A newly opened hospital in Texas bets that the facility designed by physicians to provide patients with the ultimate patient-centered experience will give it an edge in the marketplace, Healthcare Finance News reports.
Walnut Hill Medical Center in Dallas is an independent facility that uses ideas from businesses known for their high customer satisfaction scores: Apple, Ritz Carlton and Starbucks, according to the article.
"We are completely banking on the patient experience and exceptional quality and as long as we do everything right for the patients, the finances will fall into place," said Cory Countryman, CEO of the 100-bed, non-profit hospital told Healthcare Finance News.
To help make the healthcare experience more positive, the independent facility gets the names of patients as they walk in, offers an on-site Starbucks, and uses natural light in patient rooms and waiting areas. That's not all. Private rooms feature 42-inch plasma screen televisions, iPads and free Wi-Fi. The hospital even has a movie theater, according to the article.
Despite the upfront expense of the features, Countryman said the physicians who invest in the organization bank on the fact that satisfied patients will choose the facility for care over the competition.
Hospitals increasingly pay attention to details to make patients more comfortable during their stay and promote efficiency and innovation, FierceHealthcare previously reported.
Hospitals can also take lessons from Disney to improve the patient experience. Consider using the same radio-frequency identification-enabled technology the amusement park uses for park admission, hotel keys and credit card information for patient identification bracelets. And, like Disney, hospitals can collect personal details as part of customer profiles that nurses and staff can use in their daily interactions to make care feel more personal.
To learn more:
- here's the Healthcare Finance News article
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