The Cleveland Clinic has long had a reputation for medical excellence and for holding down costs. But in 2009 Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, the CEO, examined its performance relative to that of other hospitals and admitted to himself that inpatients did not think much of their experience at its flagship medical center or its eight community hospitals—and decided something had to be done. Over the next three years the Clinic transformed itself. Its overall ranking in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) survey of patient satisfaction jumped from about average to among the top 8% of the roughly 4,600 hospitals included. Hospital executives from all over the world now flock to Cleveland to study the Clinic’s practices and to learn how it changed.
Health Care’s Service Fanatics
Reprint: R1305J
The Cleveland Clinic has long had a reputation for medical excellence. But in 2009 the CEO acknowledged that patients did not think much of their experience there and decided to act. Since then the Clinic has leaped to the top tier of patient-satisfaction surveys, and it now draws hospital executives from around the world who want to study its practices.
The Clinic’s journey also holds lessons for organizations outside health care that must suddenly compete by creating a superior customer experience. The authors, one of whom was critical to steering the hospital’s transformation, detail the processes that allowed the Clinic to excel at patient satisfaction without jeopardizing its traditional strengths. Hospital leaders:
Publicized the problem internally. Seeing the hospital’s dismal service scores shocked employees into recognizing that serious flaws existed.
Worked to understand patients’ needs. Management commissioned studies to get at the root causes of dissatisfaction.
Made everyone a caregiver. An enterprisewide program trained everyone, from physicians to janitors, to put the patient first.
Increased employee engagement. The Clinic instituted a “caregiver celebration” program and redoubled other motivational efforts.
Established new processes. For example, any patient, for any reason, can now make a same-day appointment with a single call.
Set patients’ expectations. Printed and online materials educate patients about their stays—before they’re admitted.
Operating a truly patient-centered organization, the authors conclude, isn’t a program; it’s a way of life.
HBR Learning