76 ◾ Healthcare Value Proposition
the attention of passersby, and the bucket was about two-thirds full. I did not make much of the encounter until after my visit, when I noticed that the bucket was now about three-quarters full. Instinctively, I was caught up in an internal debate. Does this matter? And if so, to whom? Who cares about the fact that the front entrance signage was missing a letter, or the name badge machine does not work, or some lightbulbs are dead, or the hallway ceiling has a leak? Perhaps most people would not care about these inadequacies, but invariably, someone might. Nevertheless, I had more questions. Who is responsible for these failures? Did someone conclude that these are “minor details”? If so, do these details matter? What other forms of details are overlooked? Does anyone else see what I see? How does an organization handle these telling images forced on the senses or the mind? The most challenging jobs are those that not only place an employee in patients’ line of sight, but also in a patient’s personal space. Examples include nursing, medical assistants, therapists, physicians, dentists, dental hygienists, phlebotomists, paramedics, etc. For these jobs and professions, it is not only about appearance. It is also about personal hygiene.
Attentiveness—The Gold Standard In 2010, I visited New Orleans and checked into a hotel a few days after my birthday. The registration clerk at the hotel asked to see my ID and method of payment. As she inspected my ID, she said, “Happy Birthday! I see you just had a birthday.” She surprised me by sending a bottle of red wine to my room with a card that said, “Happy Birthday!” She was only required to check to make sure that my name matched the name on my reservation. Her action was marked by extreme care and attention to detail. Details surround us in every aspect of what we do. Our line of sight presents us with an incredible number of details. Every encounter, every task, everyone we meet presents an opportunity to hear the unspoken and see the invisible. The following excerpt from my interview with a patient might illustrate this point further: My medical condition has brought many things into a rather awkward focus. Please understand that something that may seem so insignificant to you may carry a lot of weight in my mind. It
