Introduction

The healthcare industry has embraced improving customer service as an effective means of developing a loyal and satisfied clientele in an increasingly competitive marketplace. By delivering consistent and capable clinical care and meeting (or, ideally, exceeding) customer expectations, hospitals are working to align their methods of service delivery with high performing organizations in other industries.

The principal methodology for measuring achievement of these aims is the patient satisfaction survey. Though patient complaints and compliments are often recorded as well, the emphasis of efforts at improvement tends to lie with the empirical data provided by the survey vendors and the comparison of the facility's scores with that of other hospitals. This data provides a roadmap to enhanced excellence. By celebrating areas of competency and targeting opportunities for growth the hospital can significantly enhance their service to their customers.

ACUTE CARE, INC. is committed to enhancing our knowledge of the ED-specific patient satisfaction process and implementation of a systematic approach to achieving our affiliated hospitals' goal of improved satisfaction and world class customer service in their Emergency Departments. We believe that our affiliated physicians' active participation in efforts at improving patient satisfaction is essential if any plan is to succeed. To that end, we are in the process of developing scientifically supported and practical strategies for enhanced customer service that can be easily integrated into an Emergency Department Physician's practice.

Paul Hudson, Vice President