If Disney Ran Your Hospital, they would focus on patient loyalty instead of patient satisfaction. That's right. Disney is arguably one of the greatest organizations in the world and they don't measure customer satisfaction. But they are relentlessly looking at customer loyalty. Why? Loyalty, not satisfaction, is what drives repeat business. In patient satisfaction vernacular, loyal patients give a rating of 5 out of 5, while "satisfied" patients give a rate of 3 or more. In a famous essay written in HBR on "The Loyalty Effect" by Reichheld, customers who give a 4 rating are 6 times more likely to defect compared to the 5-raters. Patient satisfaction surveys are an odd beast. If nothing goes wrong, if nothing memorable happens, the patient would probably check off "3" or "4." Additionally, if a hospital achieves "98% patient satisfaction," why would any staff feel the need to improve? They would rest on their laurels while patients simply had a ho-hum experience. Disney aims higher. Their measure is the % of customers that rate their experience "very satisfied" (rate 5 out of 5).

For patients to be "very satisfied," something memorable, something unexpected, something worthy of a dinnerparty story, has to happen.

Now, of course! It's Disney! Not a hospital where people come in sick, hurt, afraid, and stressed! How do hospitals create "storytelling moments" (of the positive kind, of course)? Lee did some research on unsolicited positive feedback from patients. The main theme? compassion. Patients remember compassion. Heck, human beings remember compassion, especially when they are in need. Compassion can become the chief point of differentiation in your hospital. How? Again, I leave that to Fred Lee. But I will say that it can't be scripted or even "required." (Imagine a husband saying, "wife, I love you because I'm required to.") But it does have to be hired for, valued, and measured. 8-Part Series on "If Disney Ran Your Hospital" The 8 Big Impact Ideas from “If Disney Ran Your Hospital” 1. Perceptions > Reality 2. Courtesy > Efficiency 3. Patient Loyalty > Patient Satisfaction 4. Experience > Service > Product 5. Intrinsic Motivation > Extrinsic Motivation 6. Habit > Imagination > Willpower > Compliance 7. Dissatisfaction > Complacency 8. Doing > Knowing