Micah Solomon wrote almost 10 years ago that operating on the wrong knee was not a good patient experience. At the time it was published, I translated it and I never forgot what Solomon wrote. What is the use of a pleasant atmosphere in the waiting room, what is the use of empathetic and attentive service, what is the use of thinking about each point of the care journey until reaching the doctor, when later, in surgery, the wrong knee is operated on? The quality of service is the sum of each point of the journey. From research, to scheduling, to service, to consultation, to post-consultation. The diagnosis and the result are “just” two extremely relevant factors. The patient prefers a doctor who
A doctor once questioned a suggestion I made for his newly created health and beauty business, saying that “Coca-Cola and Apple don’t do discounts.” And truth. But we should know how to evaluate what we have. Comparing a clinic hidden on the second floor of a business building, whose existence goes unnoticed even by neighbors, with two brands recognized worldwide and market leaders is more than not knowing their place in the market. It’s not knowing the value of what we have or created. And, if we give the client/patient the wrong idea of value, we will have problems. The patient has a sense of quality and price-quality ratio that will influence the choice.
Patients want to know about service quality above anything else. It doesn’t mean the rest doesn’t matter. The value of a recommendation from a friend who has tried it is much higher than an award. A positive online evaluation (especially when it comes to a profile identified as “Premium” or similar) is reinforced at the time of the consultation or procedure, and completely ignored and discredited at the slightest indication contrary to what was read or seen online.