BUSINESSMystery shopping gaining popularity in health care sectorThe rise of consumer-directed care is one reason why physicians, hospitals and health plans are sending people incognito to learn how things are working.By Katherine Vogt, amednews staff. Sept. 18, 2006. Leaders of mystery shopping companies -- which supply "customers" to visit businesses and report on the quality of service they receive -- report a significant increase in interest from the health care sector. While it is still just a small sliver of the $600 million mystery shopping industry, health care made up 1.7% of those revenues in 2004, more than doubling its 2003 figure of 0.8%, according to the most recent data available from a Dallas-based trade organization. People within the health care industry say those numbers are likely to keep rising. The surge in interest from managed care companies, hospitals and even some physician practices comes as patients are taking more control over how they spend their health care dollars, and demanding better service as they actively shop around. Jodi Manfredi, president and founder of Examine Your Practice Inc., a Henderson, Nev.-based mystery shopping firm for medical, dental and veterinary practices, said the concept of spending money to retain customers and increase business has been established in retail for a long time, and is now migrating into health care. "If you're treating patients with kindness and respect, you're going to have more referrals." And that is one of the reasons why physicians are seeking more information about how their patients feel when they leave the office, she said. [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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