Service First - VIP Healthcare

The beginning of a healthcare system where everyone gets treated like a Very Important Person...

We all have our horror stories and personal experiences of a loved one being treated poorly.My experience was a year of hospitalization and outpatient centers for my father before he passed away. Never once was I greeted by the hospital staff. Most of the time no one knew his name. Incorrect dosing of medication  happened more than once. This was at one of the most "prestigious" hospitals in New York City along with a group of very well known outpatient centers around NJ and NY.

Underpaid nurses working doubles shifts didn't help the situation. I'm not here to say that I have the answers, but there has to be a better way. Some systems have gone to those that know hospitality the best:

" Enter Hospitality Quotient, the consulting arm of Danny Meyer's restaurant group, Union Square Hospitality Group, which includes Union Square Café and Gramercy Tavern. The group has nearly three decades' worth of experience in hospitality and service. The Hospitality Quotient unit works with companies, including health care facilities, to incorporate hospitality into their business models. North Shore-LIJ, Beth Israel, Maimonides and Westmed have been clients."     

I'm sure technology will continue to play a large role, as EMR's and EHR's actually catch up to claims that they have been making. I'm sure interactive systems will be greeting you or helping employees to remember patient's names. Technology certainly has limitations though.  

Having a robot greet you, or having a system that informs a physician on the go of your name is better than someone saying "hey you!" ... but it's not quite the same as someone who remembered your name. There's something that just makes you feel good inside when someone remembered you and thought you were important enough to remember your name.

The issue is this level of service, this level of person comes at a cost. This is a skill that in most of America pays a premium.

From a  Jim Rohn seminar "work at McDonald's and they'll pay you $5 an hour, whistle while you work they'll pay you $6 an hour" emphasizing the pay increase that comes from nothing more than a good attitude.

With the current trend and necessity in health care to reduce costs and overhead, someone please tell me how regional and department directors can explain to their C-level  and pitch that we need to pay our front desk, greeters and office managers 20% above the industry average.

It's a challenge  that I'm sure many executives don't want to hear about. But it's real. There will be a huge opportunity  for those that develop programs and incentives for better attitudes.

Would love to hear from anyone who has developed or has been apart of a system that has worked.