“A new survey suggests that CEOs are rethinking the importance of improving the patient experience and other studies show that consumerism in healthcare—long talked about—might really be coming after all.” To that, I say, it’s about time!

A week ago, knowing full well that I was two years over due for my annual mammogram (shame on me), I made the “smash-o-gram” appointment. To my surprise, my appointment was 2 days later. Not a week.  Not a month.  Not 6 months.  Only 2 days. Wow!  For the past 10 years, I’ve been a fan of Imaging for Women, a privately operated practice independently owned by Mark J. Malley, MD,  DABR, a board-certified radiologist. The imaging center offers phenomenal service. 

Here’s what I mean by that:

From door to door, my appointment took 28 minutes. I received my results at minute 25 (versus waiting a week for a postcard to arrive in the mail). Now consider this: Let’s say Dr. Malley has a concern about the images. You are ushered back into the mammography suite for another look. If anomalies still appear, your next stop is the ultrasound room just down the hall. And yes, you guessed it – results of the ultrasound are immediately reported.  No sleepless nights waiting for results.  In fact, BEFORE you ever leave Imaging for Women, Dr. Malley will personally counsel you about your choice of specialist  and facilitate the referral should you need a consult for breast surgery. 

Now, that’s a great patient experience – isn’t that the way healthcare should be?