Thought Leadership

Zeroing in on the Patient Experience: Views and Voices from the Frontlines

This white paper takes a close look into the professional lives of three patient experience leaders who share opportunities and challenges as they commit to improving how patients connect with their organizations. Executives from The Beryl Institute hosted these leaders in a roundtable discussion on improving the patient experience. These patient experience champions come from varied backgrounds, but they bear one strong similarity - a passionate commitment to creating exceptional experiences for patients, patient’s families and friends.

This paper covers what it takes to both launch and sustain patient experience efforts and includes practical advice and tips for hospitals that want to begin to focus on improving the patient’s experience.

Perspectives on a Patient-Centered Environment

The Beryl Institute has partnered with Sodexo, Inc. to release its latest white paper, “Perspectives on a Patient-Centered Environment.” This healthcare industry focused paper explains how increasing employee engagement is the cornerstone for creating a patient-centered environment. When employees are engaged, they live the organization’s mission, vision and purpose. They strive for the organization to succeed, and therefore, are more willing to do whatever it takes to meet customer expectations.

The white paper includes three case studies that explore the connection between engaged employees and patient-centered care, the keys to creating an engaged workforce and drivers of employee satisfaction.

Customer Experience: A Generational Perspective

Michael Howe, former CEO of MinuteClinic, is an expert on retail healthcare.  In this exciting new paper, Customer Experience: A Generational Perspective, he explores the social influences and characteristics of the four generations currently having the greatest impact on the healthcare system: Greatest Generation,  Baby Boomers, Gen Xer’s, and Millennials.

Howe discusses the challenges for healthcare providers in managing care for each generation.  The paper includes a case study on MinuteClinic and concludes with customer service tips to improve the generational healthcare experience. 

Character Counts: Integrating Civility into the Healthcare Culture

Award-winning publisher and author Chuck Lauer explores the need for hospitals to incorporate a "civility initiative" into their customer service programs. Lauer addresses the prevailing climate of rude behavior in society at-large and offers solutions to healthcare providers seeking to provide consumers with outstanding healthcare experiences, including five secrets for bringing civility to healthcare.

Balancing Consumer and Physician Influence: Finding the "Sweet Spot" in Healthcare Marketing

This paper is authored by Al Swinney, senior vice president of marketing communications for Meridian Health. The paper explores the history of marketing to consumers, the relationship between physicians and hospitals, the physician as the patient influencer, and physician-to-physician marketing programs. Swinney explains how physician-to-physician marketing programs work and the immediate impact they can have on hospital volume.

Mystery Shopping the Patient Experience

This paper, written by Kristin Baird, Baird Consulting and a senior faculty member of The Beryl Institute, outlines how mystery shopping goes beyond satisfaction surveys to discover why patients leave before they ever engage a health care provider. This paper explores the value of mystery shopping, how the shopping is done, and how healthcare organizations can turn the results into actionable improvement opportunities.

High Performing Organizations: Culture as a Bottom-Line Issue

This paper, written by adjunct faculty members Britt Berrett, CEO of Medical City, and Jason Wolf, Director of Organization Development for the Eastern Group of HCA, outlines the results of a ground-breaking study.  It discusses “Seven Truths” about high performing organizations in case study format and provides actionable tips for hospital executives.

Moments of Truth: Hospital Switchboards a Bottom-Line Issue

Switchboard operators and other hospital-based call centers are the front-line of the customer acquisition process. Individual healthcare organizations are losing significant dollars by providing poor customer service at this initial touch point. Savvy healthcare leaders will close this “service gap” and transform their switchboards into customer focused and outcomes oriented front-line acquisition centers.

This paper is the third in a series focused on the benefits of improving the customer acquisition process.

It’s Not Just a Call, It’s a Customer

Consumers are becoming more selective in making healthcare decisions and they are demanding convenience and accessibility from service providers. Data reveals that, contrary to popular belief, consumers are not willing to give providers a second chance if they are unable to make contact on the first try.

This paper explores reasons why callers hang up before completing the call, the impact of lost revenue as a result of those abandoned attempts, and ways to decrease the number of callers who cannot get through.

Ready or Not, Customer Service is Coming to Healthcare

Consumers are gaining more control of healthcare spending. This will lead to a new culture where cost, quality and service are all part of the value equation.

With pricing transparency and quality reporting standards, the true differentiator in the future will be service. Savvy healthcare leaders will transform their institutions to be consumer rather than patient focused, leading to new standards in care and service delivery.