Support Services: The Tipping Point in a Hospital’s Culture of Hospitality
By Gary Goettl
As patient expectations continue to grow with the changing health care industry, so too must the way organizations deliver care also change. That includes not just delivering high-quality care to patients, but providing a caring, hospitable environment to heal.
With so much focus on creating the best possible outcomes, it can be easy to overlook the vital role support services plays in the delivery of care. These services, which include nutrition services, housekeeping and other auxiliary services, can be a tipping point in creating and maintaining a culture of hospitality throughout the organization.
A recent study on understanding patient reactions to a hospitality setting in hospitals, found that high-end material finishes and hospitality-certified health care staff were the two greatest influences on patient preference for where they choose to receive care. The patient also noted that some patients were willing to pay as much as 13% more for hotel-like hospital rooms. These findings illustrate why having a culture of hospitality can be a difference-maker in hospital operations.
