Amrita Rajesh could tell that the doctor sitting across from her felt uncomfortable. Exit interviews were usually handled by junior managers on the HR team, but Amrita felt that given the high rate of attrition among doctors at Krisna over the past year, it was her responsibility as head of HR to talk to Dr. Vishnu Patel, a respected cardiologist who’d just given his notice.
Case Study: Are Our Customer Liaisons Helping or Hurting?
Patient satisfaction is up, but doctors are getting annoyed.
October 23, 2017
Summary.
In this fictional case, the leadership team at one of the largest multi-specialty hospitals in Noida, India, has established a new liaison position called the patient care executive. The concept was meant to be a win-win: patients and their families would get a better, more personalized hospital experience and doctors could spend less time managing patients and more time practicing medicine. Customer satisfaction scores, patient retention, and referrals are all up but the doctors have been complaining that the PCEs are incompetent and intrusive. The CEO has gotten wind that the PCEs are a factor in the hospital’s high doctor turnover and is trying to decide whether to get rid of the role altogether.