When Exceptional Service Becomes your Marketing: Taking Cues from Disney Jill Murphy, DPT, LAT, CSCS Owner, MotionWorks Physical Therapy
When Exceptional Service Becomes your Marketing: Taking Cues from Disney
Jill Murphy, DPT, LAT, CSCS Owner, MotionWorks Physical Therapy
Disclosures
▪ Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships
▪ Owner of MotionWorks Physical Therapy
▪ Disclosure of Off-Label and/or investigative uses:
▪ I will not discuss off label use and/or investigational use in my presentation.
Learning Objectives
1) Define patient-centered care
2) List 4 specific ways to deliver this care in your clinic
3) Recall the critical steps to establish and support a culture of exceptional service
4) Apply 3 concepts from Disney to improve your clinic’s culture of customer service Monday morning
Outline
▪ Introduction: Patient-Centered Care
▪ Magic of Service
▪ Magic of Cast
▪ Magic of Setting
▪ Magic of Process
▪ Magic of Integration
▪ Entrenching the culture
Introduction
Expectations
What can we learn from these
famous ears?
What is Patient-Centered Care?1
▪ A philosophy of care
▪ A characteristic of clinical encounters
▪ A set of clinician behaviors
Core Components of Patient-Centered Care 1
1. Commitment to elicit and understand the patient’s perspective
2. Treatment based on mutual vision of problems and goals
3. Facilitating patient involvement to the extent he/she desires
Patient Response to Patient-Centered Care
Elicit & attend to patient response
Patient satisfaction
Patient empowerment/
compliance
Delivering Patient-Centered Care
▪ How would you like to be treated as a patient?
▪ Acknowledge having kept your patient waiting
▪ Chart in front of patient
▪ Increase awareness of non-verbal aspects of care
▪ Communicate directly about taboo topics
▪ Be sensitive and empathetic
▪ Bad news
▪ Compliance
▪ Non-medical concerns
Physical Therapy Patient Satisfaction2
▪ Key determinants
▪ Interpersonal attributes of PT
▪ Process of care
▪ Wild card finding
▪ Treatment outcome infrequently and inconsistently associated with patient satisfaction
Murphy Axioms of Healthcare
1. Be honest. NEVER lie to a patient.
2. Don’t blame the patient
a. Tricky diagnosis
b. Question you can’t answer
c. Patient not improving
d. Patient unhappy with care
3. Set realistic expectations
4. Advocate for your patient
Disney Mission
▪ At Disney, we try to create happiness for people of all ages, everywhere.3
Magic of Service
Disney’s Quality of Service Compass 3
Integration Guestology
Delivery Systems
Quality Standards
Quality Service
Exceeding your guests’ expectations
by paying attention to every detail
of the delivery
of your product and services.2
Patients
Quality Service Word of Mouth
Marketing
Guestology: Study your Customer 3
▪ Define your customer
▪ Understand your customer
▪ What are they looking for?
▪ Common themes?
▪ Develop your promise
▪ Deliver your promise
Guestology: Who is YOUR PT Customer?
▪ Define your customer
▪ Understand your customer
▪ What are they looking for?
▪ Common themes?
▪ Develop your promise
▪ Deliver your promise
Physical Therapy Customer Profile Needs Wants Stereotypes Emotions
Healthcare- PT Feel Better PT hurts Apprehension
Return to PLOF PT is not as effective
as meds/surgery
Uncertainty
Inexpensive PT is just exercises Relief/Hope
Convenient PT required by
insurance to get
access to the real
treatment that
works
Impatience
- Paperwork
- Progress
Cool experience PT can help avoid
surgery
Pain
Magic pill/quick fix PT may not help Fatigue
Understand your Patient’s Needs
▪ Dignity and respect4
▪ High quality care = experience4
▪ Relate personally to me
▪ Be nice and responsive
▪ Help me navigate the system
▪ Give me options
▪ Give me the healthcare I need at a price I can afford
▪ Be proactive, contact me, and follow up with me
Common Themes of Patients5
▪ Empathy
▪ Communication
▪ Respect for their time
▪ Innovation
▪ Personal connection:
“My PT cares about me”
5 Ways to Show Empathy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5 Keys to Patient Communication
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5 Ways to Show Respect for Patient’s Time
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5 Methods of Innovation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5 Ways to Personally Connect with Patient
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Disney Promise
Make Magical experiences come alive. 3
The MotionWorks Promise
▪ With specialties in sports medicine and manual physical therapy, MotionWorks Physical Therapy will be the provider of choice for exceptional quality orthopedic physical therapy services to improve the health and well-being of individuals in Neenah/Menasha and the greater Fox Valley community.
What’s your Promise?
How will you deliver your Promise?
▪ Niche service
▪ Specialized providers
▪ Initial appt in 24 hours
▪ Before/after work appts
▪ Easy parking/location
▪ One-on-one patient care
▪ PT/DPT only
▪ Weekend appts
▪ Manual/hands-on PT
▪ Self pay services
▪ Concierge PT plans
▪ All insurance accepted
▪ Creature comforts in office
▪ Wholistic approach
▪ Partnered care with physicians
▪ Same provider each visit
Attributes of the MotionWorks Promise
▪ Thorough evaluation to determine & treat the actual source of the problem
▪ Treatment focused on neuromuscular balance & increased efficiency of movement
▪ Comprehensive treatment addressing the whole person
▪ Clean, comfortable, relaxing, encouraging, & supportive environment
▪ Evidence-based, specialty educated physical therapy staff
▪ Timely, effectively coordinated injury management with healthcare team
▪ Highest quality physical therapy services by PTs specifically trained to treat the problem
Steps to Deliver your Promise
1) Identify the attributes of your delivered promise
2) How will you train your staff to deliver the promise?
3) How will you quantify success in meeting these attributes?
Steps to Deliver your Promise
1) Identify the attributes of your delivered promise
-see previous slide!
2) How will you train your staff to deliver the promise?
3) How will you quantify success in meeting these attributes?
Steps to Deliver your Promise
1) Identify the attributes of your delivered promise
2) How will you train your staff to deliver the promise?
-Customer service presentation- the Why’s
-Customer service reminders @ monthly mtgs
3) How will you quantify success in meeting these attributes?
Steps to Deliver your Promise
1) Identify the attributes of your delivered promise
2) How will you train your staff to deliver the promise?
3) How will you quantify success in meeting these attributes?
-ID one goal for each attribute
-Assess goal completion monthly/qtrly
-Create new goals or retain old with addtl training annually
Results of the Consistently Delivered Promise
▪ Improved health status and compliance
▪ Better, faster treatment outcomes
▪ Reduced health care costs
▪ Reduced need for additional health care visits
▪ Loyalty to health provider
▪ Word of mouth referrals
▪ Fewer mal-practice claims
What 3 things can you change on Monday to better deliver on your promise?
Quality Standards
▪ Establish criteria for the actions necessary to complete the service strategy
▪ Serve as the measure for quality service
▪ Disney’s 4 quality standards3
▪ Safety
▪ Courtesy
▪ Show
▪ Efficiency
Sample PT Clinic Quality Standards
▪ Safety
▪ Specialization
▪ Efficiency
▪ Respect
▪ Helpfulness
▪ Courtesy
▪ Innovation
▪ Responsiveness
▪ Empathy
▪ Communication
▪ Comfort
▪ Service
▪ Personal Connection
▪ Evidence-based Treatment
▪ Advocating for Patient
Sample PT Quality Behavioral Criteria
▪ 100% of PT providers have an advanced specialization/certification
▪ Score a 5.0 on every discharge survey quality measure
▪ Complete all documentation to standards within 24 hours
▪ 100% of patients were offered an initial evaluation appt within 24 hours
▪ Every patient is oriented to clinic within 5 minutes of arrival
▪ 100% of physical therapists are members of the APTA
Sample PT Quality Behavioral Criteria
▪ Every patient is screened for fall risk
▪ Every PT is on time for 90% of patient visits
▪ 100% of patient no shows are called
▪ Every patient is explained their Plan of Care in full in layman’s terms, including alternative treatment options
▪ Patient identity is proven with picture ID
▪ Every patient discharge is completed within 30 days of the last visit
Delivery Systems3
▪ How your guests experience
your brand
▪ Employee interaction
▪ Setting
▪ Process
Inte
gra
tio
n
Cast
Setting
Process
Magic of Cast
“You can design and create and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” 3
–Walt Disney
Cast Selection
▪ Will this person fit into and carry on our brand to customers?
▪ Will this person fit into our business culture
▪ Supporting cast values
▪ Personality meshes with current cast
▪ Person will add value to our brand and business model?
▪ Appearance matters!
▪ “Speak a service language; wear a service wardrobe”
▪ Attire is an easily modifiable part of the patient experience
Appearance Matters
Appearance Matters
Top 10 Google Images for Physical Therapist
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Polo Shirt Scrubs White Coat
Frequency of Attire in Order by Google Ranking (%)
Top 10 Google Images for Doctor of Physical Therapy
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
White Coat Hoodie Polo/Dress Shirt Suit Coat
Frequency of Attire in Order of Google Ranking (%)
Cast’s First Impression of your Clinic
▪ Clearly define what makes your practice special…
1. What is your organization’s heart and soul
(culture)?
2. How do you communicate this, day one?
Cast Training3
▪ Simplistically relate your culture and values
▪ Make it relevant to each position to improve buy-in
▪ Create measurable criteria of behavior guidelines
▪ Train initially, on-going, and with peer-to-peer training
▪ Solicit feedback from team
▪ Recognize and reward performance frequently
▪ Formal and informal
▪ Nominated by employee, patient, and supervisor
Cast Guideline Behaviors of Quality Service3
▪ Seek out patient contact
▪ Make eye contact and smile
▪ Anticipate patients’ needs
▪ Exceed patients’ expectations
▪ Take ownership: recognize their ability to create a positive or negative patient experience
▪ Display appropriate body language at all times
▪ Thank each and every patient
Building and Maintaining a Performance Culture
▪ Measure success of initial training
▪ Measure success of on-going training
▪ Frequent feedback for staff
▪ Regular intervals, informal feedback
▪ Met or exceeded expectations?
▪ Continually raise the target
▪ Utilize staff feedback
10 minute Break!
Building a Performance Culture: Front Office Cast: On the Phone
▪ Is the patient new to the practice?
▪ Know why the patient is being seen
▪ Match the patient to the perfect provider
▪ Niche specialty
▪ Prior experience with specific provider
▪ Gender preference?
▪ Schedule of PT and Pt match
Front Office Cast: On the Phone
▪ Offer appointment in 24 hours
▪ Offer a variety of appointment times
▪ Offer to set up a series of appts if specific days/times are necessary
▪ Ask appt reminder preferences
Front Office Cast: On the Phone
▪ Offer directions to facility
▪ Tell patients what to bring to appt
▪ Tell patients what to wear on appt
▪ Inform patient on appt flow
▪ Paperwork time
▪ Time with PT one-on-one
▪ Schedule follow-up appointments
▪ The entire appt will last _____________.
Front Office Cast: On the Phone
▪ Offer on-line forms
▪ Provide specific insurance requirements/info
▪ Decide if MD referral is necessary
▪ Offer to call and check on insurance benefits
▪ Offer to call MD’s office to secure a referral
Front Office Cast: Registration
▪ Smile, introduce yourself, state how
you will be assisting the Pt
▪ Orient the patient to facility
▪ Explain forms to be filled out
▪ Offer to help fill out forms if necessary
▪ Offer a cold or hot beverage
▪ Offer ambulatory assistance as needed
▪ Thank the patient for choosing your clinic
▪ Keep patients updated if there are any delays
Building a Performance Culture: Therapists Communication
▪ Smile and introduce yourself and how you will assist the Pt
▪ Orient to the appointment and evaluation process
▪ Include patients and families in decision-making
▪ Be courteous, kind, and respectful
▪ Fully explain treatment, outcomes, plan of care
▪ Provide treatment options, including alternative medicine
▪ Coordinate care
▪ Offer ways to save time
▪ Have flexible schedules
Cast Tips: Therapists’ Treatment Sessions7
▪ Create a safe environment
▪ Develop rapport
▪ Listen
▪ Tailor communication
▪ Slow the pace
▪ Notice/respond to body language
Cast Tips: Therapists’ Treatment Sessions
▪ Be available
▪ Be timely
▪ Focus on the patient
▪ Collaborate for goal setting
▪ Find conversational congruence to build relationship
▪ Set appropriate expectations
Non-verbal Communication
▪ Physicians’ nonverbal communication skill predicts patient satisfaction with the art of medical care received7
▪ Ability to decode patients’ posture and movement cues to emotion
▪ Understanding and expressing facial expression
▪ Express emotion through tone of voice
▪ Avoiding communication of negative emotion when intending positive
▪ More sensitive physicians experience fewer non-rescheduled appointment cancellations8
Non-verbal Communication
▪ Utilized to establish an emotionally supportive treatment setting7
▪ Used to clarify or explain treatment options7
Computer Documentation
▪ Clinicians baseline skills are amplified8-10
▪ Good computer skills are related to patients’ satisfaction with the computer’s effect on the visit.11
▪ Patient-centered communication is negatively correlated with screen gaze and keyboarding12
Service Recovery
Service Recovery Errors
▪ Denial
▪ Making excuses
▪ Blaming the patient
▪ Threatening the patient
▪ Lying to the patient
▪ Working to re-exert power over patient
▪ Retaliation against patient
▪ Withholding care
▪ Dropping the patient
▪ Refusing future care
▪ Cutting off communication with patient
Tips for Service Recovery
▪ Be empathetic
▪ Admit wrongdoing
▪ Make it right immediately
▪ Appreciate concerns
▪ Thank patients for the opportunity to make amends
▪ Involve patients in improvement processes
▪ Find the win-win
Magic of Setting
Setting
▪ Thoughtful setting delivers the service
▪ What message are you sending via your setting?
Planning the Setting
▪ Setting must
▪ Be functional
▪ Be efficient
▪ Exude a feeling
▪ Create a memory
▪ Reflect your brand promise
What Message is your Setting Sending?
Does your Setting… Tell a Story?
Does your Setting… Have Meaning?
Does your Setting… Invoke all 5 Senses?
Onstage and Offstage
▪ Setting clinic boundaries
▪ Physical
▪ Verbal
▪ Tidiness
▪ Maintenance
▪ Safety
▪ Patient comes first
Innovation
Clinic Setting Evaluation Checklist
Have you observed your setting through your patient’s eyes?
Does the setting assist patient flow?
Is there a visual landmark that helps orient and attract patients?
Are you communicating through shapes, form, and color?
Are you mixing up stories in one setting?
Are you maintaining brand identity/avoiding contradictions?
Are you giving patients the maximal setting to optimize all senses?
Are you maintaining your setting?
Evaluation of Marketing Approach
Magic of Process
Guest Flow Analysis
▪ Social media
▪ Social media or Google ads
▪ Print ads
▪ Radio/TV ads
▪ Billboard ad
▪ Face-to-face at health fairs, expos
▪ Open house
▪ Class or presentation
▪ Clinic signage
Guest Flow Analysis
▪ Patient interaction with website
▪ Mobile enhanced
▪ Easy to find critical info
▪ Updated, professional look
▪ Provide answers for FAQs
▪ Call to action
▪ Easy to find contact info
Guest Flow Analysis
▪ Potential patient calls clinic
Is a knowledgeable person answering the call?
Is a potential patient waiting on hold or forced to leave a message?
Can the patient be scheduled right away?
Are all questions answered in first call?
Quick PT call back if necessary?
Patients pointed to on-line forms to save time?
Patients know how to find you and what to expect on their first appt?
Guest Flow Analysis
▪ First patient visit
Welcomed?
Easy to find registration area?
Quick completion of registration?
Limited time waiting for PT?
All staff introduce themselves to patient and patient’s guests?
Full orientation to clinic?
Is patient and guests at ease?
Easy to schedule additional visits after eval is complete?
Ongoing Patient Interaction
▪ Appt reminders
▪ On-going scheduling needs
▪ Insurance coverage and benefits questions
▪ Billing and payment questions
▪ Referral to another provider
▪ Communication with provider
▪ Discharge planning
▪ Discharge gift?
▪ On-going contact information
▪ Quality questionnaire
Past Patients Ongoing Interaction
▪ Community contact
▪ Customer appreciation events
▪ Birthday cards
▪ Christmas cards
▪ Reminder cards
▪ E-newsletter
▪ Social media
Approach to Debugging Patient Processes
▪ Anticipate issues before they become a problem
▪ Even if it’s the patient’s fault, can you fix it?
▪ If you can’t fix it, can you make it understandable to patient?
▪ Can you find a way to meet an unmet need?
▪ Can you meet verbalized needs?
▪ Can you anticipate non-verbalized needs?
Number 1: How to Find the Bugs in your Patient Process
▪ Analyze the process required to deliver the service
▪ Pre-start
▪ First visit
▪ Last visit
▪ Post-visits
▪ Every patient contact!
▪ Collect and study service issues from patients
▪ Immediate
▪ First week
▪ Second month
▪ Discharge
▪ Every patient contact!
Debugging the Patient Processes
▪ Collect and study service issues from staff
▪ Optimize patient flow throughout the process
▪ Integrate new and more frequent touchpoints to ask for Pt feedback
▪ Train all of your staff how to give patients the right information
▪ Create special processes for special patients
▪ Continuously refine the processes
Service Process Wrap-up3
▪ If you are not continually re-assessing and changing, you are missing opportunities
▪ Are you “plussing” your processes?
▪ Are your processes standardized?
▪ Can you address outliers (kids, babies, pets, unique disabilities, language or cultural barriers)?
▪ Are you recognizing common patient complaints?
▪ What are you doing about them?
Magic of Integration
Patients do not have to get better to have a great patient experience.
My Best Patient Letter Ever
Given to me from my 13 year old chronic back pain Pt:
Thanks for helping me with my back as much as possible.
Your help made a huge impact.
I will never forget the talks we had while in PT.
If it’s okay with you, could we go out for ice cream sometime and talk?
I never thought physical therapy could be fun!
I am so grateful you got to be my therapist.
With Love…
Clinical Integration Matrix3
Cast Setting Process
Safety Patient safety first No trip hazards in
treatment & reception
areas
Patient ID shown at
each visit
Courtesy Ask patients how
they prefer to be
addressed
Clean, age appropriate
toys in reception area
Patients offered earlier
appts if other patients
cancel
Show Magic service
moments
Upgraded décor in
treatment rooms
All clinic staff knows
and wishes Pt Happy
Birthday
Efficiency Patients are
scheduled in room
while icing
Treatment rooms are
pre-set with necessary
evaluation equipment
per Dx
Patients are roomed
when PT is behind
schedule
Star Guest Program
3 Elements of Magical Service Moments3
High Touch
• Carrying a purse
• Grabbing a glass of water
High Show
• Football attire
• Beach week
High Tech
• Appt reminder texts
• Digital HEP
Maximize your Magical Service Moments
Entrenching the Culture
Consistency of Message
Living the Message
Leading the Message
Keys to Consistent Delivery3
▪ All cast members understand their role
▪ Empower each cast member to create a service moment
▪ Recognize service moments
▪ Choose intrinsically (service) motivated cast members
▪ Remove barriers toward service moments (communicate)
▪ Coach inconsistent cast members with regular feedback
▪ Change the process when unable to deliver on service
Signs of Cast Commitment to Culture
▪ Daily service moments
▪ Contagious enthusiasm
▪ Social media worthy
▪ Commitment to continuous improvement
▪ Cast routinely asks “Why not?” instead of “Why?”
▪ Change is embraced
▪ Improvement ideas originate from cast
▪ Environment is light and fun both onstage and offstage
Benefits of Quality Service Culture
▪ Improved word of mouth referrals
▪ Innovation
▪ Leadership development
▪ Improved cast satisfaction
▪ Past patients are your best cheerleaders!
Q & A
References
1. Wissow L. Self-monitoring and the not-yet-consciously patient-centered practitioner. Editorial in Patient Education and Counseling. 2006;62:1-2.
2. Hush JM, Cameron K, Mackey M. Patient satisfaction with musculoskeletal physical therapy care: a systematic review. Phys Ther. 2011: Jan;91(1):25-36.
3. Kinni, T & Disney Institute. Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service. LA: Disney Editions, 2011.
4. What Patients Want from Groups Conducted in Green Bay Market. Picker National Insights. Summer, 2006.
5. Croft J. Interviewing in physical therapy. Phys Ther. 1980;60(8):1033-36.
6. Murphy, JH. What Patients Want: Perspectives of patients on therapy care. Survey results currently unpublished. 2007.
7. Schachter CL, Stalker CA, Teram E. Toward sensitive practice: Issues for physical therapists working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Phys Ther. 1999;79(3):248-261
References
8. DiMatteo MR, Taranta A, Friedman HS, Prince LM. Predicting patient satisfaction from physicians’ nonverbal communication skills. Med Care. 1980;18(4):376-87.
9. DiMatteo, MR, Hays RD, Prince LM. Relationship of physicians’ nonverbal communication skill to patient satisfaction, appointment noncompliance, and physician workload. Health Psych. 1986:5(6):581-594.
10. Frankel R, Altschuler A, George S, Kinsman J, Jimison H, Robertson NR, Hsu J. Effects of exam- room computing on clinician-patient communication: a longitudinal qualitative study. J Gen Intern Med. 2005;20(8):677-82.
11. Margalit RS, Roter D, Dunevant MA, Larson S, Reis S. Electronic medical record use and physician- patient communication: An observational study of Israeli primary care encounters. Patient Education and Counseling. 2006:61:134-141.
12. Salamon GL, Dechter M. Are patients pleased with computer use in the examination room? J Fam Pract. 1995;41(3):241-4.