DAVID JARRARD

David Jarrard

Welcome to the age of the naked doctor.

Not disrobed, of course. But exposed, for certain.

Think of the hospital gown that doesn’t quite close where it should.
Every week, it seems, another Web site is launched with aspirations of becoming the information gateway for shoppers wanting an online version of Consumer Reports for hospitals and physicians. These sites are backed by terabytes of data collected by CMS, insurance companies, research firms and polling agencies all made massively accessible on the World Wide Web.

Check out www.changehealthcare.com for an excellent example of a gateway site (developed in Nashville, by the way) that wants doctors and hospitals as naked as possible. It’s what they’re selling. Here’s the point: BlueCross aside, the exposure is on the way. Get ready.

But for a real taste of the future, visit www.tripadvisor.com.

TripAdvisor.com is a powerful Web site for people planning their vacations. You probably know it (or sites like it) already. Note carefully what happens when you select the specific resort you want to visit. With a click of the mouse you get:

• The location of the resort and its distance from other resorts and attractions in the area.
• Details about services and amenities, plus photographs of the facility and grounds. 
• Listed prices.
• Prices and packages offered by competing travel agencies.
• Links to expert reviews by professional travel guides.
• And then reviews — thousands of reviews — from travelers who have visited that exact resort. These travelers share their experiences, good or bad, and rate the resort based on their experience. At last count, tripadvisor.com boasted more than 10 million traveler reviews.

For many, the traveler reviews are the most compelling information in making their travel plans once cost and location have been settled. People identify with other people just like them and the experiences they had. They make expensive choices based on reviews from people they don’t know and will never meet.

Now change gears.

Imagine a site that provides your patients that information about your practice –– your services, a photo of your reception area, your costs and charges for common procedures, outcomes, an advertisement from a competing practice, a link to expert guides, and then reviews – hundreds of anonymous reviews – from your patients or their family members. Maybe, like tripadvisor.com, it allows shoppers to compare your practice side-by-side with a competitor of yours in the market.

This is transparency in action –– and getting a few rating smiley faces from HealthGrades or a health plan pales in comparison.

What to do?

1. Understand –– and have your staff and partners understand –– that the spotlight is coming their way and that every member of your team has an important role to play.
    
2. Focus intensely on the experience patients and family members have in your office or hospital. Most people do not readily know if the quality of your care or advice is good or fair. They are not doctors, after all. But they know instantly if your office is dirty, if your nurses are frosty, if getting appointments are a hassle, if the wait time is two hours, if the receptionist is unfriendly, and more. If the prices and quality between competitors are within a reasonable range, the patient experience will drive a consumer’s decision.  .
    
3. Monitor the rating sites and track how your practice is fairing. Note the numbers used and make sure they are accurate (and fight if they are not). Also note carefully the user comments and engage in an online conversation if appropriate. If possible, contact naysayers directly to resolve a problem before it becomes a serious and public issue.  
    
4. Keep your quality up and your costs under control. Obviously.  
    
5. Determine what is unique about your practice and use it. Maybe it’s your personality and that of your staff or partners; maybe it’s a unique set of services you offer or extraordinary quality; maybe its location or maybe something else. Know that the rating sites will work to compare hundreds of practices, physicians and hospitals. You’ll be another wedge in their pie chart. Take the time to differentiate yourself and your practice.

Nobody likes to be naked in public, but it helps to get in shape for the exposure. You spend your days focused on your patients care and clinical quality. Now is the time to closely examine all aspects of your operation — every way in which you and your practice engage the patient — to prepare for the reviews that are sure to come online soon.

David Jarrard is president of Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, a national healthcare public affairs firm based in Brentwood. www.jarrardinc.com

April 2008