Ever heard of a secret shopper? I'm sure this concept isn't new to many. They are typically hired by a corporate chain of a retailer or restaurant to act as a customer and rate the quality service. Ever heard of a secret shopper in the healthcare industry? Believe it or not, it has been done.
According to the Boston Globe, Beth Israel Deaconess,a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School started employing secret shoppers to rate their operators and waiting rooms. One report from a shopper recorded service as poor as a receptionist asking a patient to speak louder when giving his social security number. The Shopper heard the number clearly from the back of the room. After using results from secret shoppers in the last couple of years in order to better train their staff, the article reports service ratings jumping from "fair" to "excellent". I was surprised to hear this had been done before, with all the HIPPA regulations one would need to comply with, but after recently enduring the waiting room at an urgent care, I thought it was a great idea.
After signing in at the Urgent Care for a sore throat, I was told I would be called when they were ready to see me, so I grabbed a magazine and sat down. During my 45 minute wait, not too shabby considering there were about 5 people in front of me, I made a pretty thorough assessment of the level of service the Urgent Care facility was producing on the front end. To be sure, I want to clarify that working with facilities all over the nation does not necessarily breed one an Urgent Care snob. I have a high level of respect for those who are pioneering our relatively new facet of the health care industry. I am aware of the hurdles great healthcare professionals must gracefully traverse in establishing a business when urgent cares still carry the stigma of “doc-in-a-box” or “the fast-food of the healthcare industry” , (although thankfully these titles are starting to disappear). I kept all this in mind, but it didn’t altogether prevent me from becoming frustrated with the front of the house.
I realized during this visit, that sometimes one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. The sour attitude of the receptionist seemed to permeate the room as it became more crowded. Those not expecting a wait became visibly indignant within five minutes, it didn’t help that they hadn’t been prepared with an estimated wait time. Patients started talking amongst themselves when little action seemed to be taking place past the waiting room door. A few potential patients walked out. An ambulance came and went, wheeling in a stretcher and wheeling it back out, empty. Finally my name was called and I could feel the bitter stare of a woman who was there before me. The perception of this group of sick and cranky people was that they were wasting their time at a poorly managed clinic, one they might have never previously visited and might never visit again. The receptionist was not interested in patient relations, seeming entertained by her computer screen.
After making it past the front end, I heard the steady buzz of busyness and was relieved to see a staff working hard behind the scenes. The PA informed me that the medical staff had been struggling with a woman who needed emergency care and repeatedly turned away the ambulance. I was out in no time, leaving satisfied with my level of care. As someone who serves the Urgent Care community, I knew enough not to jump on the bandwagon of critiquing the entire clinic, but it also occurred to me that very few patients have this insight. The doctors might be extraordinary, but something as easy as an aloof receptionist is enough to make a patient never want to come back. Secret shoppers don’t sound like such a bad idea. I think most clinic managers would be surprised to hear how poorly the waiting room can reflect on their facility.
If you have multiple clinics, send an employee to another clinic. They’ll know what the employees should be doing. They can slip in unnoticed or be “waiting for their friend to come out”. For an evaluation of your clerical and medical staff, refer someone to your clinic with a business card and have them give you a call after their visit. Offer them a discount for further motivation to provide feedback. Whether you hire someone for this role, or send someone from another clinic, I would suggest creating an evaluation form that compliments the flow of operations. Understand that feedback won’t be valuable if you don’t communicate it with your staff and follow up with a resolution. Finally, remember that praising improvements is a great motivator for people to keep doing what works well.
No comments:
Post a Comment