Patient, Patient, Gimme The News

Last month I had the privilege of being asked to appear on "The Doctors" as an expert on the topic of Healthcare Mystery Shopping. In light of the recent press and debate regarding the practice, I was prepared with a bullet proof vest; fortunately, I did not need it. They debated the topic but in the end they were very fair and agreed it was a valuable and necessary service. I alleviated their concerns that our "mystery patients" may displace actual patients especially in an emergency department and assured them our shoppers do not have invasive, costly procedures. I was truly grateful for the opportunity to educate the people and members of the medical community that may have tuned in.

The segment aired today, Friday 12/05/08. While it was barely 8:00 AM in CA, my phone began to ring. It had aired in some markets as early as 9:00 AM.
In the past, national media attention has also caused the phone to ring; the callers were generally viewers wanting information on how to become a “mystery patient”. I gently explain simply having been a patient does not qualify one to be a shopper for our company. We contract with experienced; usually MSPA certified shoppers and then educate them as to the intricacies of healthcare mystery shopping. If they are not certified, they must be computer literate, have exceptional writing and observation skills and mystery shopping or healthcare experience is a plus.

This morning however the calls were a bit different. They were patients having had less than perfect experiences with their healthcare provider, and not fully understanding the nature of our service, wanting us to mystery shops their provider. We of course cannot do that; we are hired by the providers not the patients. The calls were concerning to say the least and surely say this service is necessary. The patients’ issues were all around interpersonal skills and the way they felt emotionally after treatment. Most patients are uncomfortable discussing their experience with the provider and may feel intimidated. They expressed concerns that their treatment may be compromised if they complained. One patient that bravely did take her concerns to the provider was fired from the practice. On the contrary, her experience with another provider was so exceptional she was willing to drive 2 hours each way in inclement weather to continue treatment with them.

As evident above, we provide this service for both the patient and the provider.
Our shoppers will identify areas in need of improvement in an unbiased, unemotional manner to allow the doctors and staff members to see how their interpersonal skills and facility are perceived by the patient. This in turn will hopefully provide an exceptional experience for all patients moving forward and increase the doctors’ patient retention and referrals.
In addition, it is statistically proven doctors with better listening and interpersonal skills are less likely to be sued.

So as “The Doctors” agreed, we are not the enemy; we are there to help improve the healthcare experience for all involved.