Consumerism Driving Healthcare Change

The Beryl Institute's Power of Impressions Conference Reveals Consumer-Centric
Factors Behind Healthcare Trends

DALLAS, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers heightened expectations and
greater demand for choice is requiring healthcare organizations to take a new
approach to service delivery, employee relations and brand positioning. This
was the resounding theme shared by nearly 20 speakers at The Beryl Institute's
"Power of Impressions" Conference held in Dallas.
"As consumers are asked to spend more of their own money to receive care,
they will consider the entire spectrum of value, from access and expertise to
service, convenience, and price," said Chris Bevolo, partner in GeigerBevolo.
Bevolo and other healthcare leaders addressing the Institute's attendees
stressed that consumers' unprecedented access to cost and quality information
is the leading factor in the emergence of customer service as a key
differentiator in where consumers choose to receive care. To win in this new
environment, speakers challenged healthcare providers to:
-- "Always" deliver on their brand promises.
-- Create a corporate culture that nurtures "engaged" employees.
-- Challenge traditional ways of approaching the market.
-- Understand the customer service opportunities before, during and after
a clinical visit.
-- Empower consumers by making it easy to navigate the healthcare system.
-- Turn moments of truth into moments of trust.

"Consumers should be in the driver's seat when it comes to managing their
health and making their own healthcare decisions," said Wayne Sensor, CEO of
Alegent Health. With consumers making more of the purchasing decisions,
healthcare organizations are being forced to shift the way they communicate
and interact with consumers at every point in the continuum of care. Kristin
Baird, president of Baird Consulting, listed many "moments of truth" during
which a hospital can gain the trust of its consumers. She asserts that
hospitals can build trust through consistency during "every encounter, every
moment and every day."
"Every healthcare organization should strive to be a first-choice
provider, which is a trusted healthcare partner that the consumer believes
will provide them with the highest degree of satisfaction," said Paul
Spiegelman, executive director of The Beryl Institute.
Among the other speakers at the conference who echoed themes of customer
service were Lynn Cunningham of the Studer Group, Britt Berrett of Medical
City-Dallas, David Dickey of RedBrick Health, and Brian Grubb of the Ritz-
Carlton Leadership Center.
Founded in 2006, The Beryl Institute is dedicated to improving customer
service in healthcare by defining best practices around all touch points in
the continuum of a consumers' healthcare experience. The institute is was
created by The Beryl Companies, which for 20 years has been the leading
provider of outsourced customer interaction services in healthcare. For more
about Beryl, visit http://www.beryl.net.
SOURCE The Beryl Institute

Carol Stevenson, +1-818-597-8453, x-3