Navigating the Healthcare Maze: Examining the Patient-Customer Conundrum

Introduction

Are patients customers?

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the traditional roles and relationships between healthcare providers and patients have undergone significant changes. One of the ongoing debates revolves around the question: Are patients customers? This question explores the fundamental shift in perspective, challenging the conventional notion of patients as individuals seeking specialized healthcare.

As a board-certified patient advocate, I’m able to see both sides of the question, but also the delicate path that must be traveled as healthcare continues to change. No one should be expected to navigate the US healthcare system alone.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the pros and cons of viewing patients as customers and the implications this has on the delivery of healthcare services.

Understanding the Shift

Historically, patients were considered individuals seeking medical attention for their health concerns, and healthcare providers operated under the premise of delivering specialized care based on medical expertise. However, with the rise of patient-centered care movements and a shift towards a more consumer-centric approach, the healthcare industry has started to adopt the idea that patients are, in fact, customers. Let’s look at the pros and cons of viewing patients as customers.

Pros of Viewing Patients as Customers

1. Patient Empowerment:

Individualized Care: Treating patients as customers allows for a more personalized and individualized approach to healthcare. Just as customers have unique preferences in other service industries, patients may have specific needs and preferences in their healthcare journey.
Informed Decision-Making: Empowering patients with information and involving them in the decision-making process fosters a sense of ownership over their health. In the customer-centric model, patients are active participants in their healthcare journey, making informed choices alongside their healthcare providers. Patient advocates, whether professionals or friends/family members can help patients be informed by asking for critical information from healthcare providers.

2. Enhanced Patient Experience:

Customer Service Focus: Adopting a customer-centric mindset in healthcare encourages providers to prioritize excellent customer service. This shift can lead to improvements in the overall patient experience, from scheduling appointments to follow-up care.
Feedback and Improvement: Customers in other industries provide valuable feedback that companies use to enhance their products and services. Applying a similar approach in healthcare allows providers to gather patient feedback, identify areas for improvement, and continually enhance the quality of care.

3. Financial Sustainability:

Market Competition: The healthcare industry, like any other, operates in a competitive environment. Viewing patients as customers can encourage healthcare providers to enhance their services, differentiate themselves from competitors, and maintain financial sustainability by attracting and retaining patients.
Emphasis on Value: Customers seek value for their money, and in the healthcare context, this can translate to a focus on delivering effective and efficient care. The customer perspective encourages providers to find ways to deliver high-quality care in a cost-effective manner.

Cons of Viewing Patients as Customers

1. Risk of Commercialization:

Prioritizing Profit over Care: One of the primary concerns with viewing patients as customers is the potential for healthcare services to become overly commercialized. The profit motive might clash with the ethical obligation to prioritize patient well-being, potentially leading to unnecessary procedures or over-prescription of medications.
Inequality in Access: Customers in a traditional sense have the ability to choose where they spend their money. In healthcare, this can exacerbate existing disparities, as individuals with higher socioeconomic status may have more choices and better access to premium healthcare services. An advocate for the patient may improve a patient’s ability to access the care they need.

2. Fragmented Care:

Cherry-Picking Patients: In a customer-centric model, healthcare providers might be inclined to focus on attracting and retaining patients who are profitable or have less complex medical needs. This selective approach can result in fragmented care and neglect of patients with more challenging or chronic conditions.
Short-Term Focus: Customers often seek immediate satisfaction, and applying this mindset to healthcare may lead to a focus on addressing short-term issues rather than considering long-term health outcomes. Preventive care and chronic disease management, which are critical for overall health, might be overshadowed.

3. Misalignment of Goals:

Conflicting Interests: The traditional healthcare model is rooted in the principle of placing patient well-being at the forefront. Introducing a customer-centric approach may introduce conflicting interests, where financial considerations and patient care priorities are not always aligned. It’s important to keep the focus on the patient.
Pressure for Unnecessary Services: Customers often expect tangible outcomes for their financial investment. In healthcare, this could create pressure on providers to offer unnecessary tests or procedures to meet perceived customer expectations, leading to potential harm to patients.

“How Was Your Experience?”

My mother recently visited the emergency room after a fall. Within a week, she received a request to complete a survey to share her feelings regarding the emergency room experience.

While it seems like a nice gesture – asking about your visit – the reality is that these surveys turn into usable data. Survey information is used as:

Consumer reporting
Quality of care improvement
Accountability in healthcare

(Learn more about survey data HERE)

Hospitals participating in certain reimbursement programs are required to collect this information. Patient opinions matter and when used properly, can improve healthcare provider facility processes. Surveys can also reveal areas where facilities are lacking and those gaps can be identified and eliminated.

Surveys must be carefully created and conducted to extract information that helps both patients and facilities.

Remember, patients will tell their friends and family members what they really think about a facility. Was the room clean? Did staff check in on the patient regularly?

Perhaps more importantly, how was communication between staff and the patient? The father-in-law of a friend of mine had a hospitalist come into his hospital room. The hospitalist clearly had not communicated with any staff who had spoken to the patient beforehand. The patient complained to the hospitalist that he had given the same information to the 3 staff members before him. The patient was so frustrated, he signed himself out of the hospital then and there.

The story above is consumer action at its finest, but at what cost? Fortunately, the patient had no ill effects from leaving the facility so abruptly. Others may not be so lucky.

Not Every Patient Sees Themselves as a Consumer

Patients need medical care. While it’s nice to be offered a perfectly prepared salmon filet when you’re in a hospital bed after surgery, is that truly important? The focus should remain on quality healthcare and, when you’re sick, that’s what matters.

Frankly, patients have much more to be concerned about when it comes to healthcare than gourmet food. What about staffing ratios? Or medication shortages? Are enough medical personnel available?

Honestly, when patients are ill and need medical services, completing a survey on staffing shortages is not their priority.

Savvy consumers must be educated to make the best choices. Patients may not be in the best position to educate themselves. They should be able to rely on highly trained medical professionals to guide them through complicated medical journeys. Patients want to focus their energy on getting better.

Conclusion

The question of whether patients are customers in the healthcare system is complex and multifaceted. While adopting a customer-centric approach has its merits, it also presents challenges that require careful consideration. Balancing the need for patient empowerment and enhanced experiences with the risk of commercialization and fragmented care is crucial for the future of healthcare.

Ultimately, healthcare providers must strive to strike a delicate balance, acknowledging the importance of patient input and satisfaction while upholding the ethical and moral responsibilities inherent in the practice of medicine. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, an ongoing dialogue surrounding the patient-customer conundrum is essential for shaping a healthcare system that prioritizes both individualized care and overall well-being.

Get the best healthcare possible by being a smart healthcare consumer. How? Ask questions. Get the FREE download 7 Questions Everyone Should Ask at a Doctor Appointment HERE.