Business Lessons from Great Hospitals & Doctors With Exceptional Bedside Manners

 

. 

Business Lessons from Great Hospitals & Doctors With Exceptional Bedside Manners

.

It’s somewhere my husband Yonatan never imagined he would be spending approximately fifteen hours a month if it was just his routine hematology/immunology treatments and quite a bit more when complications arise. And it is why I have decided to guest-post today and speak about a subject related to Business which Yoni usually does not bring up.

.

Little could we have imagined how complicated our lives would become when the tests finally came back from a bone-marrow biopsy just about five years ago. CVID or hypogammaglobulinaemia is what they call it. How much of it is hereditary and how much genetic is still up for debate and further research. It is a rare disorder (approximately 1 case per 50,000 to 75,000 people) in which the body stops producing life-saving antibodies.

.

It is not a virus like AIDS, rather it is like a light-switch in the bone-marrow which irreversibly turns off. The patient is left without a functioning immune system. The patient requires immunoglobulin replacement therapy for the rest of his or her life, in Yoni’s case every two weeks. It is a treatment which can have many painful and adverse side effects.

.

__________________________________________

.

                        

.

As a businessperson myself, I got to thinking this morning how similar bedside manner in a hospital is to being a good and effective businessperson.

In the hospital department where my husband is treated, the Sharrett Institute of Jerusalem’s Hadassah–University Medical Center, I have learned many lessons from the doctor/patient relationship which can be applied to the business world.

.

In Both a Great Hospital and the Business World:

.

 1. A positive outcome begins immediately with a proper welcome: a greeting and a smile! Continued smiles, attentiveness and warmth should be the norm, not the behavior of a few exceptional individuals.

 2) Being treated as an individual, unique and special, makes all of the difference in the world. In a medical environment and in business, nobody should be made to feel like a number or statistic!

 3) There is NO substitute for a great, positive attitude! In both contexts, medicine and business, positivity is infectious!

 4) Listening to the needs of the patient/customer is crucial for understanding and a satisfactory experience.

 5) A Plan of Action should be discussed with both sides as equal, contributing partners. The best doctors don’t say ‘You," they say "We."

 6) Regular updates ensure a smooth and caring process. It is essential for a customer/patient to remain ‘in the loop’ and informed. An informed customer or patient is an educated one!

 7) Great medical practitioners and businesspeople become advocates for those in their care. Their interest often goes beyond business and becomes personal. They become fighters for their clients and patients.

 8) Quality is non–negotiable!

 9) Word of Mouth! In the world of medicine and in business, a customer/patient is free to choose where they will be treated. In order for satisfaction to be achieved, quality and caring must be maintained. A dissatisfied customer or patient will speak of negative experiences. A satisfied patient or customer will tell the world of their great experience! Reputations are at stake!

 10) A patient and a customer can become ‘a member of the family.’ In great businesses and hospitals people are made to feel this way. In not-such-good organizations they can be made to feel otherwise. 

 11) Discharge and Follow–up. In business and in medicine, the relationship should never end when the patient/customer pays the bill. Communication should be maintained and continued satisfaction in the form of follow–up should be carried out! A businessperson should ask customers questions like "Is there anything else I can assist you with?" And "Are there any last minute changes or additions you would like?" A hospital can use a questionnaire to allow the patient to rate his or her experience.

.

Hadassah Hospital, a world-renowned medical and teaching institution is, as far as I’m concerned, a model for how to do things right! It blends business and profits with caring and compassion. It is proof that a high–quality medical organization and top-notch doctors can serve as a model for every burgeoning or existing business!

. 

Do you have a great hospital in your area?

Are you being treated by an exceptional doctor? 

Take a look at what they’re doing right. The glimpse can prove a valuable business tool!

.

A small dedication if I may to some special people involved in my husband Yoni’s care. Special thanks to the following caring and consummate professionals:

Professor Ora Paltiel: MDCM, MSC, FRCPR, Professor of Hematology, Hadassah Medical Center. Dr. Neta Goldschmidt, Senior Doctor of Hematology, Hadassah Medical Center. Gita Dror, Chief Nurse, Hematology Day–Treatment, the Sharrett Institute, Hadassah Medical Center.

Professor Amos Etzioni: Director/Professor of Immunology, Rambam Medical Center (Haifa, Israel) and President of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies.

.

.

.

   .Tweet  

.

The writer, Rivkah Maisel, works as a project manager and customer relations manager. 

.

.

.

Image Credits: Hospital: enterpriseirregulars.com. Mice: madasafish.com. Thanks: school.discoveryeducation.com. Blue checkmark: nvlogitech.com.  Contract: 4.bp.; Briefcase: free-graphics.com; Doctor: clipartheaven.com