Consumerism Driving Healthcare Change

DALLAS, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers heightened expectations and greater demand for choice is requiring healthcare organizations to take a new approach to service delivery, employee relations and brand positioning. This was the resounding theme shared by nearly 20 speakers at The Beryl Institute's "Power of Impressions" Conference held in Dallas.

"As consumers are asked to spend more of their own money to receive care, they will consider the entire spectrum of value, from access and expertise to service, convenience, and price," said Chris Bevolo, partner in GeigerBevolo.

Bevolo and other healthcare leaders addressing the Institute's attendees stressed that consumers' unprecedented access to cost and quality information is the leading factor in the emergence of customer service as a key differentiator in where consumers choose to receive care. To win in this new environment, speakers challenged healthcare providers to:

"Consumers should be in the driver's seat when it comes to managing their health and making their own healthcare decisions," said Wayne Sensor, CEO of Alegent Health. With consumers making more of the purchasing decisions, healthcare organizations are being forced to shift the way they communicate and interact with consumers at every point in the continuum of care. Kristin Baird, president of Baird Consulting, listed many "moments of truth" during which a hospital can gain the trust of its consumers. She asserts that hospitals can build trust through consistency during "every encounter, every moment and every day."

"Every healthcare organization should strive to be a first-choice provider, which is a trusted healthcare partner that the consumer believes will provide them with the highest degree of satisfaction," said Paul Spiegelman, executive director of The Beryl Institute.

Among the other speakers at the conference who echoed themes of customer service were Lynn Cunningham of the Studer Group, Britt Berrett of Medical City-Dallas, David Dickey of RedBrick Health, and Brian Grubb of the Ritz- Carlton Leadership Center.

Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in the continuum of a consumers' healthcare experience. The institute is was created by The Beryl Companies, which for 20 years has been the leading provider of outsourced customer interaction services in healthcare. For more about Beryl, visit http://www.beryl.net.

SOURCE The Beryl Institute