Undercover Patients Give Feedback on Doctors-But Critics Raise Outcry
While quality controls are an integral part of any health care system, and those in the United States are surely in need of reconsideration and updating, the implementation of such programs can very quickly overreach, due to the personal and often serious nature of medical issues.
You've probably heard of "mystery shoppers" before, consumers who are paid to shop in certain stores and provide detailed feedback about their experience, from cleanliness of the store to friendliness of employees. Some hospitals, it turns out, are using the same concept for evaluating doctors—and many are outraged at the practice.
The American Medical Association, on the other hand, pushed for its doctors group to endorse the practice, which was voted on at the annual AMA conference last month. A panel of delegates pronounced some positive opinions on the use of undercover patients in hospitals for ranking doctors, but declined to officially vote on the matter. Instead, the panel voted to refer the issue to further study.
The controversy over the undercover patient-or "secret shopper"-practices lies at the core of the endless debate over ways to improve health care. Those in favor of the measure see the chance to implement measures of accountability for doctors and medical staff, which can improve wait times, patient privacy safeguards and patient-doctor communication. Use of secret shoppers in other industries has allowed stores to closely monitor the shopping experience from the consumer's point of view and quickly correct errors or lapses that can turn customers off from the store. More of an emphasis on patient care would go a long way in improving health care, this side of the argument goes.
Some doctors with individual practices have even started the service on their own to improve patient experiences and hopefully the ever-important word of mouth marketing that is crucial to their business.
However, critics point out that medical care features unique concerns that other industries do not have to account for, the primary one being the serious nature of illness and injury. If an undercover patient was to occupy a doctor's time while a patient with a serious injury were left waiting, the outcome could be very negative for all involved. Emergency rooms are overcrowded as is, some doctors and other opponents argue, without inserting fake patients in line with real ones.
However, mystery shopping companies who provide the service to doctors and hospitals will try to use a patient with a known illness or a patient who is already sick as the undercover patient. In this way, the health clinic or hospital will get valuable feedback and a sick patient will get needed treatment. As undercover patient services get tweaked in the upcoming months and years according to valuable input from doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and other health care organizations such as the AMA, perhaps they will do a small part in making life a little better for sick people.