Delivering Excellence in Customer Experience
Is this powerful PR or a pointless luxury in times of hardship?
Written by: Dr Sara Watkin, Medicology Ltd. Published: 3rd June 2010
Patient involvement, patient journey, patient experience, patientchoice, patient this and patient that. It is not uncommon for thehealthcare professional to question the role of the patient inhealthcare beyond simply being a patient. Many remember thedays when patients turned up, sat patiently, were treated andwent politely on their way. So why the enormous cultural shiftto ‘customer is king’ mentality? We’d like to explore the growingimportance of delivering a customer-centric service beforeservices lose both patients and patience.
Customers? What are customers?
We used the term ‘customer’ because to restrict our serviceorientation to patients is to ignore the fact that the patient isbut one component of the system. Maybe we need to define‘customer’ first. A quick Google of the term brings out a clearconsensus. A customer is a person who buys goods or servicesfrom another person or organisation. At face value you couldconclude this doesn’t include healthcare but ultimately someonemust pay the bill. With more consideration however, this definitionis immensely helpful.
Consequently, if customer service is going to be important in thefuture then considering exactly who or what our customers areseems like a vital first step. Bu why does it matter?
| Types of customer | Their role as customer |
| Patient | Ultimately pays the bill through taxation |
| PCT/ Commissioner | Administers the bill payment through contracting or payment by results |
| GP | Refers the patient to various services and is likely to have its own budget when the Government changes |
| Other Specialty | Some services may well act as services to others |
It’s a matter of markets
In the new market economy, money essentially follows thepatient. As block contracts rapidly demise, replaced by paymentby results, a steady flow of patients represents departmentalfunding. Let’s put it another way, if patients don’t come in throughthe door then neither does the cash. And what affects whether apatient comes in through the door? Well, traditionally it has beenthe GP and they still wield tremendous influence in this regard.However, patient experience is likely to play an ever greater part ininfluencing the ultimate choice of locality for elective work.At this point you could be forgiven for thinking that Mrs Jonesisn’t going to want to travel to the next town, even if she doeshave choice. We’d have to agree. However, one of the imperativesof World Class Commissioning is to increase the range of optionsat a local level, wherever feasible. Commissioners will employ the‘Any Willing Provider’ approach to making this a reality, seeking toestablish a local market in which Mrs Jones may choose providerA, B or C. Under the Any Willing Provider legislation, the providercarries the risk by setting up a service without the security of a nicecosy contract. However, if you are thinking this sounds too risky formany then just ask how many BUPA or BMI hospitals there alreadyare – all with excellent theatre facilities. Whilst we’re consideringpreviously private providers, it is worth remembering that thereasons for private healthcare include timeliness, convenience andservice – all adding up to customer experience.
The crux of the matter
So, we are left with the unequivocal reality that as patients haveoptions and money follows the patient then anything that causespatients to ebb or flow has a financial impact on services. Patientflow will be influenced by the patient themselves, the GP and alsothe PCT in many circumstances, as well as fellow professionals.Each of these is influenced in their choices by the experience theyhave of a service. Whereas we couldn’t doubt that outcome is akey determinant of experience, the vast majority of ‘customers’experience similar outcomes. We must therefore turn to therest of the journey to look for the opportunity to influence thatexperience and ultimately affect patient flow. With customers ableto express their experiences on Patient Choices, Patient Opinion,Dr Foster and a growing number of other public sites, only themisguided brave ignore customer experience and they may wellnot live to regret it as funding dries up locally in favour of the shinynew treatment centre that offers a range of benefits beyond thehealthcare itself.
