[NRSKarenRN]

From HealthLeaders Media

Living Your Brand Promise
Kristin Baird, for HealthLeaders News, Oct 19, 2007

[quote]You've seen the warm and engaging television commercials and print ads. The building is new and impressive from the outside. You find yourself actually looking forward to your scheduled outpatient visit in spite of the knowledge that your procedure will be uncomfortable. But after all, the ads all promise high-quality, compassionate care. How bad can it be?

As you drive into the parking lot you are greeted by the valet, who graciously offers to park your car. Impressed by the experience so far, you venture into the building. Moving past the waterfall, sculpture and grand piano, you approach the registration desk, where three professional--looking women are talking among themselves about some "idiot" who doesn't know how to transfer a call.

Upon gaining the receptionist's attention, you receive only a perfunctory greeting and no eye contact from her. When you tell her you are here to check in for an ambulatory surgery procedure, she gestures to the left and says, "Down that hall, turn left and go through the double doors." With that, she returns to her conversation with her co-workers about the idiot.

Once you arrive at the ambulatory surgery area, the receptionist there greets you warmly but then says, "I'm sorry. You were supposed to stop at the lab first before coming here. You'll have to go back to the lab area by the main entrance. Didn't anyone give you your paperwork at the registration desk? They were supposed to give you some paperwork and instructions."

As you enter the lab area, you're struck by the number of people filling the waiting room. You overhear someone complaining that she's been there for nearly 30 minutes and is starving because she's been fasting since midnight. When the phlebotomist calls you for your blood draw, she sighs and says, "Sorry for the wait. We are really short staffed--but that's nothing new. We're like this every morning. You'd think they'd give us more staff in the morning. Oh well."

The blood draw goes smoothly but then the lab tech says, "I think you can go now. Your paperwork wasn't really clear about what you were having done today."

When comparing your expectations based on the ad campaign to this real-life experience, you are anything but impressed. In fact, the entire encounter is not just disappointing, but leaves you wondering if anyone really knows what's going on there and if you should trust them to do your procedure. Where is the high-quality and compassionate care that you were promised? If everyone is so disengaged, do you really want to place your life in their hands?...[/quote]

[RN1989]

Granted, the staff should be more discreet in their dealings with people. But places that do this surface upgrades to make things look good without fixing the underlying issues of staffing, supplies, etc. aren't helping themselves at all. I can't count how often the hospital looks like crap but the week before JCAHO comes maintenance finally fixes the leak in the ceiling, the cabinet door that falls off when you open it, etc.

[pedseducator]

Wonderful points. It is easier to have clean floors than caring and competent employees, I guess!