Managing the Mayo Clinic brand: a case study in staff-developed service performance standards

One goal of healthcare reform in the USA is to increase the availability of quality and patient satisfaction data to help consumers choose their hospitals and doctors. This increased transparency is meant to encourage consumers to shop for health care by researching reputation, quality, price, and patient satisfaction. A strong healthcare brand, combined with a superior patient experience provided by skilled frontline service performers, can influence consumers’ healthcare choices in this highly competitive market. Through qualitative inquiry, this case study explores the reasons for service quality variation on the front line. Facilitated roundtable discussions were used to help staff define their own role-specific service performance standards and positively influence brand perception and value through improved frontline staff service performance. These methods for engaging frontline staff improved their understanding of service performance expectations, their awareness of important internal customer groups, and their self-reported willingness to serve. This case study approach to improve the patient experience may be useful to other healthcare organizations navigating an increasingly value- and consumer-driven healthcare market.