Why experience will always trump brand
Providers’ efforts to move up their placement on a consumer ratings lists are misdirected. Prioritizing patient experience can do that organically.
I share from multiple perspectives – my opinion is shaped by my direct experience. I am not a “thought leader” who pontificates theory, albeit I appreciate the efforts of other thought leaders. I speak from direct experience – this is where it is born.
I serve on the board of directors of a major health system. I led digital transformation for a leading global health system and our largest public health system. I created a virtual care platform company based on human-centered design and engagement principles. I led an advisory and services firm focused on overall delivery experience excellence. Most importantly, I share as a patient who’s battled my own demons the last several years.
If all you do is read this, hear me. Experience Trumps Brand. Period.
Time for a shift
It is time for a shift in focus…now. Here are some ideas.
Velocity. I have a diagnosis and need to see an expert. I don’t care where you rank in the “top XYZ” of any specific specialty. I must see that expert tomorrow. I might have cancer or heart disease, or the pain is unbearable. I do not want to wait for two or three weeks, let alone months. Except for extreme cases, I am not looking at rankings, which are often based more on marketing than outcomes. I am looking at who can see me now, today! I am sick and I need help. I have no time for lengthy approval processes to see a specialist, to access a certain medicine or test. The clinician said these will help relieve my pain or heal me – if so, I want these approved right now, in real-time.
Communicate. You have to be kidding me that there is no portal or email or text that I can send so I can tell you right now that my medications are not working or my pain just doubled? I have to call the practice or navigate some complicated phone tree for everything, where I am on endless hold? Minimize the mental energy for the patient and the consumer. The more effort I must put into the conversation, the less I want to be in the conversation — especially with you.
Empathy. I understand that we are in the great resignation and staff are shorthanded and stressed. This can never be the reason why we accept less than empathetic care and responses. This is healthcare, not the driver’s license bureau (no offense intended). This is my life – I am scared! I am naked. I am vulnerable. Give me grace. Show me mercy. Be polite. Let me know you care. Hear me. See me.
Share. I constantly deal with paper forms on which I’m repeating the same information over and over. It is crazy when the clinician is frustrated that I can’t recall all my meds, and she is mad at me when I suggest pulling it from existing data sources. When member services does the same thing, despite having access to my claims and clinical data? I am not concerned with your customer service scores or even quality indicators, I just want you to focus on me, your patient. "Top XYZ" lists should serve as external validation of your excellence in customer experiences, not the internal validation of marketing genius.
Compensation. Oh, don’t go there…but I must. Most people desire meaningful work. While executives wring their hands over brand, the rank and file do not care. Most have no idea where they fall on some annual survey. They are not motivated by their employer making a list. They are motivated by compensation and knowing they are making a difference in the lives of someone. It is more about culture. Spend more resources on culture vs. brand, because culture always trumps brand. Thankfully, payment structures are evolving to reward exceptional experiences.
Getting to a better place
The fix? Let’s worry less about brand. Let’s not make status on an arbitrary list the focus of our efforts. Every day, people don’t care, they just want to be taken care of. To feel cared for. To feel, well, loved. Let’s focus on experience. Maybe, just maybe, if we focused on experience, landing at the top of those brand lists would happen organically. Pursue excellence in experiences, and brand will follow.
Ed Marx is CEO of Marx Advisory, a Dallas-Fort Worth-based consultancy. He is a former CIO for several healthcare organizations and past CEO of Divurgent.