Saturday, December 06, 2008

A New Car--A Vas Reversal

I recently traded in my Honda Accord with 114,000 miles for a used, mint condition, 2005 Accord with 26,000 miles. What could have been a difficult and cumbersome transaction was smooth and pleasant because all parties involved assisted each other and were motivated to make it happen.

My experience int the car dealership got me thinking about the differences between exceptional medical practices and typical ones.

  • In a typical practice, staff is harried and just wants to push you through the system with as little effort as possible.
  • Exceptional practices provide assistance and encouragement with all aspects of the experience and go the "extra mile".
  • The typical practice just wants patients with good insurance; i.e. insurance plans without much hassle factor.
  • Exceptional practices want cash paying paying patients.
  • The typical practice is not equipped, psychologically or operationally, to handle cash pay patients and the challenges that this type of patient brings to the business.
  • The exceptional practice has developed the skills, techniques, and mechanisms that make it easier for patients to WANT to pay out of pocket.
  • The typical practice adds little added value to the encounter.
  • The exceptional practice does little things that add value for the patient, and in turn the patients--or their insurance carriers--are willing to pay extra for them.
Essentially, my experience a the dealership taught me that when all people involved are motivated to make the sale or provide the service, business gets done.

Kind of like when we see our vas reversal patients.

Dr S