Sep. 22, 2008 at 8:46am

Are we overlooking families?

Posted by Guest Blogger in Care Line Marketing, Practice Management
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Until recently, I didn’t know that what I’ve been doing had a name: patient advocate. In the last few years, I have spent lots of time accompanying my family to hospitals, doctors’ offices and testing facilities. The providers are patient-focused, as they should be.

But are hospitals and clinics overlooking the importance of family and friends who accompany the patients? We are emotionally engaged with the patient. We watch intently as care is administered. We listen as employees talk to each other and our loved ones. We get lost in the hallways and sometimes don’t understand a test, procedure or treatment process.

We are in the best possible position to compare medical providers and systems. We tell others about what we experienced, unfairly amplified because we care so much about the patients, our loved ones. We make recommendations based on our observations and feelings. And we are paying close attention to those we want to take care of us when the time comes.

Are health care systems ignoring us? They would benefit by creating specific marketing, communications and operational programs to address patient advocates, those of us who are intensely watching and judging their systems.

Kurt Jacobson is president of JayRay Ads & PR.

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