“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?

Twelve business owners from Vistage Group 3416 (a Kansas City executive leadership group) recently joined for four days in Beaver Creek, CO for ziplining, rafting, fly fishing and some more serious leadership adventures. It was as much a time to escape from the day-to-day struggles of business ownership as it was a time for a deeper dive into it. Our goal is to become better leaders, make better decisions and achieve better results…and to achieve better balance in our lives. The retreat gave us insights not only into ourselves, but into our colleagues and how they work, live and play.

So while there’s no “so what” marketing message for today, I did want to encourage you to think about how you can “strategically withdraw” or retreat to take time for yourself. And make it a point to “be present” in the midst of a busy day no matter who you’re with. Make it a priority and part of your personal brand to engage at a deeper level with yourself, your family, friends, staff and business partners. It’s amazing what you learn and what you get back in return.

We’ve been talking a lot about brands lately, so I thought I’d weigh in.  This weekend I ventured out to the suburbs to find some sport wear for an upcoming trip to Colorado (I’m headed to Beaver Creek to bond with my Vistage group and join in some ziplining across canyons and white water rafting — perhaps I’ll share my adventure on my next blog). Even though it’s not a high adventure retreat, I needed a couple of things to round out my wardrobe. Heels don’t work so well on the trail, you know.  Anyway, I went to a well-known adventure sports store that I’ve gone to since it was located in midtown. Although I had been to their posh new digs once before, this time, I found myself rebelling against the new store. Their modern retail surroundings and retail focus trumped the staff’s passion for adventure that had once drawn me there.  

So, I drove two blocks to Dynamic Earth. A place where the staff put their heart into serving customers. They really get into helping you excel at your next adventure. The staff at Dynamic Earth focus less on the label and more about how your wearing the right thing will help you perform against the roar of the river, the heat of the sun, the torrential rains above tree line. Ok, I know what you’re thinking – this retreat doesn’t sound like those kind of  “adventures.”  It doesn’t matter — it wasn’t just about the clothes. I left with new information on whitewater kayaking clinics on the Mulberry River (something I’d been looking for), inspiration to get my kayak back in the water, and a deeper conviction that brand is about what you DO, not merely what the marketers write and create at the point of purchase. Great customer service and mission-passionate staff go a long way toward establishing strong brands.

Did you see the new Gallup Poll about medical travel?  More Americans see medical travel as a viable option – if the QUALITY OF CARE IS THE SAME as it is here in the states.  The poll of 5,050 adults involved a split-sample experiment. One random half-sample was asked the “direct” question on whether they would consider treatment abroad. The second half was asked whether they would consider treatment abroad assuming “the quality was the same and the costs significantly cheaper.” Given that assurance, the percentage saying they would consider medical treatment outside U.S. borders increased by 12% on average. The poll has a 2% margin of error. Read more

I’ve been watching with great curiosity the rise in popularity of medical travel. Since 2005, more than half a million Americans have traveled overseas seeking healthcare that is cheaper and allegedly of the same quality. Traveling to Singapore, India, Brazil or any number of exotic destination countries for major surgery that it is 50 to 80 percent cheaper may sound enticing. Especially when a procedure such as a triple bypass could cost $130,000 in the States, but only $10,000 in, let’s say, India.

But what about the quality of care? How do you know that you’ll receive equal or better quality outcomes than you would from a double board certified cardiothoracic surgeon right here in North America? There’s ample data on the cost of care posted on international care web sites, but please tell me you wouldn’t simply make your choice of hospital and surgeon on the price tag! Finding the quality provider requires A LOT of work to ferret through regulatory (Joint Commission International), third-party (International Organization for Standardization) and internal assessments. Finding quality indicators (mortality and infection rates, etc.) is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Despite increased competition that US providers will face (more on this in another blog), I hope medical travel gets its act together. I’m eager to see international providers market their quality with as much transparency as they do their price. In the meantime, caveat emptor – buyer beware.

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