Health Care's Service Fanatics

James  Merlino; Ananth   Raman

Article | Harvard Business Review | May 2013

Health Care's Service Fanatics: How the Cleveland Clinic Leaped to the Top of the Patient-satisfaction Surveys

by James Merlino and Ananth Raman

Abstract

The Cleveland Clinic has long had a reputation for medical excellence. But in 2009 the CEO acknowledged that patients did not think much of their experience there, and he decided to act. Since then the Clinic has leaped to the top tier of patient-satisfaction surveys, and it now draws hospital executives from around the world who want to study its practices. The Clinic's journey also holds lessons for organizations outside health care that must suddenly compete by creating a superior customer experience. The authors, one of whom was critical to steering the hospital's transformation, detail the processes that allowed the Clinic to excel at patient satisfaction without jeopardizing its traditional strengths.

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Customer Satisfaction; Health Industry; Cleveland;

Format: Print

9 pages

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Citation:

Merlino, James, and Ananth Raman. "Health Care's Service Fanatics: How the Cleveland Clinic Leaped to the Top of the Patient-satisfaction Surveys." Harvard Business Review 91, no. 5 (May 2013): 108–116.

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Health Care's Service Fanatics: How the Cleveland Clinic Leaped to the Top of the Patient-satisfaction Surveys

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