Where’s the Civility in Healthcare? New White Paper from The Beryl Institute Explores Why Character Counts in Healthcare
(DALLAS, TX) -- Hospitals need a “civility initiative.” According to a new white paper from The Beryl Institute, hospitals need to go beyond traditional customer service programs and evaluate how people within the organization relate to others. The white paper, “Character Counts: Integrating Civility into the Healthcare Culture,” was written by Chuck Lauer, former publisher of Modern Healthcare and frequent author and speaker. The paper can be downloaded free from www.theberylinstitute.net.
According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients in many U.S. hospitals are not satisfied with their care. Poor service leads consumers to switch providers and results in reluctance to recommend their healthcare providers to friends and family, a loss that healthcare providers cannot afford. The Beryl Institute’s white paper examines the prevailing climate of rude behavior in society at large and offers solutions to healthcare providers seeking to provide consumers with outstanding healthcare experiences.
“The wonderful thing about civility in healthcare is that it builds an almost contagious sense of character and self-respect,” writes Lauer. “There is much healthcare professionals do to create a healthcare system alive with civility, respect, deference and goodwill.”
In the white paper, Lauer elaborates on these five secrets for bringing civility to healthcare:
- Pay attention, focus and listen.
- Greet and acknowledge. Be gracious.
- Include others in every conversation.
- Speak with kindness, free from ridicule and gossip.
- Respect others’ time, space and foibles.
To illustrate the application and importance of organizational character, the paper includes 11 examples of organizations exemplifying civility. “Wouldn’t it be nice if other industries tried to emulate our successes rather than the other way around?” reflects Lauer on the state of character in healthcare today.
Lauer will host a series of free Webinars through The Beryl Institute in late spring. The white paper and Webinar information can be obtained at www.theberylinstitute.net. All registered members will be notified of upcoming Webinars and events. Other white papers available through The Beryl Institute include: “Ready or Not, Customer Service is Coming to Healthcare,” “Mystery Shopping the Patient Experience” and “High-Performing Organizations: Culture as a Bottom-Line Issue.”
Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is the research and educational arm of The Beryl Companies, the leading provider of outsourced call center services in healthcare. The mission of The Beryl Institute is to improve customer service in healthcare. Follow @berylinstitute on Twitter.