Doctor-patient speed dating: a good idea

 At first, I wasn’t sure what I thought about this, but I’ve decided that we’ve looking a  good    idea here. As the following    NPR piece describes, some hospitals have arranged a form of    “speed dating” giving doctors and  patients to meet each other in a friendly, relaxed    atmosphere. God knows this is a more sympathetic approach than the mechanical, soul-less  one already in use, n’est pas?  Both doctors and hospitals appear to win here.

Hospital attracts patients with “speed dating”

“[These programs] aren’t just about marketing to patients. They’re also a tool to reach out to physicians and encourage them to refer their patients back to the hospital.

“Physicians drive health care, period,” says Travis Singleton, a senior vice president at Merritt Hawkins, a physician placement firm. “Ninety percent of the health care dollars that are spent in today’s marketplace are through the physician’s pen, whether that’s patients they admit, whether that’s tests they administer, whether that’s procedures they order, whether that’s insurance they bill.”Do you think this is a good idea?  Why or why not?

About the author

Anne Zieger

Anne Zieger is a healthcare journalist who has written about the industry for 30 years. Her work has appeared in all of the leading healthcare industry publications, and she's served as editor in chief of several healthcare B2B sites.

   

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