Want to meet your patients' expectations? Then The Mystery Shopper can help you.
To provide exceptional healthcare services, we must improve the patient experience.
And *The Hidden Patient* recounts its journey in great detail
This makes it possible to streamline patient care processes, train staff, and ensure patient satisfaction.
Want to know what a "hidden patient" is?
Next, we’ll explain how it can help a clinic improve its service and patient care processes.
Don't miss out!
What is the Mystery Shopper ?
What does it assess?
Preparing for the Mystery Shopper journey
The MysteryShopper journey
Completing the questionnaire
Why assess the patient experience?
What is a Hidden Patient?
Imagine knowing everything a patient goes through during their visit to a clinic—from scheduling the appointment to the completion of treatment.
Furthermore, imagine that this experience can be described in great detail.
Did you know that's possible? Yes, that's what the hidden patient does.
In other words, a mystery shopper is someone hired to evaluate the patient experience and the services provided by a clinic, hospital, or doctor’s office.
In this regard, an assessment takes into account four aspects of the patient experience. These aspects are:
- tangible;
- in attitude;
- procedures;
- and intangible assets.
Next, take a look at what each of these aspects entails!
What does *The Hidden Patient* evaluate?
First, the tangible aspects. For example, the layout, cleanliness, and organization of areas such as the reception area, waiting room, and examination room.
Second, aspects related to attitude—such as the demeanor, friendliness, and proactiveness of the clinic’s staff and healthcare professionals.
Third, the appointment procedures. For example, the availability of time slots and staff to schedule an appointment.
Or, for example, waiting times on the day of the appointment and the quality of care, among other factors.
Fourth, the intangible aspects. That is, patient satisfaction and their willingness to recommend the clinic to friends and family.
In summary, these are the key aspects that the unregistered patient can assess during their healthcare journey.
Now that you know this, see how the hidden patient journey works in practice!
Are you ready?
So, let's get started!
Preparing for the "Mystery Shopper" Experience
The best way to understand the journey of the invisible patient is through an example.
So, here’s the story of Gabriela and her work as an undercover patient.
Who is the hidden patient?
Gabriela is a fictional character, but suppose she really exists.
She is 27 years old, works as a mystery shopper, and is an excellent evaluator.
That is why it consistently performs well in advanced-level surveys, such as those in the healthcare field.
So, follow Gabriela’s journey below as she goes undercover as a patient at an orthopedic clinic.
How are mystery shoppers selected and trained?
First of all, Gabriela was selected for this evaluation because she fits the clinic’s patient profile.
Once she is approved, she receives training materials that include an evaluation guide and a checklist.
Next, you need to take an online test to make sure you understand the instructions you received.
Finally, now that she’s passed the test, Gabriela’s journey as a mystery shopper is about to begin.
So, are you ready?
So, let's get started!
The Journey of the Invisible Patient
According to the script, the journey of the mystery shopper begins with scheduling the appointment.
Scheduling an appointment by phone
At this stage, the patient, Gabriela, should evaluate the staff’s attitude and the procedures. For example:
- How many times does the phone ring before someone picks up?
- The staff member’s friendliness and proactiveness;
- The attendant's knowledge of the clinic;
- Easy to reschedule your appointment.
So, when she calls the clinic, she notes that the phone rings three times before someone picks up.
The attendant, who introduces herself as Camila, is friendly and proactive.
She asks Gabriela her name and tries to understand what she needs.
Next, it provides information about available appointment times.
So, Gabriela asks to schedule it for next Wednesday at 8 a.m.
The receptionist asks for your health insurance information and schedules your appointment.
Next, Gabriela receives a WhatsApp message confirming the appointment time.
However, before hanging up, she asks to reschedule.
As indicated in the script, Gabriela says she made a mistake, since she already had an appointment scheduled for the same time. She then asks to reschedule the appointment for Thursday at 3:00 p.m.
The clerk agrees. However, she takes a while to complete the procedure.
After five minutes, Camila apologizes and confirms the appointment time.
Finally, Gabriela receives confirmation that her appointment has been scheduled for the correct time.
After ending the call, she notifies the project consultant who is overseeing her evaluation.
In addition, please fill out an online form providing a detailed account of what happened.
Access and the clinic's exterior
On the day of the appointment, Gabriela should take note of the factors that make it easier or harder for her to get to the clinic. For example:
- Check that access is easy;
- Are there any parking spaces nearby?
- Check to see if the clinic's sign is clearly visible;
- What is the condition of the facade?
In Gabriela's experience, getting there by car is no problem.
However, the sign is somewhat hidden. And that makes it hard to find the clinic.
Besides, there aren't any parking spots nearby. So she has to park the car three blocks away.
Standing in front of the entrance, she notices that the facade is well-maintained. And the outdoor area is well-kept.
Before going in, she jots these points down. Then she rings the clinic’s intercom.
Reception and waiting room
According to the script, inside the clinic, the undercover patient assesses tangible aspects of the environment.
In addition, the attitude of the staff and procedures, such as:
- The availability of staff members when the patient arrives;
- If they wear lab coats and name tags;
- The friendliness and warmth of the staff;
- The punctuality of the appointment;
When Gabriela opens the door, she sees that the two clerks are busy with other customers. So she takes a number and waits to be called.
While she waits, she goes over to the water cooler to get a drink. That way, she can take in the whole waiting room.
She notices that there's hand sanitizer only near the entrance.
Besides, the chairs aren't very comfortable, and the room is a bit messy.
So, grab your phone and discreetly take some photos of the surroundings.
After two and a half minutes, she is called to the front desk.
The receptionist says “good afternoon” and cordially introduces herself as Natália. She then asks for the appointment details and the patient’s identification.
Natalia is wearing a lab coat and a name tag; her hair is neatly combed and her nails are manicured.
She says the appointment will be 10 minutes late.
So Gabriela takes the opportunity to go to the bathroom. She sees that it’s clean, but there’s no toilet paper.
Finally, she takes the photo and returns to the waiting room.
Just 17 minutes later, Gabriela is called in by the doctor, Dr. Márcio.
Clinical care
As the guidelines state, during the clinical consultation, the undercover patient should assess factors such as:
- The doctor's friendliness;
- If he reviews the patient's medical history and orders tests;
- Does he recommend any products or prescribe medications?
- And it clearly answers any questions you may have.
At the door to the room, Dr. Márcio greets her and invites Gabriela to sit down.
Next, he begins the medical history.
Gabriela answers the questions. She also mentions that she started working from home a year ago. She set up an office in her home. But a few months later, she began to experience lower back pain.
Dr. Márcio says that Gabriela's situation is quite common.
Also, ask if she has a history of any medical conditions or any symptoms associated with back pain.
While Dr. Márcio writes down the answers in the medical record, she also discreetly takes notes on her cell phone.
However, Gabriela misses being asked in detail about her daily routine, sleep, and diet. So she adds this to her notes.
Next, Dr. Márcio asks her to sit on the examination table for the posture assessment and spinal palpation.
The exam is performed carefully.
However, in Gabriela’s opinion, the orthopedist doesn’t explain clearly what he finds during the exam. And when she tries to ask a question, she notices that Dr. Márcio is brief and uses a lot of technical terms.
Finally, she receives her diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
Then Dr. Márcio walks Gabriela to the door and bids her a cordial farewell.
Payment and end of the appointment
According to the procedure, the final step in the evaluation process is payment for the consultation.
So Gabriela goes to the front desk to pay and get the receipt for reimbursement.
According to the script, she should raise an objection to the cost of the treatment.
But the receptionist does a great job. She highlights the clinic’s unique features and shares some patient stories.
So Gabriela pays the bill, takes the receipt, and says goodbye.
As she quietly leaves the clinic, she takes a selfie in front of the building.
That's it! Your journey as a mystery shopper has come to an end!
Filling out the questionnaire
Now all you have to do is fill out the questionnaire and submit it within 24 hours.
In total, there are about 100 questions divided into seven sections:
- telephone support;
- access;
- outdoor environment;
- indoor environment;
- reception services;
- clinical care;
- and payment.
When she gets home from her appointment, Gabriela reviews her notes and answers the questions in great detail.
The next day, she receives the first "OK" from the project consultant.
The information Gabriela provides goes through a triple-checking process.
This is to ensure the consistency, level of detail, and grammatical accuracy of the information.
Two days later, her evaluation is finally approved, and on the agreed-upon date, she receives her payment.
Now, finally, Gabriela's work is done!
So, did you like it? Had you ever heard of a "hidden patient" before?
So, understand why it’s important to understand the patient’s experience!
Why evaluate the patient experience?
People who seek healthcare generally have a sense of urgency or are in a vulnerable state.
That’s why everyone wants to receive prompt, empathetic, and transparent service.
But, unfortunately, that’s not what usually happens.
And this failure to meet expectations is bad for both the patient and the clinic.
Therefore, if you want to offer a unique healthcare service, you need to have a deep understanding of the patient experience.
And *The Hidden Patient* provides information in an objective, impartial, and highly detailed manner.
This makes it possible to streamline patient care processes and train staff to ensure patient satisfaction.
Do you want to provide an incredible experience that exceeds your patients' expectations?
So, ask one of our consultants to get in touch with you. 😉
