Posted by Kristin Baird
When we evaluate the patient experience in healthcare organizations, there are two words that put your brand, your reputation, and ultimately your financial performance at risk. The two words are: “It depends”. This culture of variability is dangerous at best.
If your patient experience depends on:
- the day of the week
- the time of day
- the volume
- who’s working
- which door they enter
…then you don’t have a firm commitment to the patient experience.
It’s not unusual for us to experience a wide degree of variability when we mystery shop a number of different parts of a healthcare organization. When we see the wide variation, it typically indicates that the culture isn’t one of accountability. Or at least, every person and department isn’t being held accountable to the same level of excellence. They key is to hold everyone accountable.
Variability is a brand killer. If you want a consistent brand experience, you need to define what it should look like and hold everyone to the standard. No exceptions, no sacred cows, no excuses.
- It Depends – 2 Words that Kill Your Brand
- Are your Standards just a Suggestion?
- High Reliability and the Patient Experience
- “It depends,” and Other Brand Killers
- “I’m proud of you”—Four little words that speak volumes
