Hospitals hire mystery shoppers

Hospitals and physician practices are increasingly hiring mystery shopping firms to check on their quality of patient care with anonymous patient surveyors who report their findings and experiences. Although healthcare mystery shopping made up only 2% of the $600 million in revenue for the mystery-shopping industry in 2004, those revenues doubled over 2003, according to a report in the August 8 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

Healthcare facilities that use the firms report that they help to improve patient satisfaction in areas such as better estimates of wait times, better explanations of medical procedures, and extended hours for hospital administration workers, the WSJ reported.

OhioHealth, a 15-hospital nonprofit chain, began rewarding employees who receive praise from mystery shoppers with bonuses and recognition, the paper reported. The organization, which now has in-house mystery shopping, reported a 33% drop in employee turnover since 2000, partly due to the new incentives.

Source: "Health Care Taps 'Mystery Shoppers,' Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2006, p. D1.