While everyone seems to have their own idea about how to fix our nation’s health care situation, I’d like to suggest something that might appeal to many. It was inspired by a trip this weekend to the emergency room for my stepson, Faron, who was suffering from the effects of the flu.
By the way…been to an emergency room lately? I have. Both as a patient and as a parent. It’s awful. And, while I certainly feel for the health care professionals who seem to be trying their best to deliver quality medical care, it’s borderline dehumanizing to be on the other side of the table…or gurney, as the case may be. No matter how sick you may feel, nothing will really happen until your insurance papers are filled out and your ability to pay is ascertained. (Unless, of course, you have chest pains or are showing other symptoms of approaching demise.)
The totality of the experience is so relentlessly horrific, it inspired this simple discussion starter on health care:
What would happen if the reimbursement the hospital or doctor receives from the insurer was based upon the patient’s satisfaction evaluations following treatment?
In other words, after a procedure — or hospital stay, visit to a clinic or doctor’s office — had been completed, patients would then score the doctor and the facility based upon the care they felt they had received. If the doctor received an “A” grade, he or she would receive 100% of the recommended reimbursement. A “B” would receive 90% reimbursement, and so forth. Naturally, a failing grade would mean no reimbursement at all.
I would wager if the scores detailing the level of satisfaction the patient received as a result of their experience with the provider were correlated with the reimbursement, we would see doctors begin to focus upon “bedside manner” much more strenuously. And, we patients would be enjoying much friendlier, more courteous, and empathetic healthcare.
It works in every business. Getting the outcome right is only a part of what we desire as customers. We want the processing executed flawlessly — and we also want good service and a compelling experience. If we REALLY want to improve health care, the best thing we can do is start thinking of ourselves as customers who have the right to expect and demand the best, instead of patients at the mercy of the all-knowing providers.
My bet is that we would have been treated better, not warehoused into a huge holding room with other sick people, made to wait three hours before being called back, and talked to like we were disposable people — if our evaluation regarding the level of service they were providing would have made a difference in how much money they were going to be reimbursed by our insurance carrier. Instead, they were paid the same for the medical treatment — regardless of how they treated us.
Behavior rewarded is behavior repeated. Why don’t we start rewarding the behavior in healthcare that we really desire?
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