Dental Experience

I am a big believer in the fact that the experience matters for healthcare.  From my architecture days, this means physical space, sequence of events, bedside manner of the staff, clarity of communications, and processing of the claim (at the simplest level).  Everything that the patient experiences as associated with an event drives their satisfaction.

So, I was pleasantly surprised taking my daughter to the dentist a few weeks ago.  We had gone to a “kid’s dentist” before which was an hour away that I thought did a good job (although the kids hated going).  But, this one was over the top.

When you walk in, the entire room is covered with art (e.g., there is a giant Spiderman climbing on the ceiling).  There are video game stations in the corner.  There is a large flatscreen TV playing a slide show of pictures of the kids coming to visit that day.

And, it doesn’t stop there.  Each room is decorated.  The staff talks to the kids (more than the parent).  Every tool and process is explained to the kids in simple terms.  They sometimes give out balloons.

Just something to think about when you try to look at things from an outside-in perspective.  How is the patient experiencing your service?