John Stossel, the host of a Fox News weekly program that highlights current consumer issues, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. The good news is that it was caught early. It wasn’t his diagnosis that went viral, but rather the article he wrote from his hospital bed.
“I have to say, the hospital’s customer service stinks. Doctors keep me waiting for hours, and no one bothers to call or email to say, “I’m running late.” Few doctors give out their email address. Patients can’t communicate using modern technology,” he said. “I fill out long medical history forms by hand and, in the next office, do it again. Same wording: name, address, insurance, etc.”
The article goes on and on about the inefficiencies and bureaucracies we frequently experience in healthcare.
Whether you agree with Stossel’s belief that “patients will have a better experience only when more of us spend our own money for care,” it’s hard to disagree with the notion that all organizations – private, public, and government – need to adapt better to today’s patient/consumer. We live in a world full of technology that’s designed to make us more efficient and help us feel better. The use of modern technology leads to better business practices, satisfied constituents, and, ultimately, growth.
