everything needs to align with the organization’s mission, vision and values.
When Sacred Cows Meet Patient Reality
Whether we’re looking at patient access, conducting walkthroughs to assess the condition of the building, or examining how a patient navigates the entire system, we’re looking at things objectively. Having trained mystery shoppers (who do not work in healthcare) is key. They don’t come with biases. They come with the fresh eyes of your area consumers.
- They don’t know that Dr. Jones only takes knee pain patients on the first Tuesday of the month. Or that he needs to approve new patients before an appointment is made. Why? It’s the way he’s always done it.
- They see that the best parking is reserved for executives. Why? It’s tradition.
- They see the sign in the cafeteria asking visitors not to eat there from 11:30 – 1:00 to give priority to employees. Why? A child got his fingers pinched 10 years ago and someone thought the sign was funny.
Patients and visitors don’t care why these practices exist, they just know how they feel when your promises don’t align with reality.
When we spot these things during mystery shopping, we’re going to ask probing questions.
“You Can’t Handle the Truth”
When we bring forth consumer perceptions, it’s not uncommon for us to get excuses: “Well, that must have been a one-off thing,” or “Oh, it must have been a really busy day,” or “Somebody must have called in sick that day.”
Worse: “That didn’t happen. You’re making that up.”
It’s in situations like that when I feel my inner Jack Nicholson come out. Remember the scene in “A Few Good Men” when he stopped and yelled, “You can’t handle the truth!”—I feel like that, wondering if leaders really want the truth or a watered-down version that feeds their ego and misconceptions.
The Real Question
If somebody asks Baird Group for the truth, they’re going to get it—very kindly, and respectfully. But do you really want the truth? Are you open to hearing consumer reactions and experiences?
Whether you use mystery shopping or conduct your own walkthroughs, be ready to look with fresh eyes and ask yourself: “Do we want the truth, or are we making excuses for the way we’ve always done things?”
Take off the rose-colored glasses. Take off all the filters, and try to see the people, processes, and place through a fresh lens. Find out whether you’re actually as good as you think you are, or if, with an objective view, you can identify opportunities for real improvement.
What’s in your blind spot?
Tags: healthcare mystery shopping, mystery shopping, Patient Experience, patient feedback, patient satisfaction, service excellence
