There is no disputing the name Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with customer service.  Part of the credo of Ritz-Carlton is, “Where the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission.” And now more and more hospitals are adopting the Ritz-Carlton service excellence model.  This isn’t surprising given that hospitals will soon receive a portion of their Medicare reimbursement based on patient satisfaction scores. With this imminent reality, I wasn’t surprised when Henry Ford West Bloomfield, a new suburban Detroit hospital, chose a former Ritz-Carlton executive as its CEO, nor was I shocked to learn about the Concierge Care program at New Jersey-based Riverview Medical Center.  Through this service, Riverview patients can order a massage or manicure during their stay, make arrangements for pet care, take care of gift lists with gift selection, wrapping and shipping services, and order delicious meals from participating area restaurants.  These services dramatically reframe the traditional expectations of a hospital experience.

What did catch me by surprise is that some hotels are now purposefully shifting to act more like hospitals.  The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia has rolled out a new concierge service developed exclusively for discharged patients who aren’t ready to go home and don’t want to stray too far from the medical team that provided care.  The service appears ideal for patients who have lengthy but uncomplicated recovery times or lengthy treatment scenarios.  For patients, the hotel offers more pampering than if they had stayed at the hospital. For the hotels, the recovering guests present the opportunity for new revenue streams. A medical concierge at the hotel tends to each guests needs. The concierge does not perform medical procedures or administer drugs, but the concierge can provide wake-up calls for medical appointments, transportation to and from doctors' offices, special sleep arrangements, custom dietary options, prescription pickups, etc. Because the hotel is close to the hospital, medical teams can more easily provide necessary follow up care.  The hotel shuttle can even pick them up.  All the services are a la carte, added to a guest's final bill much as an in-room movie would be. Whether specific services are covered by health insurance is up to the guest's provider.

Philadelphia, with its abundance of internationally recognized hospitals, was a natural fit for the hotel chain's pilot program, said Michael Walsh, general manager of the city's Ritz-Carlton.  Hotel analysts say the medical-concierge idea is the latest competitive strategy for luxury hotels, which boast of having the best of everything.  If the medical-concierge program is successful, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. says it plans to expand it nationally and abroad.

You may be thinking to yourself, “We don’t have a Ritz-Carlton next to our facility or even the internal bandwidth to offer concierge-like services.”  This shouldn’t limit you in this effort. Perhaps you can partner with other businesses in your community to provide special services for your patients while they are undergoing outpatient treatment or in the hospital.  For instance, are you near a bakery that will deliver get-well cookies, or a drycleaner who is willing to pick up patient clothing?  Could a local hotel shuttle pull double-duty as a hospital shuttle for outpatient visits or doctor’s appointments?   If a service could be viewed as a value-add for the patient or family member, consider how to make it work.  It will be sustainable if the concept benefits both the hospital and the local business, plus it will have you stand out for your commitment to service.

As someone whose organization is committed to helping hospitals provide the optimum customer experience to patients and families, I’m struck by the genius behind the Ritz-Carlton effort. This type of commitment to the patient experience before, during and after the delivery of care should be at the core of all we do in health care. It is a chance for you to become an extended business partner in the communities you serve and more importantly have your institution be the place patients choose not only for care, but for superior service.  Go ahead…surprise them!

Jason Wolf

Executive Director - The Beryl Institute